Using a pen name for Kindle

12 years ago

It won 't affect acceptance of your book into the program for the most part. you have to be within the guidelines, none of the keyword phrase names that were so popular in forums and blog commenting. And if you picked a famous author, they probably would disallow that.

I have different names for different genres, and have never had an issue.

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tpw 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Michael Shook

And if you picked a famous author, they probably would disallow that.

I currently have 11 pen names in Kindle, and 3 of them are female names.

There are no restrictions on pen names, unless you deliberately try to create confusion between you and an existing author writing in your niche, and that is likely only a problem if the other author sues you.
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Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
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writeaway

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Michael Shook

It won 't affect acceptance of your book into the program for the most part. you have to be within the guidelines, none of the keyword phrase names that were so popular in forums and blog commenting. And if you picked a famous author, they probably would disallow that.

I have different names for different genres, and have never had an issue.

Thanks, Michael. I am glad you mentioned different names for different genres. Is there a limit?

Thanks
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tpw

12 years ago

Originally Posted by writeaway

Thanks, Michael. I am glad you mentioned different names for different genres. Is there a limit?

I have heard rumors of limits to the number of pen names. I was originally told 6, but I passed that number of pen names long ago, without having to contact Amazon to ask for more.

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writeaway

12 years ago

Originally Posted by tpw

I have heard rumors of limits to the number of pen names. I was originally told 6, but I passed that number of pen names long ago, without having to contact Amazon to ask for more.

Thanks, Bill. Theoretically speaking, can a person cover 100 niches with 1 name per niche? Would it matter if the names are all done in a short period of time or do they have to be 'streamed' over an extended period of time?

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JohnMcCabe

12 years ago

Originally Posted by writeaway

Thanks, Bill. Theoretically speaking, can a person cover 100 niches with 1 name per niche? Would it matter if the names are all done in a short period of time or do they have to be 'streamed' over an extended period of time?

Since we're talking theoretical here, I'll give you my speculation.

I think the number of pen names is irrelevant, but the number of author accounts might be. Last time I checked, you could have three pen names per author account, but don't quote me on that.

One way to make 100 names in one burst more logical (less likely to raise red flags) would be to put them under the banner of your own publishing house. "Written by John Doe, published by XYZ Media", that sort of thing. Seems to be working for Random House...

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TinkBD

12 years ago

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe

I think the number of pen names is irrelevant, but the number of author accounts might be. Last time I checked, you could have three pen names per author account, but don't quote me on that.

This is accurate BUT... You ARE allowed MORE THAN ONE Author Central Acct. This is TOTALLY OK with Amazon

I have two currently. You'll need to set each up with a different email address.

I have three pen names on my first acct and my newest pen name on my new acct.

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JohnMcCabe

12 years ago

Originally Posted by TinkBD

This is accurate BUT... You ARE allowed MORE THAN ONE Author Central Acct. This is TOTALLY OK with Amazon

I have two currently. You'll need to set each up with a different email address.

I have three pen names on my first acct and my newest pen name on my new acct.

True enough. I simply don't know how many author accounts one is allowed to have. So I said that the number of accounts may be a factor, especially since the question posited involved 100 pen names (34 AC accounts' worth).

On a side note, Tink, I finally got around to picking up Scrivener based on a recommendation you made in another thread some time ago. I'm loving it for both fiction and nonfiction, especially combined with Evernote and the web clipper for research. Thanks for the discount code.

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Dana_W 12 years ago

Here's the thing about 100 pen names - do you have time to build up credibility and an audience for each pen name?

Granted, I speak as someone who writes romance novels for the Kindle (under two pen names), so it may be a little different than writing nonfiction, but honestly I think it's the same principle. People want to buy, and take advice from, someone that they feel familiar with, someone they know and trust. The way you build up that feeling is by spending time - with a website, social media presence, etc. and writing more than one book in that niche. It's just about impossible to build up that feeling of trust and familiarity for 100 different names.

Now, I do believe in different pen names for different niches - people aren't going to accept you as an expert on bad breath cures, dog training, and weight loss, for example - but I'd pick a managable amount of niches and develop those. Back when I was on this forum all the time doing internet marketing, I specialized in social media marketing, and press releases, and the reason I did very well for myself was I didn't spread myself too thin.
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Adie

12 years ago

No problem at all.. Even Stephen King uses a pen name. I have 2 author/pen names on kindle and both are pointing to my personal account.

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Ripster

12 years ago

There is nothing wrong with using a pen name for Kindle.

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Elvis Michael

12 years ago

You should be fine, WriteAway, whether you use a pen name once or several times. I've had at least 7 different names without a problem, too. Just make sure that the pen name is the same author name mentioned in the book and its cover.

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Tom Addams

12 years ago

It makes perfect business sense to use different pen names.

Example:

You write in two different niches. For the sake of argument, let's say cooking and dog breeding. Your aim with Kindle should be to develop a following for each pen name. So, in this example, both niches require different names because you're targeting - usually - different demographic segments.

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Using a pen name for Kindle

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