# How Easy Is It To Find An Author's Pen Name?



## Anarchist (Apr 22, 2015)

I've written a book using my real name and plan to write a book under a pseudonym (I believe Amazon allows 3 names per account).

I've come across comments on the board that suggest it's easy to connect a pen name with an author's real name. I'm sorely lacking in my spy-vs-spy skills, so that kind of recon is over my head.

My question for you: is it possible to prevent folks from connecting a pen name and real name?


----------



## Taking my troll a$$ outta here (Apr 8, 2013)

Anarchist said:


> My question for you: is it possible to prevent folks from connecting a pen name and real name?


Yes, it is possible to prevent the general public from connecting the two if you are careful. However, you're going to have to use your real contact info to get paid, so there is that.


----------



## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Well, from what I understand, a determined person could possibly connect the names. Usually it's because the author slipped up and gave out too much identifying information, or they forgot to hide pen name site ownership info, or something like that.


----------



## AllyWho (May 16, 2015)

The ones I have seen outed, are usually the result of the author slipping up. 

From what I understand it is very difficult to keep two identities completely separate. If you want no cross pollination at all you need to keep email, website, FB profile, FB page and all social media activity separate.


----------



## North Star Plotting (Jul 11, 2015)

Depends how good of a detective you are, and how sloppy the author is at hiding it


----------



## Anarchist (Apr 22, 2015)

ebbrown said:


> Yes, it is possible to prevent the general public from connecting the two if you are careful. However, you're going to have to use your real contact info to get paid, so there is that.


That's good to know. I'm very discreet and careful by nature. I don't mind using my real contact info to get paid as long as the bookseller (i.e. Amazon) doesn't publicly post the details.



she-la-ti-da said:


> Well, from what I understand, a determined person could possibly connect the names. Usually it's because the author slipped up and gave out too much identifying information, or they forgot to hide pen name site ownership info, or something like that.


Am I right in assuming that by "pen name site ownership," you're referring to the privatization of the whois info on a domain name at the registrar?



AliceWE said:


> The ones I have seen outed, are usually the result of the author slipping up.
> 
> From what I understand it is very difficult to keep two identities completely separate. If you want no cross pollination at all you need to keep email, website, FB profile, FB page and all social media activity separate.


Thanks for pointing those items out. Given that the pen name will have no social media presence, website or public email, it sounds like I'm safe.



North Star Plotting said:


> Depends how good of a detective you are, and how sloppy the author is at hiding it


I'm inferring that if I'm not sloppy in the slightest way, even the best detective will be unable to make the connection.


----------



## SasgoraBooks (Aug 27, 2015)

If you set up a website for a pen name you want kept secret be sure you pay for privatizing the domain ownership.


----------



## Rex (Mar 21, 2014)

As mentioned above, make domain info private if buying a domain name. Internet.bs is a good registrar - don't charge extra for keeping your info private.

Probably want to use a different hosting service as well. 

Also, to be ultra careful, a new mailing list account. Don't want to run the risk of cross-pollination of the lists/sending out emails to the wrong group accidentally.

Which of course would necesssitate a new mailing address so people don't happen to maatch up your original author's mailing address with your penname's mailing address. Easiest would be a maildrop somewhere, I suppose.

New twitter account, easy. New facebook account - pain, but doable. In theory you could use the same accout but have different pages, but run the risk of cross posting in them. Posting something related to the penname from the original author's name. At best, awkward. At worst, ruinous. One way around that - only use certain machines to log into certain accounts, ie only log into you original account with your phone and your penname with your laptop, etc.

And new forum accounts.

You'll need to add a new name and address with Paypal, just to be safe.

Of course, amazon, kobo and the other booksellers will still know your real information. You will likely need to run through draft2digital to access itunes without youtlr plan being revealed because Apple is finicky about that.

And of course, as mentioned, your own opsec. Most of the time, the biggest and easiest way to screw this up and be duscovered is you.

