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Q&A Can using my name as author harm my book sales?

I say keep your real name. It's not exactly the same as any other author at the moment and none of the names you mention are unique enough that it would be confusing to use something similar. It'...

posted 6y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-20T00:40:38Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42337
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T10:55:28Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42337
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T10:55:28Z (almost 5 years ago)
 **I say keep your real name.**

It's not exactly the same as any other author at the moment and none of the names you mention are unique enough that it would be confusing to use something similar. It's not like your real name is George LL Martin or William Shookspeare.

No matter what name you choose, Google will get it wrong. There will always be somebody else's name that's close enough to muddle the results.

Say you do pick a pen name that magically comes up with no other results in search engines. How do you know this won't change? Someone else with a real or chosen name similar to yours might come along and ruin your carefully crafted naming. There was a question here on Writing about an established author who discovered that someone in another country chose a pen name that happened to be the same as the author's name (it's unlikely this was on purpose) and then used it to author several porn novels for sale on Amazon.

**So stick with your actual name. Maybe the longer version if you think it will differentiate yourself better. But something that is still you. There's no telling what names may be popular in the future. Perhaps it will be yours.**

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-02-19T17:02:02Z (almost 6 years ago)
Original score: 4