Using a Pen Name and how?

> Do any of our list members us a Pen Name?

Sure do.

> How do you place it on your book, and are you the publisher of the book?

I'm not my own publisher (save two books I've self-published), but I
use pen names on all books.

You simply tell the publisher you want to use a pen name and what it
is. I usually sign my contracts LEGAL NAME writing as PEN NAME. Some
contracts have that written into them or ask for the pen name you
intend to use and the legal name both in the signature block.

Publishers are used to dealing with pen names. They won't be outing
your legal name, unless someone has a subpoena, warrant or other legal
paperwork in hand. Since the US Copyright Office allows you to
copyright to the pen name, they should even allow you to place the pen
name on the copyright page, meaning that your legal name will never
show on the book, unless you wish it to.

Some of the conglomerates will try to get you to change pen names. You
CAN refuse to do that; I know at least one that has, on the basis that
she's spent years building her pen name brand, and NY backed down.

Harder than dealing with the publisher are more realistic concerns.

You CAN add your pen name as a "business name" on an existing bank
account, by providing contracts that show the legal and pen names,
allowing you to sign checks and money orders made out to the pen name
with the pen name and deposit them to your bank account. Not that the
publisher will be writing checks to anything but your legal name! This
is for events where you accept money orders directly from readers. I
don't accept checks...ever. They won't be outing you to anyone without
a warrant in hand.

You can get a joint PO BOX in your legal and pen names by taking in
the contracts to the USPS. That allows you to receive mail to the pen
name at a place other than your home address...always preferred. They
call it "an alias taken not for nefarious purposes"...or so the clerk
assures me. Same thing about outing you. They won't be doing it.

The bottom line is...government regulations want to know who you are.
If you're willingly offering your legal name and/or SS#, they don't
care if you use a business or alias along with that legal name. The
regulations are in place to halt people who don't want to give the
legal ID along with the alias. Make sense?

Now, the locality you live in may be another matter. Mine, luckily,
does not demand that I take any steps to identify myself as an alias,
though I have, in the form of newspaper articles that link my pen and
legal names, but someone would really have to search back to find
them. They may require that you get a business license for your pen
name or that you apply for a legal alias with the state, which may
include a public announcement in the newspaper or something similar.
For practical reasons, you may want to incorporate your pen name.
Bottom line...every one of these things is traceable as a public
record. I much prefer localities that don't make you jump through
these types of hoops, because they allow the author to keep public
anonymity, if he/she so chooses.

> How does this work for you?

Pretty well. Grinning...

Brenna
-- 
http://www.brennalyons.com http://www.myspace.com/brennalyons
All dreams have a meaning, even those that cannot possibly be true.
Mollie hopes so, anyway.  Is she losing her mind or learning her
destiny? FAIRY DREAMS -Mundania Press, LLC.


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