When I began to pursue writing, my dad gave me some advice, “you need to be able to be found.” In order to build an audience who would read my stuff, I needed an on-line presence.

So I googled myself…and I discovered that my name is extremely common…and a rising music artist popping onto the scene who shares my name means that the first ten pages of a google search are mostly devoted to her.

Recently someone tagged me on twitter and instagram saying they were enjoying my “musical stylings.” @kathryndeanofficial jumped in to correct the mistaken identity. (What makes her any more official? I’m also officially Kathryn Dean. I have a drivers license, social security card, and passport to prove it.) 😉

Coincidentally, I am also a musician. Okay, so I’m not exactly famous unless you count the autographs I signed as a member of the Iowa State Fair Singers, but I’ve been a singer most of my life. It fascinates me to see the commonalities in interests and professional pursuits that many Kathryn Deans share. (An interesting takeaway from my google search)

Kathryn Dean (official)                                                  Kathryn Dean

(In the first picture, I clearly have my stage makeup on)

Another Kathryn Dean I am often mistaken for is a producer/production manager who has worked on many popular movies, most recently Winter’s Bone. I receive emails from enthusiastic crew members hoping to work with me on my next movie. They send accolades and resumes. I was kind enough to respond to many of them informing them they had an incorrect email address. But recently, one thorough applicant included my email and the real producer Kate Dean‘s email.

I now had a place to forward all of these misdirected emails. Or better yet…

I quickly wrote her saying how nice it was to finally “meet,” and promptly offered to be her assistant and vet all these applicants I received. I haven’t heard back with a job offer…yet.

Apparently I am being found. Unfortunately, I’m not the Kathryn Dean they are looking for. As John Green penned, it appears there truly is an abundance of Kathryns.

So, I’ve decided to try out new names. Authorly, writerish names like Ann, or Jane, or Virginia, or Joan. Have you ever noticed how many successful authors are named Ann? Lamott, Patchett, Rice, Bronte, Radcliffe…

Ann Dean, Anna Dean that has a nice ring to it.

Never mind there are 73,000,000 google results for Anna Dean…and one of them is already a published novelist. I knew it was an authorly name.

I suppose it best to stick with my given name…and maybe spend less time on google and more time writing.

~Just to be clear, I’m honored to share a name with all of these accomplished women, but it couldn’t hurt to include my middle name in my byline. 😉