Publishing anonymously or maintaining a facade regarding your identity isn’t always some sort of mysterious main-character quest. For instance, Lewis Carroll’s net worth was $75 million before he died. Some were found out by linguists, some by fans, and some simply revealed themselves or weren’t overly concerned with remaining anonymous.Įither way, these authors became successful using their chosen identities and were paid their fair share of the profits. These authors managed to remain anonymous, or at least separate to a degree, from their true identities for quite some time. Rowling using Robert Galbraith to publish comedic books or crime stories, content that is worlds apart from what made her so famous.
They use a pseudonym to avoid confusion or distinguish themselves and their work.
They share a name with another author: Some authors have pretty common names or share a name with an already-published author.To avoid bias: Some authors, especially those who are already published and well-known, may choose to publish a book under a different name to prevent people from judging their work before even reading it.These include security concerns and deviating from the work they’re known for.Īn author may choose to publish under a pseudonym or pen name for a multitude of reasons: Authors choose to publish under a different name or completely anonymously for several reasons.
Why An Author Might Use a PseudonymĪ pseudonym is a fake name or an alternate identity that an author chooses to publish under. Legal research is laborious, but you can start by reading through this Digital Media Law Project guide on practical considerations for anonymous publishing and the legal challenges you will likely encounter. Alternatively, you can opt to create a new legal entity to publish and be paid under before even approaching a house or agent to minimize the chance of revealing your true identity. If you’re deciding to publish anonymously due to safety reasons, you must publish with a house or agent that you can trust. Still, unless you want to go through the laborious process of legally creating a new identity, you’ll never be able to remain 100% anonymous to the agency you work with. If you don’t follow proper legal procedure to the T, you could end up in hot water with the IRS, and sadly, you can’t send your pen name to court in your place.īasically, you will remain anonymous to the public by using a pseudonym. If you choose this route, be sure to do your research on the laws surrounding it where you live. There are a host of legal obstacles you need to overcome, and if it’s really what you want to do, then a lawyer can assist you in creating a new legal identity. If you want to get paid under your pseudonym, that’s entirely different.
HOW TO COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK UNDER A PEN NAME HOW TO
How To Put Your Pen Name on Legal Documents You can publish under whatever name you like, as long as you make it clear to your chosen publishing house that you’ll use a pseudonym and use your true identity on legal and financial documents.Īlthough you can’t copyright a name, you can choose to copyright your work under your pen name or legal name, as long as that’s included in your contract with your chosen publishing house.
0 kommentar(er)
