Using Author Pen Names on Facebook - and Getting Locked Out!

Boy do I have a story to tell - and fortunately, the solution that finally worked to get my Facebook access back after they locked my access to both my profile and Page due to my not using my "real name." 

(Shoshanna Evers has been my pen name since 2009, which makes it legally my real name in 46 states just by the fact that I use it everywhere - and I have an Idaho-state DBA (doing business as) Shoshanna Evers).

Backstory: 
I had a Shoshanna Evers profile from 2010 that was converted into a "Like Page" when I couldn't add more friends. For a couple years I just had that Page, and no profile attached.

Then, FB made me create a profile to attach to the Page. So I created a Shoshanna Evers profile. I hid the profile in searches so only my Like Page would come up (I don't want to have to double post in two places on FB), I didn't add any friends to it, and only used it to interact in my Street Team FB Group and during FB events like book release parties.

Separately, I have a private FB profile under my married name where I post pics of my kid, etc, for the relatives. That profile is hidden and there are no cross-over friends.

Here's what happened:
On May 21st 2015 (as I write this is the 28th, and the problem just got resolved a few hours ago), I participated in a FB party using my Shoshanna Evers profile. I've done that before. This time, I decided to message the 4 winners to make sure they knew to email me for their prizes. BAD MOVE!! That flagged FB, because I was messaging people who weren't my "friends."

So don't ever message someone who isn't a "friend" from your profile, because that will get you flagged! Good to know, right? Fortunately I have made all the mistakes this week so you don't have to! ;)

The next day when I went to log in, I got a message saying my account access has been locked until I "verify my identity."

Silly me, at first I was happy. Yay, they're going to give me a blue check mark just like Twitter did, right? NOPE. I sent them what I had sent Twitter - a pic of a contract that showed I was (legal/birth name) writing as Shoshanna Evers along with my driver's license showing I am my legal name.

Denied. So I end up going back and forth, sending a total of eleven documents (including my Idaho DBA, a royalty statement, a screen shot of my access into my own official website, a screen shot of a Tweet to FB from my Verified Twitter account, etc) all verifying that I am really Shoshanna Evers, and that it's really me running the profile and Page - unlike, for example, the Shoshanna Evers page that I *don't* run, which I also linked to.

Every step of the way, a new person contacted me to tell me no. It took me a very long time to realize that no one was actually looking at my past emails or documents - each time they denied me and said I have to verify my legal name is Shoshanna Evers.

I quoted their own help site stating that it has to be your "authentic name" - not LEGAL name - but the name you are known as in real life and online - if you've ever met me, you know I introduce myself as Shoshanna Evers. I reminded them that since October of 2014 their "legal name" policy changed to "authentic name" because they had a lot of backlash from drag queens who were forced to out themselves using their legal male names.

No one listened. No one cared. It was like encountering a steady stream of brick walls, each one entirely new and with no knowledge of all the links and pics I'd sent.

Then, some jerk at FB closed my support ticket (and I'm thinking, "hey, we're not done here!") and worst of all, changed my Shoshanna Evers profile name to my married name. I couldn't even get into my account to deactivate it! He totally doxed me and put my married, private name out to all the FB groups I am a part of. I got a screen shot and a confused email from another author asking why my name had changed, but she couldn't click it because the profile was gone. Fun, right?

Here's how I finally fixed the problem:

• I reopened the case.
• I recognized I would need to send them ONE image that contained:
• 1. a screenshot of their own help page stating what forms of ID are acceptable
• 2. Circled the forms of ID I was giving them (two from Option 2)
• 3. The forms of ID on that same image, right there, with the circled form of ID pasted above each one. (I used the free program Paint and used "Paste From" to add the pics I needed, in case you aren't sure how to make several images into one easily)

In other words, I made it impossible for anyone looking at that one image to deny me access. And I got it back. *throws confetti*

What forms of ID did I use?
An employee identification card - fortunately, as CEO of my company, I issued an immediate directive that all four employees could have ID cards on request, and I requested one. Ta da! 

The other was membership in a professional organization - RWA. I am attaching the image I sent them so you can see what finally worked. And since I doubt I am the first or last author this is going to happen to, I am blogging about this as well. When I was searching online to find out how to fix the problem, all I found were people who were flagged for using their actual legal names because their legal names sounded "fake" to someone at Facebook. *rolls eyes*

Hope that helps you - oh, and another form of ID you can get now in case you have a problem in the future is to save mail sent to your pen name and take a pic of it.

Best,
Shoshanna, who is glad to be back on Facebook!

Sexily *Evers* After... ShoshannaEvers.com
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Pen Name

Hello Fellow Writers! (post written in January 2010)

So I'm still waiting to hear back from both Ellora's Cave (my erotic romance "The Art Thief's Punishment" went past the initial editorial review and is being considered by the acquiring editors) and Silhouette Desire (they requested a partial based on my synopsis for "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant"), which is to be expected.

