Why did Edward stratemeyer have pen names?

Answer 1

A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her writings, or for any of a number of reasons related to the marketing or aesthetic presentation of the work. The author's name may be known only to the publisher, or may come to be common knowledge.

Answer 2

Edward Stratemeyer principally wrote under his own name and two main pseudonyms, "Arthur M. Winfield" (e.g. the Rover Boys) and "Captain Ralph Bonehill". He used some others for books and many others for periodical stories.

For his Stratemeyer Syndicate (established 1905) he invented ideas for series, arranged with publishers to issue them, wrote outlines for stories, and hired ghostwriters to complete the manuscripts for them. When the stories were done, he paid the writers promptly and well, edited the stories as needed, and turned them in to the publisher.

Among the more popular series produced under the Stratemeyer Syndicate during Edward's lifetime were: the Bobbsey Twins (1904+) using "Laura Lee Hope", Tom Swift (1910+) using "Victor Appleton", the Hardy Boys (1927+) using "Franklin W. Dixon", and Nancy Drew (1930+) using "Carolyn Keene". Edward personally wrote the first Bobbsey Twins story in 1904 but all others among these popular examples were produced by Syndicate ghostwriters under his direction.

Answer 3

Edward Stratemeyer used pen names to hide the fact that he was the author behind multiple series and to create distinct brands for each series. By using different pen names for different series, he was able to appeal to a wider audience and maintain the illusion of multiple authors.