Is it a psuedonym if...

I would consider those psuedonyms. Anything that is not your legal name would be, even nicknames. Even my name would probably be considered as such, Amber Rigby Grosjean even though all three names are legally my name just not together. I was born as Amber Rigby, then married hence name changed to Amber Grosjean.

This register deal though, I never heard about that. I'm not aware that you have to register your pen name with anyone except for the publisher.

Amber

You can use any pen name you want to writer under. For tax and payment purposes, as far as your publisher and the IRS are concerned, there is only one social security number associated with your advance or royalty checks.

But you need to ask yourself why you feel compelled to use a pseudonym. It may sound cool at the beginning of your career but it can create a mountain of chaos and confusion later. And no matter what pen name you use, your real name will come out later. The only reason I've come across for justifying a pen name is a highly successful author crossing over into a new genre where his or her current reader base will not follow. Have a good reason before you go down that road. Good luck.

Feathers said:

I read that in the 2007 edition of the Writers Market. It said the publishers have to register both your legal name and your psuedonym so the IRS wouldn't try to tax sales of someone who didn't exist. But maybe it was wrong...

Has anyone here published anything under a psuedonym?

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Your agent will just ask, what name do you want on the contract? If you use your legal name, you should be fine. If you want your checks made out to your pen name, then you'll probably have to register it.

Spelling police!!

It's pseudonym.

Ahhh. There.

Now back to your regularly scheduled topic.

I hate my name (bland and boring and monosyllabic). I've considered a pseudonym for that reason alone. When I was in elementary school I was always using a different name. Confused my teacher. "Who's Linda?" "Who's Carla?" LOL (those were cool kid names in the 60s, dating myself here).

Thanks, Sneakers, as the spelling was making me squirm.

In the US, you can legally use whatever name you choose so long as there is not intent to defraud or escape taxes. You may find it more more conveniet to handle things through a DBA (Doing Business As) registration, usually through your county offices.

The questions Joe Moore raises are valid and worth dwelling on before you make any decisions.

Some folks just prefer another name: John Le Carre (actually named David John Moore Cornwell).

Some folks want to differntiate their literary work from their genre work: Evan Hunter and Ed McBain, or Donald Westlake and Richard Stark are classic examples. Subtler examples are Iain Banks and Iain M. Banks, or Roger Morris and R.N. Morris--in both cases, the author isn't really hiding behind a pen name, but rather seeking to differentiate 'brands' of fiction they write for the convenience of readers.

Some folks write many books and write books they aren't particularly proud of: Right offhand, Dean Koontz and Lawrence Block come to mind, but there were many others. This was more common in the golden age of pulp, when a writer might spin out five or six books a year. Nobody wants that many titles from a single writer, and the books tend to be sneered at by the establishment if the volume is too great.

There are lots of reasons for pen names, moe than I have listed here (for instance, there are stories of one writer who did it to keep alimony payments to his wife from rising), but it's still a good idea to decide in avance what your goal is. Do you want a big Evan Hunter/Ed McBain divide, or a Iain Banks/Iain M Banks differentiation, or do you just think that Peaches Flambeau is a better name for a writer than Edna Jones? All are legitimate, but all have implications for your career.

(Peaches Flambeau is what my sister always claimed she was changing her name to...)

I have heard that if the name is not exactly your legal name, then it's a pseudonym. But as far as registering goes, I think that's only if you want the money written out to your pen-name. However, I'm not completely sure about this, so please don't take my full word on it.

As for pen-names, I've been thinking for a few years about writing under my real name or choosing a pseudonym. I'm almost 99.% certain that I want to stick to my pseudonym (Violetta Fury) because, simply put, my real name is incredibly boring. My surname is also classically Irish and people have trouble spelling and pronouncing it. I honestly think that if you put the same book with the different names in front of me, I'd pick the pen-name. I work in a bookstore, and I do pay attention to names and notice books if they have a cool-sounding name. It's no different than choosing a book based on its cover, which I sometimes do. ( I spend a lot of money on books, so there has to be some selective basis to work from.)

