Do you use your real name on your ebooks?

[Meanna Blog]

Hi guys, do you use your real name on books and products that you launch or do you create pseudonyms?

[artwebster]

I have always used my own name when writing books and the only ebook I have written is also under my name.

When I have been writing articles or opinions, specifically in relationship to the particular problems I am very familiar with on the health and welfare front, I am always Old Coot.

[Ricky Allen]

Well in all of my 50+ eBooks so far I have used my own name as it is also part of my brand.

Ricky "The Ebook Generator" Allen

[Diane S]

I think it depends who you are selling to. If you are selling to Internet Marketers, I would use one identity for anything you publish in the IM niche, be it a pen name or your real name. For any other niche, the sky's the limit on number of pen names. If you sell an ebook on fertilizing your lawn and another ebook on proper horse grooming, I don't think your customers are going to care what name is on the eBook.

[MADINAZ]

I use both. Sometimes you want to build yourself up as an authority in a niche but get to well known in another so a pseudonym helps you out

I always use my real name on everything I create, not just ebooks.. I want to promote myself not some fake name or lie to people about who I am ..

James

[lklein]

Yes. Nothing to hide...

[legednary11]

I use my real name for everything I do which Is good in a way as business have called me (I have a free phone number on my e-commerce sites)

[sbucciarel]

I use my own name ... nothing to hide. If I were in a weird niche like WoW or Mafia Wars, I would create a name that went with those niches but I haven't created any products in niches like that.

[Vince Courtney]

I always use my own name on everything I create.

If you are creating the best work possible, you should be placing your name on it IMHO. If you are not doing quality work, then rethink even releasing it until it is worthy of placing your name on.

Although I think that most people would want to use their own name for branding purposes, I don't think there is anything wrong with releasing quality work under a pen name.

If you do shoddy work and release it under a pen name to earn a fast buck, though, there is always a good chance that some disgruntled buyer will find you out and we all know how fast bad news can travel online.

Reputation is harder to reclaim than build upon.

Regards,
Vince

[Loren Woirhaye]

yeah - "Loren Woirhaye" is my pen-name - I'm
actually a best-selling ebook author under my real
name "Abdul Clamwhacker"

[WPQ]

I do everything under my real name - or my nickname - since when I do sales its through PayPal (shows my name) anyway.

[Lillian]

Everything under my own name - WPQ has a good point about paypal

[Ravenaven]

I only write on topics I feel I'm an authority on and building my brand is important - thus I choose my real name.

Now... I've always thought someday I'll write a crazily-sensuous romance novel that I wouldn't want my parents or children to know about... I plan to use 'Amberlina Wanmore' for that.
ha

-Anisa

[Olu Joseph]

Yeah, my name is on everything i do.
My real name is a brand that people love to associate with.

Cheers

[Muhammad Hassan]

For myself I have used my real name for software I have written. It was created with somebody else and we used his real name also as he has a good reputation in the field that the software is designed for.

However, other famous people have used different names. This allows them to create a persona that people will buy from.

Frank Kern (lazy Internet man) selling to Internet marketing crowd is also, I believe, Dean Rankin (I don't agree with what some dog trainers say) selling to dog owners.

Eben Pagan selling to Internet marketing is also David DeAngelo selling to dating crowd. If wanting a dating product who would you buy from the romatic sounding David DeAngelo or Eben Pagan.

Michael Green selling Internet marketing products and is Grant Shapps Conservative Member of Parliament here in the UK.

Whether real name or pen name just make sure your doing it for legitimate reasons and that you can be contacted no matter what name you use.

[JohnMcCabe]

One combination I haven't seen mentioned is the one commonly used when celebrities "write" books...

Celebrity Name with Real Author

For example, I used to market an ebook on cruising Hawaii. The credit on the cover was "by Kelohe Keone with John McCabe."

[Kelohe Keone was a pen name which, translated from Hawaiian, means "Crazy John"...]

[Intrepreneur]

So far what i have decided is that if you have the knowledge to create a product that is good enough to sell, that is true and that actually works, then there is no reason not to put your name on it..

The biggest worry about this is, will people start thinking that you are just some person who wants it all, when really the truth can only be you know what you're talking about otherwise you wouldn't sell the product..

Either way I don't care as any products I will create will only contain the truth and what will work.

Leaves me with a question after writing all that, is it going to hamper my success by using my real name on more than one product that are in different niches?

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by Intrepreneur

Leaves me with a question after writing all that, is it going to hamper my success by using my real name on more than one product that are in different niches?

That's the main reason I went with the combo I did. I didn't want to be a jack-of-all-trades, but I did want to position myself as a good partner to know...

[upscholar200]

I use my real name on products. Makes things easier

[spearce000]

I've done both in the past. All my online stuff is in my real name -- although I did once write an offline book under a "nom de plume".

