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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/47242
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/47242
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

The given name I've been known by since High School is not the same as the name on my birth certificate or driver's license, but it is, like yours, a known nickname for my legal name.

I used to use my legal name on nearly every document but, starting a few years ago, have started using my nickname instead. My legal name is still on my identity documents, bank accounts, taxes, and medical information.

Anything I've published in the last few years uses my nickname. When I signed the contract for my story that's coming out next month (so we're told!), I used my legal name, but my byline is the nickname.

For example, take one of my favorite authors. Her legal name is Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis and her pen name is Connie Willis. She doesn't hide her full name but there's no need for her to make it obvious in her work.

Don't use parentheses, it's just not done. Use the name you want. If you find yourself needing to use your legal name in a place other than a document, you can put your nickname in quotes, as Arkenstein XII has suggested, but that would be more for the author of the piece about you to decide. It would never go on the book.

Original score: 4