Pen Names

What is a Pen Name?

A pen name is an author identity you write under. Many authors use multiple pen names to separate different genres or target audiences.

For example, you might write romance under one name and thrillers under another. This keeps readers expectations clear and lets you build distinct brands.

Creating a Pen Name

1. Go to Project Studio → Pen Names
2. Click + New Pen Name
3. Enter the author name (how it appears on book covers)
4. Fill in the optional details below
5. Click Create

Pen Name Fields

Organizing by Pen Name

Once you create pen names, you can filter everything by author identity:

• Books — Each book belongs to one pen name
• Series — Series are linked to pen names
• Social posts — Schedule posts for specific author accounts
• Email lists — Segment subscribers by pen name
• Finance — Track income and expenses per pen name

Social Media Accounts

Each pen name can have its own social media profiles connected:

• Facebook Page
• Instagram account
• TikTok profile
• Twitter/X account
• And more...

This lets you schedule posts to the right audience. When you create content in Social Studio, you select which pen name is posting.

Switching Between Pen Names

Use the pen name filter in the top navigation to switch contexts:

1. Click your current pen name in the header
2. Select a different pen name from the dropdown
3. The dashboard updates to show only that pen name's data

Or select All Pen Names to see everything combined.

Best Practices

• Keep genres separate — Readers have expectations. A cozy mystery reader might not want steamy romance recommendations.
• Complete your profiles — Fill in bio and photo for each pen name. Readers connect with authors who feel real.
• Use consistent branding — Each pen name should have its own visual style, voice, and personality.
• Do not over-complicate — Only create separate pen names if you have a clear reason. Managing multiple brands takes extra work.

Editing a Pen Name

1. Go to Project Studio → Pen Names
2. Click on the pen name you want to edit
3. Update the fields you want to change
4. Click Save Changes

Deactivating a Pen Name

If you stop writing under a pen name, you can deactivate it instead of deleting:

1. Edit the pen name
2. Change the status to Inactive
3. Save changes

Inactive pen names are hidden from dropdowns but all their data is preserved. You can reactivate them anytime.

Deleting a Pen Name

Open the pen name and choose Delete Pen Name (or use the three-dot menu on the Pen Names page). Before anything happens, StorytellerOS shows you everything that belongs to it, including its series, titles and characters, and asks once.

• Its titles move to Titles > Recently deleted, where they are kept for 30 days.
• The pen name, its guides, series, characters and plans are kept for 30 days under Recently deleted (linked from the Pen Names, Series and Characters pages). Choose Restore there to bring them back.
• Timeline events, lore and places stay in your library. Only their link to the pen name is removed, and a restore puts it back.
• Email lists, subscribers, tags, sign-up forms and other marketing records of the pen name are saved for 30 days too, but a restore does not bring them back on its own. Contact support within the 30 days if you need them.
• Social Studio accounts connected to the pen name are disconnected. After a restore, connect them again from the pen name.