Q: How many pen names can I create?
A: You can create an unlimited number of pen names.
Q: How many pen names can I have per Author Central account?
A: Each Author Central account can have three pen names. So, if you have fifteen pen names, you'd still only have one Amazon account, but five Author Central accounts, each with three pen names.
Q: How do I create my pen name’s bio (what can/can’t I say about my pen name)?
A: You cannot lie about your pen name’s credentials or expertise. Calling yourself an up-and-coming writer in your niche with passion to help others in that area is a great start. You do not need to have 20 year's experience in a field for readers to trust your word. If the information inside your book is great, that is more than enough for them to view you as an authority on the topic. Any other credentials you can apply on top of that is the cherry on top.
Publishing Life Services has an “Amazon Author Bio Package” if you would like a professional to write your author bio for you: https://services.publishinglife.com/products/amazon-author-bio-package
Q: What gender should my pen name be?
A: Your pen name can be the same gender as the majority of your target audience. Keep in mind that your pen name’s gender is an insignificant factor in your publishing business’s success.
Q: How do I create a pen name?
A: It ultimately matters not. Pick a name, any name. You can literally make it up! As long as it follows general naming principles in line with the place/culture that your pen name “comes from,” you are good to go!
great examples: John Wilkins, Patti Monroe, Leslie Doyle, Stefan Belanger
Q: Can I use a brand name as my pen name?
A: Yes, absolutely that is a great idea if that’s what you would like to do. The advantages are that you can easily hire many writers without readers noticing a different writing style in your books because they understand it is likely multiple writers that write all the books. A disadvantage is that some readers would rather read books from an individual person rather than a brand name because there’s a more personal connection.
There is no right or wrong in the pen name vs brand name discussion; it is a matter of personal preference. In the end, it will have a very small impact on your business.
Q: Should my narrator be the same gender as my pen name?
A: Ultimately, your narrator’s style should fit the theme of your book.
Q: Should I join Facebook groups with my pen name’s Facebook page or on my personal account?
A: Facebook has recently limited the abilities of Facebook pages. You can’t direct message anyone in other Facebook groups as your page and groups can also limit if pages are allowed to join or not. Therefore, you will be limited to the amount of groups you can join and what you can do inside of those groups. For this reason it's recommended that you contact people using your personal Facebook account. People will not be suspicious about your name not matching your pen name as long as you are upfront that you write using a pen name.
Q: Whose face can I use for my pen name?
A: You can use royalty free images. Additionally, you can use something like This Person Does Not Exist to get unique, AI generated images. Refer to the Resource Cheatsheet for a list of stock photo sites.