Good luck!


----------



## AllyWho (May 16, 2015)

Anarchist said:


> Given that the pen name will have no social media presence, website or public email, it sounds like I'm safe.


Just a matter of curiosity - if the pen name will have zero social media presence how do you intend to promote, market or advertise anything the pen name writes? How will readers "engage" with that author?


----------



## Crystal_ (Aug 13, 2014)

Personally, I would operate under the assumption that anyone who tries hard will be able to connect your pen name and real name. There are steps you can take to hide the connection, but you will inevitable use social media, book ads, or pay for services using your real name. You are probably going to tell some of your friends or family your pen name.

Most likely, it will never come up. But if you become a huge author or you get into a tiff with someone who wants to out you, people are going to find the connection.


----------



## swolf (Jun 21, 2010)

Anarchist said:


> I believe Amazon allows 3 names per account.


You can have as many pen names as you want on your KDP account.

The three pen-name limit is on your Author Central account, but you can have more than one Author Central account.


----------



## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

If you register a copyright in the U.S., I believe the connection between you and your penname is public record in that anyone can search Copyright Office archives to find it.


----------



## Anarchist (Apr 22, 2015)

@Rex: thanks for the awesome information! I hadn't thought of using a different address for the mailing list and a new Paypal name/address. Also, good advice regarding using D2D for Apple. Very helpful.

@AliceWE: I plan to use a mailing list for engagement and paid ads for promotion.

@Crystal_: I won't be using social for engagement. But to your point, I'll definitely be using paid ads. Rex's advice regarding a new Paypal name/address will be crucial to that end. As for friends and family, they'll never know about this book. It will be incendiary and I don't need that kind of familial drama. 

@swolf: thanks for the note about multiple pen names at Amazon! That's great to know.

@Steven Hardesty: I hadn't even thought of the possible connection via the U.S. Copyright Office. I won't be registering this book for a copyright, but that is solid insight!

To all: thank you again for taking the time to contribute. I really appreciate it.


----------



## Jana DeLeon (Jan 20, 2011)

This is the era of Catfish, soooooo, I'd say the easiest way to out a pen name is by doing an image search on the author photo. People will use the same pics on their personal and professional pages. It's a foolish thing to do if you really want to keep things quiet. 

Ultimately, if someone wants to figure out who you are, they will. I used to do open source investigation for one of the largest security firms in the US. Almost everything is on the Internet if you know where to look.


----------



## Clare W (Aug 13, 2015)

Anarchist: I went through the process of a secret pen name some time ago. I went with Hostgator for domain registration and hosting, and paid extra to keep my info secret. I'm not great on web design, so I forwarded the web page to my Amazon Central page. Email all goes through Hostgator too, though it took a while to get it working. I don't have any social media associated with the pen name (I sent emails to reviewers and that garnered a couple of reviews). For me, it was all about learning how to do it rather than making $$ out of it, so I didn't go wide or try to set up mailing lists / new paypal accounts. 

Couple of other things I found:
- Hostgator (probably like other hosting companies) has almost idiot-proof tutorials for setting up websites / forwarding. They also have very helpful and rapid customer service. Cheap prices the first year, but go up quite a bit the second year
- Fiverr don't see your real info when you pay for a gig (I was paranoid about my email address being visible, but apparently not. I checked with their customer service, as well)
- All your titles will come up on your KDP dashboard. They rotate, so your pen name one might also appear first on your screen. Sales reports, too, are reported together, so your pen name title sales will also show among your real name title sales. I only tell you this if your leave your PC open for spouse / family member to wander in and see them.

Clare


----------



## going going gone (Jun 4, 2013)

Are you in the US? I suspect DBAs are searchable under the Freedom of Information Act. (I am not 100% sure of this, but maybe a lawyer will weigh in.) So to make it harder, in your author bio don't mention the state you live in, either. At least someone will have to run 50 searches to find you.


