Pen Name Generator

1. Pick the genre you publish in. Readers judge a book by the name on the cover as much as the art. Romance, epic fantasy and military thrillers each have their own conventions, and the generator follows them.
2. Choose a feel (optional). Classic, modern, literary, warm, dark, bold, playful, or gender-neutral with initials.
3. Add your name or initials (optional). If you want a pen name that still feels like yours, type your name or just your initials. Some suggestions will echo them.
4. Shortlist, then check. Copy the names you like, then run the checks below before you commit.

Authors take a pen name for practical reasons more often than romantic ones:

• To separate genres. A reader who loves your cozy mysteries may be upset by your horror novel. A second name keeps each readership’s expectations clear, and keeps the “also bought” lists on retailer pages tidy.
• For privacy. Teachers, doctors, people writing about their own family, and anyone who would rather their employer didn’t read their romance novels.
• Because the real name is hard to use. It may be very common, hard to spell, or shared with someone famous.
• To fit the shelf. Initials in fantasy and thrillers, a warm first name in romance, a short punchy surname that reads well in large type on a thumbnail.

A pen name is a brand you will maintain for years, with its own website, mailing list and social accounts. If you plan to write in only one genre and don’t need privacy, your own name is often the simpler choice.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country, so check with a professional if you have a specific concern.

• Contracts and payments use your legal name. A publishing contract is signed by you, with the pen name written into it as the name the work appears under. Self-publishing platforms ask for your legal name and tax details in your account, and show the pen name on the book.
• You keep the copyright. Writing under a pseudonym doesn’t change who owns the work. In the US you can register a pseudonymous work with or without revealing your legal name; if you leave it off, the copyright term is fixed at 95 years from publication or 120 from creation instead of running for your life plus 70 years. The US Copyright Office explains this in its published guidance on pseudonyms.
• Don’t borrow a real author’s identity. A name that is the same as, or obviously imitates, a well-known author can mislead readers and may break retailer rules. The generator is told to avoid famous names, but you should still check.

Before you put a name on a cover, spend twenty minutes on these checks:

1. Search Amazon and Goodreads for the exact name. Another author with the same name, especially in your genre, means readers and algorithms will mix you up.
2. Search the web. Make sure the name isn’t attached to a public figure, a scandal or a business you would not want to be confused with.
3. Check the domain and social handles. You will want a website and probably a mailing list under the name. If the obvious domain and handles are taken, consider a variation now rather than later.
4. Say it, spell it, type it. If someone hearing it on a podcast can’t find you in a search bar, it will cost you readers.

Once the name is settled, the book needs a title and a description. Try our book title generator and book blurb generator, and the KDP royalty calculator to see what each sale would earn. When you are ready to write, Anthra’s agentic book creator plans, drafts, illustrates and narrates the book with you, under whatever author name you choose.