What do I do about my name????

[Katherine]

There are umpteen thousand people with my name, no matter how I put it out there: First and Last, Middle and Last, First and Middle and Last, First Initial and Middle Name and Last Name, First Name and Middle Initial and Last...and all the rest of the combinations and permutations. Does anyone have any ideas on how to resolve this quandary since I have already put my first book out with my First and Last Names.

All advice and suggestions will be taken under serious consideration : )

HELP!

[Bonita]

What's in a name but a reputation or connection? I say make the story stick with the minds of your readers, like cooked spaghetti on a wall. It's always about the story.

[J.]

I wasn't clear whether there were other writers with your name, or whether you just had a very common name. If it's just a matter of a common name, and if you had already published a book under that name, I would probably stick with it, as you now have readers who associate that book with you, the author. It may be time to think of a way to "brand" that name somehow, with a web site or blog.

janetility.com

[John]

My last name is spelled McDonnell, which is much less common than McDonald, yet when I Google my name it turns out there are a bunch of notable people with my exact name. A track coach, a British politician, and several writers besides me. I actually show up pretty far down the list on Google. I don't mind sharing my name with the track coach and the British politician, but I don't like confusion when it comes to writers with my name. I have thought about using a pen name, but I'd rather not. I read an interview with a mystery writer who said he used a bunch of pen names early in his career, and he thought it hurt him, because none of those pen names helped promote him when he started writing under his own name.

[Frances]

I agree that it's time to blog....and guest blog, and get that web site up and...
If you're keeping the name for your writing--and with a book already out what else can you do?--then work on getting that Google search to pull up enough entries on you that the others drop to the second page.
Guest blogging and posting on others' blogs and writing my own blogs has literally dominated the search engines under my name with entries. I didn't believe it until I tried it. (course, it's not a very common name, as far as I can tell there are three of us)
Good luck!
Frances

[Carole]

How about using a stylised version of your initial KK or KayKay?

In one of my books I have a character named Patricia Ursular Germaine -- bit of a mouthful, I'm sure you will agree. She quickly becomes known as Pug -- and I can't think of her with any other name now.

Cheers
Carole

[Laurel]

The Japanese Grandmother, my book of poetry and short stories, is now avaialble for download at www.barnesandnoble.com
Laurel Lamperd

[Robert]

Bonita wrote: "What's in a name but a reputation or connection? I say make the story stick with the minds of your readers, like cooked spaghetti on a wall. It's always about the story."

With a name like Bonita you'd have no worries.

[Bonita]

Robert wrote: "With a name like Bonita you'd have no worries..."

Thank you, Robert. This is true... unless I cross paths with a future publisher who feels that the name is too "ethnic." :) The joke will be on him, because I don't know how to be anyone else! I'm not going to change my name to make people I don't know feel more comfortable about themselves.

While working in a convenience store, a regular customer had trouble remembering my name. It seemed to really bother him a great deal, as he was the kind of elderly man who visited with everyone in town, white or brown, black or red. One morning I said, don't worry Arliss, you can call me "pretty" if you want. I wasn't trying to be funny or give him the wrong idea. He was puzzled. I thought maybe I had said the wrong thing. But the next morning he returned with a smile and said now he knew what my name had meant. From then on, he never forgot how to say my name.

It had been the story around the name that made the lating impression...

[Dr]

I would like to change the texture of the wallpaper in this room just for one moment. I want to say, I honestly and truly, really enjoy the conversations here. It would be extremely easy for one of you talented people to write a great book on just the comments that I see daily. Life is a great place to be and you wonderful people are what makes it what it is. Thanks and I am looking forward to tomorrow's edition. Dr Robert E McGinnis

[Bonita]

Dr wrote: "I would like to change the texture of the wallpaper in this room just for one moment. I want to say, I honestly and truly, really enjoy the conversations here. It would be extremely easy for one of..."

I appreciate your comment, Dr. and it's encouraging people like you who remind us to keep going, to keep developing our little gifts, to keep writing every day, no matter how discouraged we might be at times.

[Rowena]

How about adding "the Umpteenth) to your byline?