Working with amazon author pen names publishing with kindle. If you use your real name and verify it with credit card details, you get a real name badge that will show next to your public content on amazon. A pair of sunglasses is on top of books by famous authors on a. I write and blog under a pen name, but for my sole published work which was an unpaid short story for an online magazine. Sep 26, 2014 but i got to thinking recently and wondered. So if you are using a pen name when selfpublishing. Ive published over a hundred novellas on amazon since 2014 mostly crappy romance because im a sellout, under at least four pen names. Pen name if you are writing under a pen name, click let us know under the do you have a pen name heading. On the flip side, though, taking a pen name for the wrong reasons could hurt you if you dont think carefully and strategically about why youre publishing under a different name. What are the legal aspects of writing under a pen name. If you are publishing with kindle direct publishing kdp, using a pen name on amazon is very easy. Their conversations are about the writers intriguing background, how much they enjoyed the book, and what might be next for him. Sep 20, 2012 your amazon pen name can be your real name and an amazon real name, see below or a pseudonym.
If youre selfpublishing a book, you can definitely. And by keeping it all under my own name, i make it easier for that reader to find all of my books. There is only so much room on a book cover, so the shorter the name, the more prominent it will be. You should have a solid reason for using a pen name to self publish your book. Sep 05, 2012 writers are the worst judges of their own work, but alas, we all still have strong opinions of our work when finished. All you need to do is add your new name as the authors name in the contributors section when you are preparing the book for publication. How to publish under a pen name or fake name and still hold. May, 20 i am annoyed a chose a pen name because it requires so much extra effort for social media promotion. Using a pen name there are many famous instances of people using pen names, or fake names, when they publish a book. How would this work if the author plans to publish him or herself. This is a common question that i get, with a fairly simple answer. And authors can always selfpublish books between big releases. Another reason to choose self publishing under an alternative name could be because the authors real name is too long. And there are lots of ways to brand books, from font style to cover image.
I know that an author can use a pen name pseudonym instead of a true name when publishing the traditional way. How to change your author name to a pen name when selfpublishing. Not every budding author has the clout or penmanship of a dr. I mean, i want to a pen name with a nongenderably distinguished sound, since i find that sometimes people have the gender stereotypes as you said, but the pen name is just so absurd, itd be odd to see it on any kind of book, whether it be ebooks or. Once you are verified, you can get to your pen name through the link in the upper right corner of author central. Many writers use pen namesbut theres a right way and a wrong way to publish your book, stories, poems, or essays under a pseudonym. I write under my pen name for a web content site that allows me to use it, but have the paypal account that is linked to the site for payments set up in my own name. At most writing conventions, workshops, groups, etc. Set up separate kdp accounts and bank accounts for payout, one for the real name and the other for the pen name is that illegal. How to choose a pen name kindlepreneur book marketing for. Well ask you what your pen name is, and well contact the book publishers to verify you as author. Adding a book to your amazon author central account. How to publish anonymously under a pen name law 4 small.
Dixon and carolyn keene for the hardy boys and nancy drew mystery series, and kenneth robeson for the doc savage and avenger series. Im not saying that there may not be good reasons, stephen king used richard bachman to see if people were reading his books for his name or whether they were actually good in their own right, but generally speaking i think they are unnecessary. To overcome this sales stigma, an author might bury his name or pen name and give birth to a new pseudonym, hoping for a second chance with publishers and readers. The other issue is that you must choose your pen name carefully. Ive self published two horror books under my real name but want to change the author name to my pen name for the remaining books. Helen sedwick, a writer for the book designer, cleared up all of my questions in her article should you be using a pen name. My experience has been that a pen name should be considered very carefully. Dec 03, 2016 if you do decide to write under a pen name, here are a few things to know.
So when you write a story that sucks in your belief as a writer and you wouldnt want anyone to see it under your main name, sell it under a pen name. How to publish a book under a pen name that wont be traced back. If you need ideas, you can use an online pen name generator. I just want to keep my name while publishing book just priya. A pen name may be used to make the authors name more distinctive, to disguise the authors gender, to distance the author from their other works, to protect the author from retribution for their writings, to combine more than one author into a single author, or for any of a number of reasons related to the marketing or aesthetic. As a fanfiction writer under a pen name, should i use the same name for book publishing. When uploading books for publication, you enter your pen name as the author name. Do you need to write under a pseudonym because people at work might find. Im seeing two separate, contradictory streams coming through here. A pen name is a name an author uses in place of their real name when publishing. The legal risks dont arise from writing the book, only publishing it. If youre worried that you cant publicise a book written under a pen name because you dont want the real you to appear in public, the only promotion you need to cross off your list is public appearances.
