The first, most obvious issue is picking one...this is something I really need to address myself, btw...I started writing in April, 2009 on another site and chose the name Exakta66 because I happen to collect Exakta cameras, and had always used that name for anything I did on the internet, including my e-mail account. I had been using it since about the year 2000, when everyone in the Exakta collectors group I belonged to picked Exakta related names for their e-mail addresses, so it seemed only natural to use it for writing stories...
Only one minor little problem...I found out in late 2010 that the Exakta name is an active registered trademark of Jos. Schneider in West Germany, and since I started submitting stories to paying sites in September, 2010 I realized I had to change the name I was using, and fast...my girlfriend suggested the name DirtyMartini, since she's a fan of the drink (and turned me onto them, but that's another story)...that seemed like a good idea, since I happen to write erotic stories as well...and DirtyMartini has a hint of "dirtiness" without really being "dirty"...if you know what I mean...it is, after all, a drink...
So...in October, 2010 when I joined Stories Space, I joined using the name DirtyMartini...and the first time I used that name was here, btw...and it seemed all well and good...and I started using it on other sites I post stories on, including sites of a more "adult" nature...
And then one day, a few months back, I got a message from Morgan Hawke, who is a professional writer if you don't know...and she told me that I should really choose a real name, and not a "handle" as she called it...I don't think she used the phrase "dumb ass" in her note, but I got her drift...
I have to say, I've been writing now for over two years...and I have to honestly say, I have really learned quite a bit in that time...about both writing and publishing...but, sometimes things happen to remind me just how little I know, and how much more I have to learn...
So...if you don't want to look like some flighty, unbalanced individual who changes their name every year for the heck of it, you may want to consider picking a real human pen name...and stick with it...if you do have any ambitions whatsoever of taking your writing "to the next level" you are going to have to pick a name you like, and can live with...and build some sort of brand identity around it...
In the meantime, you may want to read this article on picking a pen name...I know I have to read it myself...
http://www.authorscene.com/index.php?id=34&option=com_content&task=view
On another related note...some questions that I have seen lately, complete with actual answers...and yes, I do know the answers to these...
No wise-ass comments, thank you...
Q. Can you copyright a pen name?
A. No, you cannot...
Q. Can you trademark a pen name?
A. Yes, you can...but, you have to show that the name has some value in the marketplace first and is not normally recommended...even writers like Stephen King don't have their name trademarked...which answers the question "Could I call myself Stephen King?"...but it's not a good idea for various reasons I won't get into here...for one thing, any time someone says they read a good story by "Stephen King"...people are probably not going to think it's by you...
Finally...
Q. I don't want my publisher to know my real name...can I get my royalty checks made out to my pen name?
A. Yes, you can...you can set it up legally...something like "Alan W. Jankowski, dba. DirtyMartini"...but, that involves a significant expense, attorneys, that sort of thing...for most authors, they would never make enough to cover the attorney fees...get your first novel on the New York Times bestseller list, and then worry about that...
Anyway...that is our lesson for today...good luck...
