We're dealing with one real person and multiple pen names (pseudonyms) and calling all of that one entity - an author. Trying to list this in the database exceeds calibre's (current?) functionality.
So we've defaulted to either:
- Honor the Name: theducks approach, where all names (real, preferred and alternate) are handled as separate authors, all writing the same book. (All books cited with all names? Or just those published with alt names?)
- Honor the Person: My approach, where the author's preferred name is used to identify them. Alternate pen names the story was published under are effectively a "see also" entry that must be manually accessed. (Note that I'm not labeling all stories with alternate names, just those known to have been published under a pen name.)
- Cross-reference?: BetterRed's approach, where the published pen name is used along with a "footnote" which cross-references to the author's preferred name.
While I understand the gist of what BR is doing, I don't think I want to create my own per author documentation. Nor do I really want a link to an outside source that I cannot control.
If anyone can think of a 4th option I'm willing to listen.
BTW, if you think this is bad, the comic and manga folks have it much worse. In many cases the Creator, Inker, Editor, Letterer, Author and Illustrator all need to be given credit!
Hmm.. Wonder if it would be possible to create a search function that examined the database structure, identified all columns with names and was able to search through all of them consecutively with a single query?