Book copyright pen name

After youve cleared your chosen name and confirmed its available for you to use, go ahead and create an email address under your pen name and reserve the domain. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. A guide for the romantically frustrated woman under the pen name danielle brown. Copyright page samples you can copy and paste into your book. You may register the of your work under your pseudonym, your real name, or both. If you use a pen name rather than your legal name, you can use the pen name on your page. Preregistration allows you to sue for infringement while you are still writing your book. There is no legal requirement that the author be identified by his or her real name on the application form. There a number of reasons different authors choose to hide their real identity. After you publish your book on amazon, it will show on the bookshelf page of your account, along with all the other books you have published. In the us, you are advised to disclose your real name for better protection when registering, but it is not absolutely necessary as long. The authors real name is likely known to the publisher but not to the public.

If you use a pen name on your work, it is protected by for 95 years from the date of publication or 120 years from its creation, whichever is longer. I like to publish books under pen names if i didnt personally write the book. Authorhouse will complete all the paper work and send a copy of your book to the library of congress. I would like to get a mail address for the pen name, but it looks like i need to file a dba doing business as under that name. You will need to sign your legal name to our terms and conditions, your credit card payment, and your isbn registration or any other legal document, but otherwise you can use your pen name anywhere else you would like. If you write under a pen name for any reason, you can link the s to it. Trademark your pen name if you want to identify a body of work such as a book series or screenplays. Go to the website for the united states patent and trademark office and use the trademark electronic search system tess to check that the words or name you want to trademark are available. If you use a pen name, beware there are a few legal myths about using it. My book is a first person narrative memoir and i too am publishing with a pen name to protect the privacy of the children in my book. If you write in two very different genresfor example, nonfiction finance and romance novelsusing one or more pen names can help you create very clear author identities for your verticals. Using a pseudonym allows an author to write in other genres without being stereotyped. A pen name is whats listed as the authors name on a published book, and readers often do not know the real name or identity of the author. For instance, john sandford created his pen name, because he already had a novel from another series published under his real name.

If you use a pen name also known as a pseudonym, you can put that on the page instead of your real name. For your book, you can register your under your pen name if you want, but it may have implications for how long the will last. How to copyright a book with a pen name legal beagle. Or if you are writing and publishing under a business, you can use your company as the owner on your page.

My first adult book was a bit racy so we needed to keep the genres separate. Writers have adopted pseudonyms or pen names to disguise themselves for a number of reasons. Select it as the author, and it will show as the primary author. You can register the book under a pseudonym, but must use your proper mailing address. It could be for marketing purposes or it could just be for their own comfort. If you want that kind of protection, youre looking at trademark, not. Using a pen name for a book containing professional information may not be permitted by the rules of your license. For example, if an authors contract has a noncompete clause or right of first refusal for the next book, that author cannot use a pen name to publish a competing work or publish under a pen name to avoid giving their publisher first crack at the new work. The other thing youll want to do once you pick your pen name is to buy your website domain for that pen name example. I was considering getting a registered trademark for my pen name so that in the future, there is legal documentation that. If you do include your real name, it is public record, and anyone who. In no case should you omit the name of the claimant. How to create a copyright page in 5 minutes with template. Dont expect a pen name to protect you completely from defamation claims.

Rowling has written and published books under the pen name robert galbraith. You will want to keep proof of your work including dated drafts and outlines, dated research records used to create the work, names of those you shared the work with at different stages, and all written records of any agreements you entered into about the work. I want to register works and declare myself claimant, but make them unsearchable by my personal name. This is true even if you self publish unless youre going whole hog vanity publishing and carting paperbacks around to peddle them yourself in which case dont worry about cop. You can use your trademark on all of your work legally. This is done by signing contracts with the publisheragent using the real name corresponding to the pen name. Seuss has published books under the pen name theo lesieg.