I've been working on another erotic romance called "Taste of Candy", which is targeted towards Ellora's Cave theme "Musical Madness". It's about a rock star and the woman named Candy who he falls in love with.

I decided that when I'm writing erotic romance, I will use the pen name "Shoshanna Evers". Not because I plan on being anonymous - I just don't think that my real name is particularly appropriate sounding for erotic romance. I also don't want future readers of my category type romances to accidentally pick up one of my erotica books and get surprised by the content! This way it will be easy for readers (ahem, future readers, that is) to know what sort of story of mine they are about to read.

UPDATE, 2014: Well, after 4 years of using the name Shoshanna Evers, I've been blessed to build up a following of awesome readers, and guess what? Readers are extremely smart. They don't need you to have a different name for different genres - there's plenty of crossover between readers who enjoy erotic romance, and readers who enjoy contemporary romance. The cover of the book, and the blurb are what tell the genre to the reader - so just make life easier on yourself, and use the same pen name across genres! Otherwise, you'll need to have two websites, two Twitter accounts, two Facebook pages, etc etc. Unless, of course, you're writing erotica, and say... inspirational Amish romance. Then maybe use two names. ;)

Look how different these titles and covers are, for example (one for an erotic romance, Punishing the Art Thief, which did end up selling to Ellora's Cave, (recently I got the rights back and re-released it!), and the other for a contemporary romance from Entangled Indulgence - The Tycoon's Convenient Bride...and Baby.

  

I don't need different author names because my readership already knows me as Shoshanna Evers. The different genres tell them what they need to know.

Back to 2010:

I found an interesting article by Michael Pollick entitled "Should a Writer Adopt a Pen Name?". Here is an excerpt, click here for the whole article.

PRO: Pseudonyms can increase an author's overall marketability. If you write action/adventure novels, you may want to adopt a name that is more suited to the genre. "Rivers of Blood" by 'Tank McThunder' may appeal more to the readers than "Rivers of Blood" by Murray Fishbinder. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with the Fishbinder name, but in a promotional sense you need to hook your readers from the beginning. Other pseudonyms may take on even more significance, such as "Trevanian" or "Phaedrus". As a marketing tool, a good pseudonym can boost sales and create enough positive buzz to give your 'name' some strong selling power.

CON: A poorly chosen pseudonym can hurt your chances of acceptance. As a beginning writer, you have very little leverage with publishers as it is, so you may not want to muddy the waters further by using a pretentious or gimmicky pen name. Insisting on a blatantly obvious pseudonym may make you a one or two hit wonder, but won't give you staying power. If your own name is reasonably marketable and your work is meant to be taken seriously, you should not resort to a meaningless pen name. Later in your career you may feel the need to use a pen name for works outside your established genre, but you need a name and reputation first.
PRO: Pseudonyms can make artistic statements for the author. Sometimes a writer takes on a subject that is highly controversial or threatens to expose secrets. Rather than remain anonymous or risk personal injury as the named author, you may want to use a pen name for protection. The pen name you choose may reflect some element of the controversy, or establish your credibility as an expert on the subject. "Secrets of the Emergency Room" by 'Dr. Dread' may sound like a gimmick, but it does establish that the author is a doctor and that his or her information may jeopardize careers. In a different vein, you may choose a pseudonym based on a character you enjoy from literature or history. A well-chosen pseudonym can add an air of mystery or intrigue.
CON: Pseudonyms can create 'identities' from which there is no escape. In the same way that an actor may be linked forever with a popular character, an author may be linked forever with the character created by a pseudonym. Some authors may create elaborate backstories to give dimension to their alter ego pseudonyms. In essence, the pseudonym's fantasy personality may overwhelm the actual writer's persona. Many authors who use pseudonyms discover that they must keep using that pseudonym long past its usefulness. Efforts to publish works under their real names may be met with rejection or reluctance. If you are comfortable with the idea of perpetuating a character that writes your books, then a pseudonym can work. If you are concerned that a gimmicky pen name will take away your future credibility, then don't use one.

Additional insight, from 2014: While I use a pen name, there is no false "persona" at all. I am my pen name, my pen name is me. Everything about me is real. I meet my readers at book signings. I don't hide myself. And, personally, I don't like what Pollick says about how you should use your own name "if your work is meant to be taken seriously."

Whatever. I write romance, and heck yeah I expect to be taken seriously! It seems Pollick thinks that pen name = silly name, like the aforementioned examples Tank McThunder or Dr. Dread. Not the case. You can just use your real first name or a nickname (unless you hate your first name, in which case, use your favorite name!), and pick a last name randomly that works well with your first name, or is your maiden name or something. I think pen names are essential for privacy. Think about it.

Back to 2010:

This week my focus will be on finishing the first draft of "Taste of Candy". I expect it to be between 10K and 15k words. (UPDATE: Taste of Candy sold to The Wild Rose Press, then I got the rights back when the contract ended, and I released it myself as a freebie! Enjoy!)

Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers