The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series are both mystery-themed stories published by Simon & Schuster. The Hardy Boys series was created in 1927 by Edward Stratemeyer. He later on created Nancy Drew a few years later since he wanted a female counter part for the series. But did you know the listed authors on both book series; Frank Dixon and Carolyne Keene were not actual people?
Carolyn Keene, author of the Nancy Drew series, and Frank Dixon, author of the Hardy Boys books, do not exist. They are pseudonyms used by several authors that write and collaborate for the series.
Why Do Authors Use Pseudonyms?
Pseudonyms, or pen names, are used by authors for various reasons. Established authors will do it to avoid alienating their fan bases by crossing genres. Writers may also choose to publish under a different name to protect their identity.
Another reason for writing under a pen name when authors publishers. When an writer is under contract, her publisher may own the rights to any future work published under her name. Authors frequently adopt a new name to shop around their work while avoiding legal issues.
However, one of the most common reasons authors use aliases is because their previous works were a flop. If a writer doesn’t make money for the publisher the first time, he’s unlikely to get another chance. Publishers would instead try someone new. A writer can be reborn under a pen name. (Source: Writer’s Digest)
Who is Franklin W. Dixon?
Frank Dixon is a pen name used by several authors who contribute to the classic series The Hardy Boys. Leslie McFarlane, a Canadian author who contributed 19 of the first 25 books in the series, was the first and most well-known Franklin W. Dixons. Christopher Lampton, John Button, Amy McFarlane, and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams are among the other writers who have also used the pen name. (Source: Penguin Randomhouse)
Who is Carolyne Keene?
Various authors used the pen name Carolyne Keene for the classic Nancy Drew mystery series. Mildred Wirt Benson, who wrote 23 original 30 books, was the first author to use a pseudonym. Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Walter Karig, and Nancy Axelrod were among the other authors who have used the pen name. (Source: Penguin Randomhouse)
The Hardy Boys
Frank and Joe Hardy are fictional characters who appear in several children’s and teen mystery novels. The show follows a group of kids who work as amateur detectives, solving crimes.that confound their adult counterparts. The characters were invented by Edward Stratemeyer, the founder of the book-packaging company Stratemeyer Syndicate in the United States. The books were written under the Franklin W. Dixon pseudonym.
Since their debut in 1927, the Hardy Boys have grown popular among the younger generation. Between 1959 and 1973, the first 38 volumes heavily changed, mostly to remove images of racial prejudices; they were also rewritten in a more straightforward, action-oriented language to compete with television.
In 1987, a new Hardy Boys series called the Hardy Boys Casefiles was published. It featured murders, violence, and international espionage. The first series of Hardy Boys Mystery Stories finished in 2005. The same year, a new Undercover Brothers series debuted, featuring updated versions of the characters who tell their stories in the first person. The Hardy Boys Adventures, similarly said in the first person, took over after Undercover Brothers finished in 2012. (Source: Hardyboys Fandom)