How would this work if the author plans to publish him or herself. Do i need to get a for a pseudonym, or will a for the book under my chosen pen name be sufficient. How to read the copyright page of a book pen and the pad. When registering or isbn, there is a place to enter your pen name when uploading books for publication, you enter your pen name as the author name at most writing conventions, workshops, groups, etc.

Heres how to register a to reflect the pen name or pseudonym printed on your book covers, but also keeping your legal name connected to the records. The owner is the author of the book, not the publisher or the printer. Filling book under pen name for the 1st time, but book was written few years ago and previously sold online. The registration process makes it easy for an author to provide a pseudonym in conjunction with his or her legal nameand, of course, the certificate is all the official proof the courts might require of the authors connection to both pseudonym and intellectual property. You can claim a domain name relatively cheaply, even if you dont plan on creating a website for your pen name yet. If you are considering writing a book under a pseudonym, or penname, you might be wondering how you would go about ing your work. If any company requires that they be the holder, dont publish with them. As a writer, there are lots of reasons to write under a pen name. A pseudonym or pen name may be used by an author of a ed work. You cant a name or, in fact, any words, phrases, symbols, or designs.

Another important thing to know when learning how to a pen name, is that preregistration can be very useful to you. If filing under a fictitious name, check the pseudonymous box when giving information about the authors. Why do authors use pseudonyms surprising authors behind famous pen names key criteria to come up with the. The library of congress number is assigned during the publishing process, and will be included on the page in your book. If youre considering using a pen name when selfpublishing a book. There are any number of reasons an author might use a pen name, and most of them are business related. A pen name is a name an author uses in place of their real name when publishing. I know that an author can use a pen namepseudonym instead of a true name when publishing the traditional way. It is, however, a lot more difficult for advertising, blogging, tweeting, book signings, etc to remain so anonymous. Your publisher will know your real name in order to pay you royalties. Therefore, if you write under a pen name, youll want to provide both your legal name and your pen name on your application for registration.

How to copyright a book with a pen name richard mcmunn. Id just written a childrens story called lucy the diamond fairy under another pseudonym and. Actors and artists often use fictitious names, and writers sometimes choose to create under a different persona as well. Put the notice in the book with your pseudonym, 2018 by denise smithers. All you need to do is add your pen name as the authors name in the contributors section when you are preparing the book for publication. The concept of the legal began in the year 1710 in great britain. For example, in the us, if you register only under your pseudonym and dont include your real identity, the will last 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation. This article has over 67,360 views and 90% of readers. I purchased exclusive rights to a digital book written a few years ago, but. Writing yourself a pen name creative writing the guardian. Xgens with hyphenated surnames opt for something short. Seven legal myths about pen names sidebar saturdays. In fact, everythings going swimmingly in your plan to conquer the.

Over 300,000 authors trust the professionals on reedsy, come meet them. The next question is whether to include your real name on the registration. If youre just starting out or dont want to have to poke around on the web then this is the book for you. Like brand names, they are designed to be catchy, memorable and suited to the genre. However, there are other good reasons for using a pseudonym than just competing bylines or genres. Many writers use pen namesbut theres a right way and a wrong way to publish your book, stories, poems, or essays under a pseudonym. Just like the words cocacola call to mind a bubbly soda, the right pen name can raise positive associations in the minds of. Every time you publish a book, youre putting your name out into the world people will look for you on amazon and other bookselling sites, theyll look on social media sites, and theyll look for an author website being a wellknown writer and having your name instantly recognized might be the ideal for most selfpublished authors. But regardless of why one chooses to use a pseudonym, creating a pen name can play an important part in your books marketing. A work is pseudonymous if the author is identified on copies or phonorecords of that work by a fictitious name. I will register the with the office using my real name but will also write what my pen name is, but i dont want to put that on the book as i want. I do not care to register my book with a, because then you have to list your real name. This book does have a lot of ideas on how to choose a pen name but if youve already spent any time thinking about it or doing research on the internet, nothing here is all that astounding.