----------



## amy_wokz (Oct 11, 2014)

Jana DeLeon said:


> Almost everything is on the Internet if you know where to look.


Amen to that. A pen name can be reasonably secret (99.9%) but not 100%. But 99.9% is still a good bet, in my opinion.


----------



## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

AliceWE said:


> The ones I have seen outed, are usually the result of the author slipping up.
> 
> From what I understand it is very difficult to keep two identities completely separate. If you want no cross pollination at all you need to keep email, website, FB profile, FB page and all social media activity separate.


This. But if someone was determined, it's still fairly easy to find. Stephen King's Richard Bachman's pen name was discovered through someone checking the copyright through public copyright information. Rawlings was outed by the wife of the attorney at her publisher's law firm.

I've discovered real names of pen names fairly easily, not through the author slipping up, but by friends and family "outing" them unintentionally by mentioning the connection somewhere on the web.

You can also run searches on IP addresses (so don't use the same pc for your real name that you do for your pen).

If it's on the web, it's no longer a secret, or sacred, if someone wants to know badly enough.

*But really, who cares? Probably only you.* People aren't shocked by anything anymore. If you're famous and outed, it will just make your sales go up. If you're not, it won't affect sales. 
If you've signed a moral clause somewhere and are writing something you shouldn't and are found out; well, that was a risk you were willing to take, and you might get fired and have to find a new day job.

If you're worried about those that love you finding out you have interests that embarrass you or them; again, it's a risk you seem willing to take.
When you die or get seriously ill enough to need a power of attorney, and they have to look at your Kindle cloud or your IP property, they'll find out then anyway.

Living your life like everyone knows everything about you already is very freeing. You have nothing to hide.


----------



## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

Steven Hardesty said:


> If you register a copyright in the U.S., I believe the connection between you and your penname is public record in that anyone can search Copyright Office archives to find it.


You can register a copyright using a pseudonym and there is a place on the form to do so. There are two names on the form, the author name which is often a pseudonym and a claimant which apparently can also be a pseudonym, although that sort of defeats the purpose of the filing, which is to establish ownership in a work. The way businesses do that is by using a corporate structure to shield personal identity. If you really want to hide your identity, incorporate overseas.

This is what a pseudonymous filing with a real claimant looks like:

Type of Work:	Text
Registration Number / Date:	RE0000863038 / 2002-03-25
Renewal registration for: A00000563297 / 1974-05-15
Title:	Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy. By John LeCarre, pseud. of David Cornwell.
Copyright Claimant:	David Cornwell (A)
Variant title:	Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy.
Names:	Cornwell, David
LeCarre, John, pseud.
Carre, John L, pseud.


----------



## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

People will always be able to figure out who you are one way or another if they're determined enough. If you're really worried about it then a good approach is to try not to make them _want_ to find out who you are. So that means not drawing too much attention to yourself, not getting involved in pointless internet feuds or flame wars, and basically not engaging too much with people on the internet.


----------



## SimonGreenback (Sep 28, 2015)

I agree with the others... as long as you take reasonable precautions, odds are most people will never connect your pen name to you.  Domain privacy protection is a biggie, and keeping social media accounts separated too.  Having a separate mailing address for the pen name is easy to do via virtual mailbox services etc.

Good luck!


----------



## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

cadle-sparks said:


> Are you in the US? I suspect DBAs are searchable under the Freedom of Information Act. (I am not 100% sure of this, but maybe a lawyer will weigh in.) So to make it harder, in your author bio don't mention the state you live in, either. At least someone will have to run 50 searches to find you.


DBAs and LLCs are publicly searchable as state records, and corporations have to make public filings and have a public record of the board members.

There is you know a problem with perfect anonymity which is that if you steal my work or you libel me, then I have no recourse. Even if you don't libel someone, if they claim that you are, then I assume that Amazon will disclose your identity to the other party.