[Wade Watson]

I haven't used a pseudonym so far, but I might if I felt it would be beneficial in some way. One very well known Internet marketing blogger I know uses pen names for some of her non-IM related niche efforts because, she says, other marketers tend to follow her name and will home in on a fragile niche. Also, by using a different name, she can test methods and honestly say they'll work for anybody.

--Wade Watson

[Nigel Greaves]

I always use my own name on my own products.

[BillOliver]

But here's the bit that stuns me!
WHY then do a number of you who advocate using real name on products, then turn around and use a made-up handle for a small forum?
Seems illogical to me!
Bill

[Randy Bheites]

Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

yeah - "Loren Woirhaye" is my pen-name - I'm
actually a best-selling ebook author under my real
name "Abdul Clamwhacker"

Abdul Clamwhacker? Of the Crabbeapple, OH Clamwhackers?! GRAMPA!!

[Tsnyder]

Samuel Clemons, Marion Morrison and Reginald Dwight would
all be happy to know that many of you think they should only use
their real names...

I do some stuff under my real name... some under other names.
My Pay Pal account has a business name so it doesn't matter there.

Tsnyder (real name)

[Anomaly1974]

Well, my real name is Marcus Aurelius Ward J. Clifford Tipton and the "J. don't stand for nothing and don't mean nothing ... it's just there to mess with you" my Mother told me ... something about 18 and one half hours of false labor or something. However, when I went to get my first ID (My mil-dep ID) I went with my Gramma and she had it set up as Ward Clifford Tipton.

When I lived in Mexico and in the Asian countries I have been to, Mark or Marcus (Marcos) worked better but all my work in ALL my niches is under Ward Tipton. It helps to be Eclectic I guess.

[Li Weng]

It really depends on the niche.
There's some niches that you
don't want other people to know
you're in...

[delsauzo]

Most times I dont, i figure if you intend to work in different niches it will pay to use pen names

[Roy Carter]

I believe I heard Armand Morin say that he has around 700 ebooks out there, none of which has his real name on them. Nuff said.

You should always be producing quality products whether you use a pen-name or not.

[Leanne King]

Yep that's my real name on my ebooks but they are all about the one topic - WP.

If, I was going to do something for another niche I might use a pen name.

Leanne

[Tsnyder]

Originally Posted by senve

i use my own name.

i hardly can trust some writer who will use a fake name...

I'm just curious about this topic... for all of you who feel like
you can't trust a writer who uses a pen name... are you buying
a personal relationship with the writer or are you buying the
information they write about?

Is knowing the writer's real name more important to you than the
quality of information they write about?

I'm kinda surprised by some of the responses in this thread.

Tsnyder

[Pat Jackson]

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe

One combination I haven't seen mentioned is the one commonly used when celebrities "write" books...

Celebrity Name with Real Author

For example, I used to market an ebook on cruising Hawaii. The credit on the cover was "by Kelohe Keone with John McCabe."

[Kelohe Keone was a pen name which, translated from Hawaiian, means "Crazy John"...]

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I'm curious to hear more about this.

Were you writing under the pen name Kelohe Keone prior to releasing the e-book or did you only decide to include it when you released the book?

I always put my real name on "ALL" my products, not just ebooks.... Why would I lie about who I am, fact is I market a product with truth and not hype so I have nothing to hide about.

James

[Steven Fullman]

Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet

I always put my real name on "ALL" my products, not just ebooks.... Why would I lie about who I am, fact is I market a product with truth and not hype so I have nothing to hide about.

James

Hi James

Me too.

Y'alright, mate?

Your friend,
Theophalus Z. Wildebeast

[josh123]

I don't sell ebooks but I use pen names for my articles. I use a different name for each niche. It's just too easy for others to track what you are doing if you use the same name for everything IMO.

[jhonyane]

I usually used a pan name... but for my main business I used my reall name..

[TyBrown]

I'm all about branding myself (probably due to a massive ego) so I always use my name.

[Jillian Slack]

For some of us, it's not a matter of whether you have something to hide.

You build recognition in one niche, and sometimes if people see your name on a totally different niche, it could confuse your customers.

Sometimes it's easier to create a new identity for a different arm of your business.

Nora Roberts also writes as J.D. Robb and she started using the pen name because it was a totally different genre. Of course, now most of her fans know she is both identities. But it's a similar concept. If a writer wants her romance readers to look for her books under one name, then she publishes horror or whatever, readers would likely pick up the new book because her name is on it and then say, "What the heck is this? This is NOT what I expected from this author."

Easier to have the two identities. Some choose to keep their identities under wraps, while others let it be known who they are.

Jill

[Bcrewse1]

Personally...I always use a pen name...too many niches for me to be master of all of them!

[Punkaj Dube]

Yes. I do use my name in the ebooks I write, but, as a matter of fact, I have written only 3 ebooks.

