Beware the nom de plume, a slightly different take on pen names

CalynMorgan said:

If you have a pen name, are you able to legally use that name to sign things?

Also, will the royalty check come in your real name or your pen name?

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This is a good question. I write under my maiden name, which is not my legal name, but I do have documentation to show that it was my legal name at one time, i.e., passport, marriage license, old driver's license, etc. If I end up with a check from a publisher that is written out to my maiden name, I just show the bank all my documents when I go to deposit the check, and they usually don't even want to see all of it.

I try to ask the publisher to make the check out to my legal name, when we get to that part of the discussion. But if I don't get an opportunity to mention it, and the check is made out to my maiden name, I don't sweat it.

Of course, this only works if your pen name is a legal former name. If the name is completely unrelated to your legal name, then you would probably want to make that clear to the publisher before they write the check.

Personally, that's why I love getting paid through PayPal. You could call yourself "Elektra the Rain Beast" and still get paid, as long as they have your email address...

the addster said:

I've always used my real name to sign things, especially the back of checks.

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And therein dies the angst.



on a slightly more serious note, i like the pen name thing - when i write (creatively/genre) i have to enter a different mind frame, so a different name suits.

Long as the checks have my real name..

CalynMorgan said:

If you have a pen name, are you able to legally use that name to sign things?

Also, will the royalty check come in your real name or your pen name?

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Whatever name's on your publishing contract = name on check

My pen name is Bic Flair

RedRajah said:

I'm just miffed that my maiden name is probably too close to an already established published writer's name. My (full) married name is awkward, but if I only go by my husband's last name, I feel like I'm losing my identity. That what makes me "me" will yet again go unnoticed.

Mind you, it's all a moot point as I still need a successful query first...

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My real name is very close to an established published writer's name. But, it is my real name and I don't want to publish under a different name to my own so I will be using it.

One other aspect to consider and that is security. My friend has published three books and has a decent following. She does get bothered, from time to time, by weirdos. Fortunately, that mostly happens online. She uses her real name. It's a name that has a lot of equity now because she is also a top notch freelance copywriter. So, it's hard to hide.

If you know somebody's real name, and you have some internet savvy, or willing to pay somebody with that savvy, you can find out a whole lot about a person. If you own a house, that address can be found online, and it gets worse from there. Do you really want some creepy stalker showing up at your house at 2am to discuss your character's motivations?

So, if you want to protect your privacy and security, then using a pen name would be one way to accomplish that. If I ever get published, I'm going to consider it for security reasons.

CalynMorgan said:

If you have a pen name, are you able to legally use that name to sign things?

Also, will the royalty check come in your real name or your pen name?

Click to expand...

All the checks go to your real name, just like the contract you'll sign with your agent and publisher/s, unless you've incorporated under your pen name (which is costly and unnecessary until you're at Nora Roberts levels).

I, personally, don't understand the pen name angst. I'm pubbed under 4 different pen names...so far...and have several others with novels being shopped. Each name writes differently and in a different voice, hence the different names, because your name IS a contract with the reader that they can expect "this kind" of book from you.

It can get a little confusing if I'm signing books under two names, but, you know what? Readers are FAR less confused, or interested, in this than we are. They just go, "Oh? You write this, too? Cool."

Pen names are a business decision first, and a personal preference second. Using one doesn't mean you do or don't like your own name. And there are a lot worse things than having a pen name that's successful brand. Like, you know, not having any name that's selling anywhere.

cllorentson said:

Personally, that's why I love getting paid through PayPal. You could call yourself "Elektra the Rain Beast" and still get paid, as long as they have your email address...

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I would love to read a book by Elektra the Rain Beast.

JeanneTGC said:

I, personally, don't understand the pen name angst. I'm pubbed under 4 different pen names...so far...and have several others with novels being shopped. Each name writes differently and in a different voice, hence the different names, because your name IS a contract with the reader that they can expect "this kind" of book from you.

It can get a little confusing if I'm signing books under two names, but, you know what? Readers are FAR less confused, or interested, in this than we are. They just go, "Oh? You write this, too? Cool."

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Hm. Personally, I would prefer my writers to use the same name. I love Robin Hobbs, but I've still yet to try anything by Megan Lindholm. Partly because it was a while before I even knew they were the same person. Now I feel like I'm missing out. And yes, I could just go to the bookshop and get a Lindholm book, but I'm not sure they're as popular. I don't think I've ever seen one. And there's still a sort of subconscious disconnect in my mind that they're 'not really the same person'.
I like what Iain Banks does though. He 'changed' his name for his SF novels, but only after a complaint from his mother who wanted to know why he was shunning his middle name. So his 'normal' books are published as Iain Banks, and his SF as Iain M. Banks.