When An Existing Author Already Has Your Name

So I got married this year, and my name changed to Elizabeth Haynes. And I was really excited about publishing a book under that name, since I intend for this name to stick with me for the rest of my life! (Not to mention I was tired of my ex-husband's last name.) And then I found a problem: there is already an Elizabeth Haynes. And she is a writer.

Doh.

So I went through a writer's identity crisis, a series of phases really. And since I know you want to read what they were, here they are in a nice bullet format:

• Phase 1: Elizabeth Haynes only has a couple of books out, maybe I can just keep my name and it won't matter.
• Phase 2: I don't really want to be confused with Elizabeth Haynes, the crime novel writer. Maybe I should write under a pseudonym. I could use my grandmother's middle name, perhaps.
• Phase 3: Ok, I can't be someone I'm not. What about a pen name? Christine Haynes (based on my middle name)? No. That's just not me. How about E. C. Haynes?
• Phase 4: I'm writing under the name E. C. Haynes, and that's what it'll be! I've got a website now, and I've branded myself. Done!
• Phase 5: What if I write for magazines and want to promote my book? What if I never write fiction? It's sure looking that way. I want to use my real name.
• Phase 6: Wow, Elizabeth Haynes has gotten pretty famous all of a sudden. I can Google her and I'm nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, her face is everywhere. Hmmm.
• Phase 7: What do I do? Let me Google it. Hmm...other people have simply added their middle initial. I'll do that.
• Phase 8: Nope, that's not going to work. Time to wipe out my first name, add an initial, and use my middle name. Done!

I think it's a tough situation when you're a writer and someone else is already famous under your name. After all, if anyone searches for the freelance writer "Elizabeth Haynes" they surely won't find me. And that's a darn pity, isn't it?

And so I've now rebranded everything to say "E. Christine Haynes." Do I wish I was the only Elizabeth Haynes writing stuff? Yes! But that's not how the world works. So welcome to existence, writer E. Christine Haynes. It's nice to know you.