If you're taking the time to read this, thank you first and foremost.

To get to the point, how do you know for certain that a pen name is okay to use? 100% certain might be impossible, but maybe 99.99% certain, you know? I've done the trademark checks, google searches, and scouring a few social media pages. It seems like such a big decision, and I want to be sure before I start actually publishing my own work and engaging with others! I want to be as mindful and aware as I can possibly get.

In my case, Morgan W. Moore is a pen name. I chose it for simple reasons, mostly because it is fun to say and sounds "authorly". I have also considered different spellings, like Morgen, for example, but I am also a little wary about getting too out there. Yes, perfection is statistically improbable, but hearing from experts will help me make a more informed decision.

I hope this is the right thread, and thank you once again.

I mean, my pen name on here is an old fursona from back when i still thought I was cisgender. I think the standards for pen names are a lot looser nowadays.

I think if you are targeting a mainstream audience then as long as you like the sound of it, and it it passes the google test, your good already.
If its for writing on here and niche in general, then most names will be fine and you don't have to worry to much!

I remember a Cobaltwolf from a sonic forum back in the 2000's :D

Morgan W. Moore Wrote: If you're taking the time to read this, thank you first and foremost.

To get to the point, how do you know for certain that a pen name is okay to use? 100% certain might be impossible, but maybe 99.99% certain, you know? I've done the trademark checks, google searches, and scouring a few social media pages. It seems like such a big decision, and I want to be sure before I start actually publishing my own work and engaging with others! I want to be as mindful and aware as I can possibly get.

In my case, Morgan W. Moore is a pen name. I chose it for simple reasons, mostly because it is fun to say and sounds "authorly". I have also considered different spellings, like Morgen, for example, but I am also a little wary about getting too out there. Yes, perfection is statistically improbable, but hearing from experts will help me make a more informed decision.

I hope this is the right thread, and thank you once again.

Googling the pen name and checking for trademarks is all you need to do :)

(Also check to make sure there are no famous dictators because it'd be quite a pity if you named yourself something like Joe Stalin) 

Imo you're waaaaaaaayyyyyy overthinking this.

Just use whatever name you want.

Oh damn

You cannot trademark or copyright either your legal name or your pen name as far as I am aware. The same applies to book titles. Not in the way that would prohibit another person to use the same name or title.

Nomad Void Wrote: You cannot trademark or copyright either your legal name or your pen name as far as I am aware. The same applies to book titles. Not in the way that would prohibit another person to use the same name or title.

The rules will depend on your country for the most part. Here in the UK:

Natural persons typically cannot trademark their personal name, as doing so requires an established commercial business. If you have a pen name or a highly specific authorial brand, you can apply through the UK GOV Trade Mark

As long as you dont have slurs, profanities and other bad words in the name, anything goes. If anything, people will regard first your work's name, then yours as author. When talking about famous books, you think first of the Witcher, then Sapkowski who wrote it. Same with The Hobbit, and then only you think of Tolkien.

Aprilmanha Wrote:

Nomad Void Wrote: You cannot trademark or copyright either your legal name or your pen name as far as I am aware. The same applies to book titles. Not in the way that would prohibit another person to use the same name or title.

The rules will depend on your country for the most part. Here in the UK:

Natural persons typically cannot trademark their personal name, as doing so requires an established commercial business. If you have a pen name or a highly specific authorial brand, you can apply through the UK GOV Trade Mark

I am not a legal expert, but can you trademark something like Carl Dandridge? Something like Dandrige and Sons or Dandridge C. Housing Lawyer seems like a valid case. But just using your full name, maybe if you have a very large business, like Louis Vuitton. But even then. If it's your legal name, I doubt anyone would be able to prevent you from putting it on the cover of your book.

I say, do a search on Amazon, and if there's no author on there using the name, go for it. I've been using "MisterTut" professionally for 38 years and have yet to have any issue. The downside is that if another Morgan W. Moore comes along (unlikely) AND outsells you, you may need to change your Nom De Plume. 

You are overthinking this. By a lot. 

The Walrus King, who has two top 20 stories here, is published on Amazon under Walrus King, and is doing fine. 

No one cares about a name. Google it, make sure it’s not associated with unsavory nastiness, and you’re good. 

A few ideas: 

1). Gender ambiguity. Some publishers look for certain people in certain genres. Don't let them filter you out by having a name that's someone they're not looking for. Example: E.L. James.
2). Rolls off the tongue. Make it easy to pronounce, easy to read, easy to spot.  And heaven help you if you're a Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff (it exists). 
3). Not too generic, but not too obscure either. There are plenty of Smiths and Jones out there. And not a lot of  Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorffs. Find a happy medium.
4). Look at the bookshelf at your local chain book store. Where do you drift to first in any section of the store? The first or last bookshelf in it. Try to get close to those ends.
5). Look at the names typical of the genre you write for. A writer for a business self-help book will have a different feel than say... a children's book author. You'll get a feel for it and write accordingly.
6). Think of what comes to mind when you make a pen name. Harold Wulfgar might be badass for a fantasy writer, but would you trust him to give you business advice or to write a bodice-ripper Harlequin romance?
7). Google your pen name. Someone else of note might have it. You don't want to get buried in search results or have a bad association.

And those are the ideas I have off the top of my head.

I can't figure out how to reply individually, but thank you all for your comments and advice! I have read all and will continue to do so.

Morgan W. Moore Wrote: I can't figure out how to reply individually

Not sure about mobile, but on desktop, highlight the text you want to quote. It'll pop up a little "Quote" button and clicking it does the same thing as a comment's quote button - but as the next line of the reply box at the bottom of the page you're on. No page changes at all, so you can do that for a bunch of different posts in a single thread (and if you have to change pages because the thread has more than one, you can just copy the reply box, post it into the one when you change the page, and resume).