Author Names That Stretch Credibility
Lately, we’ve had a small handful of authors who want us to accept their pen names that have either their brand or their expertise worked into their first or last name. It used to be very easy for us to ban this behavior as it’s too ‘hokey’ for us (credibility destroyer), but the line is blurred and we could use your help/opinions.
Examples of hokey author names: (names changed to protect the guilty)
- George Prudehome – writes about home improvement
- John Rspad – writes about spa’s
- Alyssa Amore – writes about relationships & love
- Dan Tan – writes about tanning beds and getting a good tan
- Jack Free – writes about getting free things online
- Kyle Kisscafe – writes to promote his coffee shop
Our question to you: The intent of the above names are clearly designed with an intent to extend the brand or expertise and anyone reading it quickly knows the person is a joke or not credible, but where do we draw the line when it’s all so subjective?
Dear Chris,
These are pretty obvious examples, except that there are many people out there whose occupations follow their names. Examples of people I have known: Forest Forester who headed a department of forestry at a prestigious university; Dr. Cock a proctologist, John Paradise who owned a vacation motor-home business. If the internet had been around when these people were growing their businesses, they would have wanted to use their names to boost their online presence.
I don’t think there is any way to “draw the line.”
Although my name does not tell anyone I’m a psychologist, “Neill Neill” is an unusual name and I take full advantage of it on the net. Just try googling it.
Neill Neill
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