I've used pseudonyms for my work, for reasons stated above: unrelated genres. I never heard of any requirement to register a pseudonym anywhere. Though in some jurisdictions (such as where I now live) you can legally register a pseudonym, and obtain a government certificate which states that you are otherwise known as that name. This enables you to legally use that name on contracts, open bank accounts, etc.

Back when I lived in California, I did register my pseudonym as a business name and obtained a business license for it. The business name was simply that name. Since it was a sole proprietorship, no "inc" or "ltd" or "llc" needed. That enabled me to start a bank account under that name (as a business name), which thus enabled me to accept payments under that name. Nothing nefarious about it. Though I did have to explain the whole thing to a bank manager, who was nervous that it was some sort of money-laundering scheme hiding behind an alias.

Interesting topic and it prompted a couple of followup questions. I did a quick search but still wanted a side discussion.

I'm making an assumption that names, like titles, are not protected; what if a new author chooses to write under a pseudonym and either coincidentally or purposefully (as in this new author has a hot book), there are now two books, same pseudonym (I suppose this could happen with real names too--has it?) on the shelf. Suppose one is well written and one is badly written. What are the chances the 'good writer' can keep this coincidence from marring his/her reputation? Maybe this has never occurred...again, I did only a cursory search...

Would be even more interesting if both authors wrote well but different genres...

I'm thinking that over time, further publications by either would separate the two but there would be a time in which confusion would reign. Just wondered if this had ever happened (I guess I'm thinking someone would capitalize on another's success this way, even if temporarily) before.

Thanks for any discussion, tangential though it might be.

Michael

sneakers145 said:

Spelling police!!

I hate my name (bland and boring and monosyllabic). I've considered a pseudonym for that reason alone.

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Same here. The name I write under is a shortened form of my first name and my real last name. I just don't care for my whole first name very much.

Has anyone else read anything about contracts and publishers and pen names, however? I seem to recall something about making sure you don't inadvertantly sign away rights to a pen name in a contract; that way, you can use your name any way you please instead of a publisher being able to control it.

I think of Steven King and Richard Bachman.
King did it for entertainment and experimental purposes.

pseudonym

I don't know where Writer's Digest got that about registering a pseudonym, but it's never necessary.

You can register a pseudonym, in the sense of a "doing business as" name, but this has nothing to do with the publisher.

You have either an SS number, or a federal ID number, associated with your name, and this is what they tax. When the publisher sends you a check, it's up to you to report the income, which you had better do because the publisher has given the IRS your SS number when they paid their taxes.

I regularly write under several pseudonyms, and it's always as simply as typing the pseudonym I want to use under the title of the work. The contract is still made out in my name, and the checks for short stories all come in my name. Advance and royalty checks are actually made out in the name of my agent. She cashes them, keeps her percentage, and sends me the balance.

The purpose of a pseudonym in not to hide your name from a publisher, or from the IRS, so there is no need to register anything.

You know it is kind of funny that this topic did come up. A few months ago, a friend of mine and I were discussing names and the legal side of them. He was saying how some people have made it impossible for others to use their names like the race car driver who was named after his father (the name is there but can't think of it at this moment lol). He said, legally no one else can have that name. I didn't buy what he was saying and we argued about it lol.

I know you can block a name from being used for other products like Charmin toilet paper can't be named for some other brand of toilet paper. Can people do the same thing for their names though? I mean that is rediculas. I know a choir lead singer whose name is Micheal Jackson and he's a black man too. According to my friend, if the famous singer M. Jackson had a "patent" or what ever it's called, he could sue the choir singer for using his name which doesn't really shouldn't be done, especially when they are about the same age lol.

I just thought I would share this because I don't think something like this can really happen. My friend is really demented some times lol. But I think the odds of two different writers using the same exact name would be very small. I think it could happen but it would be very likely.

Amber

I write under Richard C. White.

The last time I did a check, there were at least three other authors out there, writing wildly different things than me, all with the name of Richard C. White. There's even more out there writing as Richard White.

Have I considered using a pseudonym? Sure, for the non-fiction work I may be doing or perhaps if I ever get off my tookus and finish that crime noir book I've been playing with, but otherwise, I'll just keep using my name for my SF/F work.