This is done by signing contracts with the publisheragent using the real name corresponding to the pen name. Search for the book that youve written under your pen name. There is a happy buzz as an enthusiastic crowd of mystery readers wait for the author, a debut writer, to arrive. This protection can be in under the federal trademark laws or the laws of a particular state governing unfair competition, secondary meaning and the like. I believe you would need to establish a doing business as dba identity. There is no place to officially register a pen name. Its important to remember that the decision is, at its core, a business one. Choosing whether to write novels under a pseudonym is a highly personal, and often emotional, matter. May i assume you want to selfpublish and it will be your first book.
Mar 29, 2019 using a pen name can also complicate selling subsidiary and reprint rights to your work, your heirs inheritance of your rights and foremost, the processing of your advance and royalty payments. Pen names have also been created by publishing houses to unify book series, such as franklin w. By the way, this is another one of the most common questions i get. When registering or isbn, there is a place to enter your pen name. When you publish your kindle book in kdp it gives you the option of selecting the contributor for your book so you can input whatever author name. Nov 28, 20 trade publishers are notoriously wary of using the same author name across different genres, or of using a name that they feel is inappropriate for a particular book hence the morphing of joanne rowling into the more masculine j k rowling, even though she doesnt have a middle name. Before deciding to use a pen name, consult a lawyer for assistance in avoiding these issues. If i publish with kindle direct under a pen name, is there.
Weve put together a post on 10 famous authors who used pen names when they wrote. Operating under a pen name requires full commitment and even then can get confusing at times. But regardless of why one chooses to use a pseudonym, creating a pen name can play an important part in your books marketing. How to publish anonymously and get paid under a pen name. Hello, i have previously self published books under a pseudonym that i no longer wish to be associated with. Different names for different genres are essential for clear branding. Sep 22, 2014 a pen name can serve you well, it can be a great tool to give you more control over your professional options in the publishing world. You can put anything under the author name, no one except amazon so you can link it to your bank account needs to know your real name. It could be for marketing purposes or it could just be for their own comfort. Choosing to write under a pen name author jennifer ellision. Aug, 2015 can i publish kindle books under a pen name.
You can actually publish a kindle book under whatever name you want. Michael, what are your dos and donts when it comes to using a pen name. Why do authors use pseudonyms surprising authors behind famous pen names key criteria to come up with the. In your kindle direct publishing account, when you publish a new book, itll ask you to choose the contributors for the book. The answer is yes, you can publish a kindle book under a pen name. If you write a book under the pen name taylor swift or derek jeter, you. How and when to write under a pen name 10 videos by dean wesley smith, awardwinning writer under more pen names than he can count. Literary novelists almost never change their names, but at the commercial end of the market authors are doing it with increasing frequency. How to legally and practically publish under a pen name. This enables you to establish a business bank account under your pen name, and have checks made out to that name. Jan 02, 20 very few people actually operate professionally and successfully under a pen name. In addition to the extra promotion time to maintain two identifies, i wish i had released my second book under my real name instead.
Go to the books tab and then click on the add more books button. Digital promotion is far more useful for the majority of self published books. In a sense, you would be establishing your pen name as your business while you, under your own name, would be the sole proprietor of that business. How to use them effectively and avoid problems pea, bruce on. Think of indie author joanna penn, who published nonfiction by her real name, and publishes thriller and dark fantasy books under her pen name j. The authors real name is likely known to the publisher but not to the public.
Its a name that a writer assumes professionally, instead of publishing under their legal name. Mar 27, 2009 a pen name can become identified with the person using the name and as such, may qualify for trademark protection. This is done by signing contracts with the publisher agent using the real name corresponding to the pen name. Use a pen name to switch genres or professions joanna penn is a bestselling nonfiction writer. Yet, if adopting a pen name can offer a writer creative freedom, there are drawbacks. Hi, i think the first thing to ask yourself is why you want to write under a pen name at all. I only want to publish under my own name from now on, and would rather conceal my previous publications that i wrote under the pseudonym for the sake of privacy. The easiest way to locate your book is by typing the book asin or pen name into the book search bar. Even if i managed to summon up the confidence to write a novel trusting to an. Amazons kindle direct publishing and smashwords self publishing program both want your real name and tax id, such as social security number, for tax purpos.
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