Pen names worked for writers such as Stephen King and Robert Ludlum, if memory serves. Maybe there is biographical information on writers that did both and say both why they did it and what might have been the benefits.
I ended up using my own name for my historical fiction hoping to build a 'brand'. Like you have, I think. But I've written some 'erotic' stories under a pen name. That had two benefits. First, of course, it protected my branding and my privacy. Secondly, I found that a pen name gave me a sense of freedom and suppressed some personal 'filters'. That was a delightful positive on my prose to my surprise. It was Clark Kent and Superman. I could say things in ways my 'true' persona would hesitate to say. And not just the erotic stuff. Many restraints dropped away. It was a learning experience that improved my writing.
So, to me, there may be a benefit to the pen name if you think the things you want to write might erode your fan base. Would a writer of spy or war novels alienate his fans if he wrote a romance/relationship tear jerker?
I ended up using my own name for my historical fiction hoping to build a 'brand'. Like you have, I think. But I've written some 'erotic' stories under a pen name. That had two benefits. First, of course, it protected my branding and my privacy. Secondly, I found that a pen name gave me a sense of freedom and suppressed some personal 'filters'. That was a delightful positive on my prose to my surprise. It was Clark Kent and Superman. I could say things in ways my 'true' persona would hesitate to say. And not just the erotic stuff. Many restraints dropped away. It was a learning experience that improved my writing.
So, to me, there may be a benefit to the pen name if you think the things you want to write might erode your fan base. Would a writer of spy or war novels alienate his fans if he wrote a romance/relationship tear jerker?