USING A PEN NAME FOR NONFICTION

I've talked about this before, but I really wanted to use a pen name for The Orchard. At the very least, Anne Frasier, but even better would have been something entirely new. The name I came up with was my grandmother's last name of Ahlberg.  So I was thinking Terry Ahlberg.  I saw using a pen name as a way of telling my story without exposing people who wouldn't want to be exposed. But both my editor and agent felt very strongly about my using my real name, and other people in the business were adamant about using real locations. 


Now, coming up on the one-year anniversary of  the release of The Orchard, I will say that I feel even more strongly that it should have been published under a pen name due to the exposure it's received.  Way back when I was hoping to use something other than my name, my agent said nobody from my old life would even know the book existed anyway.  And both my editor and agent's argument was that it was nonfiction and nonfiction should be published under a writer's real name. I totally understand that, but I don't see a problem with publishing nonfiction under a pen name.  In fact, I think it could prove a good idea in many cases.  And a little mystery is never a bad thing.