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by Pat Jackson

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I'm curious to hear more about this.

Were you writing under the pen name Kelohe Keone prior to releasing the e-book or did you only decide to include it when you released the book?

KK's existence began and ended with that campaign. "Kelohe" was listed as the author, as well as the writer for several articles promoting the ebook. If I ever do another project about Hawaii, I may resurrect the character.

[ponting786]

Originally Posted by TheRichJerksNet

I always use my real name on everything I create, not just ebooks.. I want to promote myself not some fake name or lie to people about who I am ..

James

I am totally agreed with James.
i.e. why should we promote other fake name while we have our own real name.
I always use my real name to promote my all kinds of products.

[RichPargeter]

Personally I'll always use my real name as it's part of the brand I'm trying to create.

What would happen if your subscribers found out that the name they know you as wasn't your real name? I think some trust would be lost.

[Mark Donington]

You must create your real name/identity everytime you create a product/ebook. If you hide your real name, for a long time you will be lose a tone of prospect that ready spend their money to buy ebook/product from you.

[Chuck Evans]

Originally Posted by Tsnyder

Samuel Clemons, Marion Morrison and Reginald Dwight would
all be happy to know that many of you think they should only use
their real names...

I do some stuff under my real name... some under other names.
My Pay Pal account has a business name so it doesn't matter there.

Tsnyder (real name)

Well if Mark Twain, John Wayne, and Elton John were all in different "arenas" then they may have.

Samuel Clemens, possible a boxer, Marion Morrison and Reginald Dwight maybe NBA players? Who knows BUT what about this guy...Vincent Furnier...don't think that name would have made it where he is today either!

chuck

[organicgirl6]

I use my own name. If people begin to recognize my name and admire my ideals, they will begin to develop a trust for what I have to say and will therefore trust the products I promote. There is a lot of power in a name!

[vagabondette]

Sorry to bump an older thread but I've been wondering about this so I'd like opinions. I share a name with a rather famous singer/actress. Now thankfully she's not a skank like half of the young 'ladies' in Hollywood these days but when people hear my name they automatically think of her and I'd say 50% of them make a comment about it.

I'm about to launch a couple of products, one of which is a membership site and I've been wondering how to handle the name thing. I've come up with a few options and I'd love feedback.

1 - screw the actress, I had the name first so I'm gonna use it. Problems with this is that it's virtually impossible to search my name on google because of her results.
2 - use the full version of my name rather than the shortened version even though that's not what I do IRL and I'm not a fan of the full version. (ex. Katherine instead of Kate).
3 - Use my middle and last name
4 - make up a name

So what do you guys think? If it were just the matter of doing a couple ebooks I wouldn't be fussed about it but it's the membership site that concerns me. I don't want there to be any confusion but I also don't want to lie to people about what my name is.

I'd appreciate any feed back you can offer.

[Dan C. Rinnert]

Originally Posted by vagabondette

1 - screw the actress, I had the name first so I'm gonna use it. Problems with this is that it's virtually impossible to search my name on google because of her results.
2 - use the full version of my name rather than the shortened version even though that's not what I do IRL and I'm not a fan of the full version. (ex. Katherine instead of Kate).

If you go this route, you should talk to an attorney first. There may be trademark or right of publicity (possibly) issues involved, so, in this case, it'd be a good idea to talk to an attorney first to see what you can and cannot do.

3 - Use my middle and last name
4 - make up a name

Either of these would probably work.

So what do you guys think? If it were just the matter of doing a couple ebooks I wouldn't be fussed about it but it's the membership site that concerns me. I don't want there to be any confusion but I also don't want to lie to people about what my name is.

Using a pen name or pseudonym isn't necessarily lying.

Possibly the singer with your name is using a pseudonym.

[vagabondette]

Thanks for the response Dan. From what I read the trademark thing shouldn't be an issue since we're in different industries and I wouldn't really be using my name as a key term in my marketing efforts. That said, I just fired off a email to a lawyer friend of mine who has written several books and shares a name with a famous race car driver. I figure if anyone would know about name trademarks it's him.

I don't mind using the pen name on an ebook because I think in most cases you rarely have contact with your customers for more than the transaction. But I'm uncomfortable giving a pen name to the membership of my site which I will be interacting with and potentially becoming friends and partnering with on future projects. I think I'm just going to have to use my real name for that. I know if I were a member of a site and thought the owner's name was John Smith and then a few months down the road after talking with them for a while I learned it was actually Mark Jones I'd feel a bit freaked out.

As to her using a pesudonym I actually looked into that at one point because we have the EXACT same name, first, middle and last. I've never in my life met someone with my middle name and there she is with the whole thing. I could never find any mention that it wasn't her real name so now I just joke that I need to find out where she has her bank account and go make a nice fat withdrawal.