----------



## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

555aaa said:


> Even if you don't libel someone, if they claim that you are, then I assume that Amazon will disclose your identity to the other party.


Also, people try to bait you to respond to comments on your pen name books on Amazon, and if you respond, your real name will appear.

This is so true:



Lisa Grace said:


> Living your life like everyone knows everything about you already is very freeing. You have nothing to hide.


----------



## LinaG (Jun 18, 2012)

I don't know much about this, extra addresses, or even how one legally incorporates overseas (I'm not saying you can't, just that I don't know how)

It seems to me that one of the easiest 'slip ups' wouldn't be with mailing addresses, or copyright searches, but the book file itself.

You have to check the header in your ePub file. I'm talking the HTML here. If you used your real name to register your computer or the program on which you created the work, it could be put in there when you convert your project to Mobi, or ePub. Use Sigil (free) to open your ePub file look at the HTML and see whether your name is present. You can take it out and put in your pen name.

It's invisible, and to get it they'd have to get in there and nose around a bit, but if it's in your header (is that the right word?) you've actually given it to them when they download the file. Your separate computers and FB accounts will be for naught.

This may not be true. *If not please, someone correct me.* I just though to bring it up just in case.

Li


----------



## Guest (Sep 29, 2015)

I know Word does put whatever name you put on the program registration as the default author name on all documents.  You have to go into word's options to change it.  But in that case, it's something only seen if you give someone a Word file.

This can happen with the PDF as well, if you have it export extra document info.  I haven't seen it happen with Mobi or ePub though - it usually puts whatever I put down for author name when I do the initial conversion  throughout (using Calibre and KindleGen)


----------



## pegleg666 (Sep 15, 2015)

As a librarian, one can use the Authorities file (in World Cat) which often lists all the pseudonyms. There are, or used to be, some web sites that collected pseuds or pen names as well. Try googling them.

Pegleg


----------



## celadon (Sep 12, 2015)

I'm planning on publishing at least one book under a pseudonym. 

For me, like a lot of writers, it's more about "brand." I want to brand this book (and any future books like it) under a different "brand" than my real name. There's nothing shameful or even remotely embarrassing about the book, but you know how it is with "brands." 

I'm setting up different social media, new website, the whole deal. But if someone finds out, oh well. If it becomes an open secret even. . . oh well.

What I've found is that nobody cares unless you give them a reason to care. The other poster who said that as long as you don't start ticking people off online... that is true. Most people do not care and are not the least bit curious about who you really are. UNLESS you annoy them. THEN they will go to the ends of the earth to find some dirt on you. Absent that, most people won't make any effort at all to find out more about you.

I confess that I've probably annoyed a few people online, but not because of anything deeply shameful or terrible on my part. But even something relatively mild and innocuous could cause a malicious person to decide to go on a dirt-digging mission. You can't live your whole life being completely bland and innocuous, but you should realize that there are always risks, and try not to push it too much!


----------



## anotherpage (Apr 4, 2012)

Anarchist said:


> That's good to know. I'm very discreet and careful by nature.


Obviously not, i just found yours lol.

(Kidding)


----------



## Anarchist (Apr 22, 2015)

Lisa Grace said:


> *But really, who cares? Probably only you.* People aren't shocked by anything anymore. If you're famous and outed, it will just make your sales go up. If you're not, it won't affect sales.
> If you've signed a moral clause somewhere and are writing something you shouldn't and are found out; well, that was a risk you were willing to take, and you might get fired and have to find a new day job.
> 
> If you're worried about those that love you finding out you have interests that embarrass you or them; again, it's a risk you seem willing to take.
> ...


Thanks for sharing that Lisa. I'd be inclined to agree if this were something that might prove embarrassing or revelatory in a shocking way. For example, if my entire network (family and friends) were staunch conservatives and I revealed I was gay.