(Although I wouldn't mind pulling down the royalties one of the Richard C.'s should be making considering his book (non-fiction) sells for $128.00 a pop. I think it's a college textbook.)

Richard:

Ok, I stand mistaken lol. Three people using the same name is kind of cool and I'm sure it helps get your name out there. You must have one of those popular names. I hope I wouldn't have this problem since both my last names aren't as popular and combined lol.

Amber

I used the name Fiona MacLeod when my book was epublished. The contract had both my real name and the w/a name on it. Fiona MacLeod is a historical character - the pseudonym of a man who was a contemporary of Yeats in the Golden Dawn and who wrote under that name. She/he was famous in the early 20th century for poetry and other work.

Well I have a hyphenated name and my agent and editor suggested what they thought would be a better name to use. I didn't have to do anything other than get my business license here in Hawaii saying that I was a sole proprietor DBA (doing business as) Patricia Wood.
It is NOTHING you should agonize about before your book sells. My checks are ALL made out to my real legal name and deposited into my checking account opened for that specific purpose.
The only time it gets hinky is when I sign books at a bookstore and the bookstore wants to make sure I am that author (I have them look at the author photo!!!)

ORION said:

The only time it gets hinky is when I sign books at a bookstore and the bookstore wants to make sure I am that author (I have them look at the author photo!!!)

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I think that is why all books should have the picture of the author somewhere in the book lol. Unless we have a bouble, that should be enough proof that we're who we say we are whether our real name is used or not. I didn't have that problem, at least not yet anyway but you never know. I just hope it never does lol.

Amber

Feathers, what a great question.

I have written under the name Stephen King for a number of years now.

i'd have to actually look it up, but my own common sense tells me you can't trademark your personal name, but you can trademark certain titles. for example, if you sold jars of vaseline and put 'mynock spit' under the name 'star wars,' your business lifespan will be measured in nano-seconds. or maybe 'star wars' is considered a logo, which is definitely trademarkable. titles like 'gone with the wind' are unusual enough, imo, to warrant protection. titles like 'psycho'? nah, too generic, unless you're using the franchise name illegally. just my opinion, of course.

as far as pseudonyms, hm, no, i wouldn't consider t.r. barker a 'fake' name when i'd just be using initials. nicknames... maybe. kinda depends: elizabeth to lizzy? nah. joyce to sissy? sure. basically, again imo, if you use a nickname that's commonly known to everyone, you're hardly fooling anyone, eh?

DBA are good things. however, you don't have to be a corporate entity to be a writer. *however* ~ you do have to have a business license (obtainable easily enough for about $25) if you plan on deducting business expenses like reems of paper, ink, postage (and if you really send a lot of stuff out, maybe a postage metre may be a good thing for you), even the cost of the internet service. check out the restrictions. (for a basic business license, you don't have to pay taxes on things as long as it's for the business. every month you have to send in your tax sheet (easy to fill out, you can do them online if you want) even if you haven't made a red cent. not sure if you would really benefit *that* much from having a license. for my trophy business, most places, even some online places, are strictly for business owners. i doubt there are places specializing in writers' needs where you *have* to have a license, lol, but you never know.)

if they wouldn't let me use 'preyer' as my pseudonym, i'd go for t. r. barker. and they'll never use my picture unless it's a full body shot of me in the nude.

Then there's Michael Crichton (rhymes with Brighton?) and Diana Gabaldon (rhymes with phone) who didn't bother faking theirs and, by writing deucedly well, compelled kazillions of readers to learn to say their names properly.

I have spent my entire life with a surname 99 out of 100 people can't pronounce or spell. It's an arcane spelling of a gaelic name that probably originated with an illiterate customs officer who misunderstood my Irish ancestor when he landed in New York in 1848. No paswaydonimm for me. I have resolved to rectify this injustice with a door-blowing, rockem-sockem bestseller that will once and for all force kazillions of readers to pronounce and spell my name properly.

It's coming folks, the blockbuster debut thriller from Joe Btfsplk.