A Cry for Help to My Writer Friends...for Information...

[queenoftheskies]

Since I am a dummy.

For those of you who write certain genres under pen names, I have a question.

When you query, do you query under your pen name? Or your real name?

Any advice on using a pen name?

Thanks!

Comments

[annathepiper]

Hrmm. What I learned at Writer's Weekend, as near as I can recollect, had more to do with formatting your manuscript than it did writing the specific query letter, but what I was told in regards to the manuscript was that you should use your real name for contact information but the pen name as your byline. That way they have actual contact data for you but they'd also know what name you want to put on the actual book.

I would therefore think that you'd want to query with your real name as contact data, but you might say in the body of your letter that you're writing under the pen name of so-and-so.

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

That's something I've wondered about, too!

[calene.livejournal.com]

Use your real name for the contact info and in the signing of the letter. You could mentioned your pen name, but at the query stage, it's not necessary. If they request part or all of the manuscript use the pen name in the byline and your real name in the contact info on title page.

[ter369.livejournal.com]

Exactly. The cover page for the manuscript with:

The Story of ABC

by Pen Name

is what goes on the book cover and the marketing.

The copyright, the advance and royalties, and tax reporting relate to the name attached to your social security number.

[ammepyre.livejournal.com]

You would query under your own name I believe. I know on short story submissions - I use my real name and just put my pen name under the title. Since my pen name is just that - and I'd need to be paid under my real name - I pretty much have to use it. :-)

When you send chapters - if requested - you'd probably do the same and maybe make a little note about the pen name.

[stillsostrange.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they both go on the cover page of your story.

Jane Real Name
Address
Address
Phone
e@mail

Title
by Nom de Plume

And then use the pen name on the page headers.

I always use my real name in cover letters and queries, since that is business-like.

[lanyn.livejournal.com]

I also always use my real name for all correspondence, with a note "I write under the name _______" somewhere in the letter. The actual manuscript just like sosostris2012 says!

[cyberwuzzle.livejournal.com]

I always query under my real name. In the query itself I say I write under the name blah blah for blah blah publishing house, ect blah blah. :)

[eeknight.livejournal.com]

Yuppers, all of the above is correct.

[writerbythebay.livejournal.com]

Forewarning: I am still learning the ropes.
From what I understand about Pen Names when sending queries to both publishers and agents you included both your real name and in a second line write that it is your Pen Name that you are going on for this story as someone else wrote. Also a good thing to keep in mind is that depending on your contract other people could write under your Pen Name although they can not write under your real name if the contract includes specific rights to the Pen Name you use. Please keep in mind this is information I have gleaned from several other sources.

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Hmm...I'd never considered the possibility that someone else could write under the same pen name.

I must research this more.

[writerbythebay.livejournal.com]

It has to specifically be in the contract from what I understand.