My concern is a little different. The topic I'm considering is polarizing and I intend to pick a side and ride it hard. I'm concerned my position would be so distasteful to some that they might feel compelled to do one of two things (or both) upon finding my real name:

1. never buy my "real name" books even though they might otherwise be interested in them
2. pummel my "real name" books with 1-star reviews

Here's an example:

Suppose I write books under my real name about stock investing. Ideally, their appeal should transcend gender, age, vocation, religion, etc.

So far, so good.

Now, suppose I wrote a book, under my pen name, making the case that blacks and women should never be allowed to vote. Assuming the book gets traction, you can imagine how incensed people might feel about it. Many would never buy my books on investing because they don't want to be associated with me. A few might hit my investment books with 1-star reviews.

That's the scenario I'm trying to avoid.

BTW, I write neither about stock investing nor suffrage. Both are hypothetical and only for illustration.

A quick note to all: thank you again for sharing your insights with me. You folks rock. As an aside, today I learned there are some hardcore sleuths on KB.


----------



## Katherine Stark (Jul 30, 2015)

If you're writing in a Word program that's licensed to your real name, then don't forget to use Calibre or other ebook compiling program to change the author name. I believe it defaults to whatever the Author Name was in Word.


----------



## Guest (Sep 30, 2015)

Anarchist said:


> @Rex: thanks for the awesome information! I hadn't thought of using a different address for the mailing list and a new Paypal name/address. Also, good advice regarding using D2D for Apple. Very helpful.
> 
> @AliceWE: I plan to use a mailing list for engagement and paid ads for promotion.
> 
> ...


If you don't register this book for a copyright, Amazon won't let you publish under a pen name. I asked them about pen names and they told me I'd have to have the paper proof of copyright in my hands in order to use a pen name.


----------



## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Katherine Stark said:


> If you're writing in a Word program that's licensed to your real name, then don't forget to use Calibre or other ebook compiling program to change the author name. I believe it defaults to whatever the Author Name was in Word.


No, it defauts to whatever you named your pc . Very frustrating as when my laptop crapped out, I started working on a new piece on my daughter's. Her laptop name kept defaulting as the author! I think I have it fixed now.


----------



## Gator (Sep 28, 2012)

Nimrodish said:



> If you don't register this book for a copyright, Amazon won't let you publish under a pen name. I asked them about pen names and they told me I'd have to have the paper proof of copyright in my hands in order to use a pen name.


You could wait a loooong time to get that paperwork into your hands and Amazon threatens that they can terminate your KDP account if you publish books for which you don't hold the publishing rights. So in the meantime, just use Amazon's other acceptable method of proof of publishing rights: the statement of pseudonym use:

"I, (name the KDP earnings are being deposited to), owner of the KDP account under (email address of your KDP account), am the author writing under the name (pen name) for the titles (list of books)."


----------



## Guest (Oct 1, 2015)

Gator said:


> You could wait a loooong time to get that paperwork into your hands and Amazon threatens that they can terminate your KDP account if you publish books for which you don't hold the publishing rights. So in the meantime, just use Amazon's other acceptable method of proof of publishing rights: the statement of pseudonym use:
> 
> "I, (name the KDP earnings are being deposited to), owner of the KDP account under (email address of your KDP account), am the author writing under the name (pen name) for the titles (list of books)."


Ah. KDP Support told me there's no alternative to holding that piece of paper (which usually takes around 7 to 8 months to get to me). I asked him if there was any way around this and he insisted there was not.


----------



## P.T. Phronk (Jun 6, 2014)

All I know is that I hope one day I'm successful enough for someone to be motivated to dig up my pen names and start a scandal.


----------



## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

Nimrodish said:


> If you don't register this book for a copyright, Amazon won't let you publish under a pen name. I asked them about pen names and they told me I'd have to have the paper proof of copyright in my hands in order to use a pen name.


This is a load of hogwash. You got the wrong info from whoever you talked to at KDP Support. I have several pen names, as do a good couple dozen of the other authors I know, and it's never been an issue.


