So you’re ready to self-publish a book and you’re wondering, Should I use a pen name? Well if this sounds like you, then stay tuned.

In an earlier video I gave some tips on how to make more money year round. In that video I briefly touched on the pen name real name benefits.

Now stick around to the end and I’ll tell you the biggest mistake I’ve seen authors make when it comes to using pen names.

Let’s start with what is a pen name? Simply put, a pen name is an alternate author name.

How to use a pen name? Well, When you upload your book and put in the metadata. When it gets to the author section, you simply type in the pen name you’d like to use instead of your own name.

One of the biggest areas of confusion I’ve found is from authors trying to determine when to use a pen name.

Obviously, everyone’s situation is different but here are some scenarios where I’ve seen pen names for authors really work.

1. When you’re testing out a new niche or genre and aren’t confident in it

2. When you’re starting a new genre/niche that clashes with your current genre or brand (is. Children’s books and horror)

3. When you don’t want to confuse your current readers with a new genre, etc.

4. When the genre is dominated by the opposite gender (ie. women in romance, men in business, etc) Yes, you can absolutely try to stand out, but many times giving the readers what they expect is the smoother path

5. When you simply want to be anonymous and not associated with the series or niche. It’s fairly common to use a pen name for authors who publish no content and low content books.

Writing with a pen name is a decision each author should make on a per book and per genre basis, but using a pen name on amazon and other platforms can be a great way to broaden your overall discoverability and how to reach more readers.

What’s next? What pen name should you use?

Choosing how to pick a pen name can be the most stressful part of your decision making process. So how do you choose a good pen name?

Well, there are countless ways to come up with pen names, here are a few of the most common methods I’ve found.

1. Pen name generator- just by doing a quick google search for pen name generator I found pages of results. While I have never tried using one of these generators, it seems to be a quick and easy way to get the creative juices flowing.

2. Use a variation of your own name- initials, middle names, maiden names, etc. is a great way to differentiate your genres while not having to be completely anonymous.

3. Using meaningful references- using combinations of family members, sentimental street names, locations, etc.

4. Use a niche relevant name- while KDP makes it clear they do not want you keyword stuffing your author name, if you find a pen name that will correlate well with the niche, that can really make your book stand out.

Deciding to use a pen name can be a huge decision and pen names for new authors can be even more stressful. But if you do decide to use a pen name there is 1 huge mistake I want you to avoid. This is the biggest mistake I’ve seen authors with pen names make.

So what’s the mistake? They don’t associate an image with the pen name. I understand if you want to be anonymous, then you don’t want to use a picture of yourself, but you still need to use some image that people can correlate with your pen name and brand.

Once you have that image, create an author central page for your pen name and upload the image there.

I’ll see you in the next video and remember to write right.

Let me know what you thought of the video in the comments below.

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