I didn't see this brought up under the topic below about whether pen names are passe, so I'll pose the question here:
If I'm going to publish under a pseudonym, how do I manage this with the publisher? Do I say up front that the name on the story will not be my legal name? Or do I put the pseudonym on my mailbox and checking account and do all my communications under that name, depositing checks made out to that name?
I can't help thinkng of Alice Sheldon, who wrote for decades as James Tiptree, Jr. and no one ever knew Jim was Alice, not even her editors.
If I'm going to publish under a pseudonym, how do I manage this with the publisher? Do I say up front that the name on the story will not be my legal name? Or do I put the pseudonym on my mailbox and checking account and do all my communications under that name, depositing checks made out to that name?
I can't help thinkng of Alice Sheldon, who wrote for decades as James Tiptree, Jr. and no one ever knew Jim was Alice, not even her editors.
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Re: Publishing under a Pseudonym
Mon, October 8, 2007 - 8:53 AMIf money is involved, the publisher will need your SSI, hence you *have* to give your legal name. It's probably a good idea to do so, in any case; I've never heard of a publisher refusing to use a pseudonym. If it's memoir, that could be problematic, but since this is a fiction writing tribe, I assume it's not.
Unless you aspire to be the next JT Leroy, just give the publisher your legal information and tell him/her the name you want to use. -
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Re: Publishing under a Pseudonym
Mon, October 8, 2007 - 5:52 PMThank you, Bridget.
Cheers --
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Re: Publishing under a Pseudonym
Mon, October 8, 2007 - 2:28 PMPage 4 of William Shunn's formatting guide
www.shunn.net/format/story.html
gives one example of how to submit work using a pseudonym. (In short, both your legal name and your pseudonym must appear on the manuscript.)
Many editors use the formatting standard Shunn presents, but not all. Check the submission guidelines specs for each individual publication. And good luck! -
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Re: Publishing under a Pseudonym
Mon, October 8, 2007 - 5:53 PMExcellent! I've bookmarked his site.
Cheers --
PS - congratulations on getting the novel published! -
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Re: Publishing under a Pseudonym
Tue, October 9, 2007 - 8:59 AMThanks! I actually now have physical advance copies of Deviations: Covenant with me (and sold five directly at Necronomicon).
:D
I'm in the midst of working up a blog entry about the convention -- will post a link once I've gotten my act together. But suffice it to say I had a blast! I've got a couple of local events coming up as well.
My publisher, Aisling Press ( http:// www.aislingpress.com ), is one example of where Shunn's format is *not* used. After looking through Shunn's article I switched all my italics to underlines -- then had to switch them back to italics, along with changing my double-spacing after periods to one and double-hyphens to m-dashes. My editor ended up doing most of that work. At least now I know what specs to use for the next volume! -
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Re: Publishing under a Pseudonym
Fri, October 19, 2007 - 3:13 AManother simple way to do it is to form a corporation - an LLC is a good form, and use that for payment, and use any name you want - just work it out with your bank. My bank had zero problem with it. In fact, when forming the corporation in my state, I did not even have to give my ssi for one name, the name I used for the bank account...
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Re: Publishing under a Pseudonym
Mon, November 19, 2007 - 12:37 PMIntriguing topic ... I've always used my own name as a default, I guess, but have often wondered what it might be like to have a pen name. Unless you're a really famous author, it's probably redundant - Americans are reading less and less anyhow, so you have to have real fame before you require a 'nom de plume' to be able to eat out in public without being hassled. -
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Re: Publishing under a Pseudonym
Tue, November 20, 2007 - 9:16 AMIt's also a matter of the marketplace. A friend of mine (who has signed her first three book contracts just this year!) is publishing her male-protagonist-driven historical westerns under an initialed and therefore gender-nonspecific name at her publisher's behest because they are looking for male readers. Male readers are more apt to buy a western written by a "man" than by a woman. Her historical romance is being published under her actual name.
For the same reason, another friend of mine publishes "cop porn" under a male pseudonym. (Before I met her I hadn't even known that genre existed.) -
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Re: Publishing under a Pseudonym
Sat, December 1, 2007 - 4:47 PMI wrote a 55,000 YA fantasy-fiction novel and used a pen name on the cover but inside where the copyright info is, i wrote my real name. I own my copyright in my real name. The cover name is just to catch the eyes, I do recommend it but that's because I have a B.A degree in advertising. =) Good Luck! Just make sure the legal stuff is in your real name. Unless of course you change your real name legally to your pen name.
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