----------



## Guest (Oct 2, 2015)

lilywhite said:


> This is a load of hogwash. You got the wrong info from whoever you talked to at KDP Support. I have several pen names, as do a good couple dozen of the other authors I know, and it's never been an issue.


Well, that's what they told me. I'm just repeating what the two emails from Support said.


----------



## Guest (Oct 2, 2015)

Lamy said:


> Uh, no.


I don't suppose you have any documentation from KDP which might prove that I was misled? I realize that sometimes Support is misinformed; I'd just like some proof.


----------



## Guest (Oct 2, 2015)

Lamy said:


> You can't prove a negative. We published books under a pen name without providing a certificate of copyright, therefore it can definitely be done. It's not even an issue.
> 
> Why should we prove that you were misled by support?


There's absolutely no need for you to prove it.


----------



## Guest (Oct 2, 2015)

Lamy said:


> Then why did you ask for such proof?


Because I wanted it . . . that doesn't mean you have to provide it if you don't want to. You clearly don't want to, so I won't push for it.


----------



## Nic (Nov 17, 2013)

Word: a good free text writing software, which also strips Word formatting from your files is Jarte. It can save as .doc or .docx. 

Windows, any file: if you rightclick a file, you can look at file properties in the dialogue, and then strip out any identifiers.

Image files: a few programs let you strip also the program you generated the file with, for example GIMP lets you strip out the Photoshop identifier.


----------



## Gator (Sep 28, 2012)

Nimrodish said:


> I don't suppose you have any documentation from KDP which might prove that I was misled? I realize that sometimes Support is misinformed; I'd just like some proof.


You were misled. Many, many KBoards forum authors use pen names and therefore, the statement of pseudonym use to prove copyright ownership before the US copyright office paperwork arrives. Amazon's acceptable documentation is listed in the first post of this forum thread, and Texas Girl's example of the statement of pseudonym use is listed in the 5th reply.

Whenever you get an answer from KDP customer support that sounds screwy, post it in this forum and ask for confirmation. Many of us have been dealing with Amazon for years, and we'll set you straight if need be.


----------



## Guest (Oct 2, 2015)

Gator said:


> You were misled. Many, many KBoards forum authors use pen names and therefore, the statement of pseudonym use to prove copyright ownership before the US copyright office paperwork arrives. Amazon's acceptable documentation is listed in the first post of this forum thread, and Texas Girl's example of the statement of pseudonym use is listed in the 5th reply.
> 
> Whenever you get an answer from KDP customer support that sounds screwy, post it in this forum and ask for confirmation. Many of us have been dealing with Amazon for years, and we'll set you straight if need be.


Thank you. I appreciate your helpful response.


----------



## AlexBrantham (Feb 27, 2014)

Lisa Grace said:


> You can also run searches on IP addresses (so don't use the same pc for your real name that you do for your pen).


Just using another PC probably won't solve the IP address problem - generally, all of the PCs on your home network share the one IP address on the internet, and your router takes care of separating the traffic into different addresses on your local network.

If you want to maintain a serious degree of separation, yes of course have a separate computer - so that all of those tricksy little headers can't sneak into your files when you're not looking - but then make sure that this computer has its own means of accessing the internet. You could for example install only the TOR browser and ensure that all of your internet access goes that way. Or, perhaps, buy a phone with a data plan that allows you to tether a computer to it, and use this as the internet connection. (This only works if you live in an area with a good data connection, obviously - 4G preferred!).

For added protection against the biggest risk, which is yourself doing something really stupid, make the other computer as different as possible from your normal one so that it's harder to forget who you are being right now. A different operating system and tool set would be a good place to start.


----------



## Gator (Sep 28, 2012)

Nimrodish said:


> Thank you. I appreciate your helpful response.


I'm a former Microsoft MVP. I've had a lot of practice explaining work-arounds.


----------

