Choose the name you would like to see published on your work. This could be your own name or a pseudonym (also known as a nom de plume, pen name or alias).
Authors choose not to use their own name for a variety of reasons. You might want a name you think sounds better, or maybe you just want to remain anonymous. Mark Twain's real name was actually Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Twain used his original name on his earlier newspaper reports and then changed his byline to Mark Twain. He also used other pseudonyms such as "Sieur Louis de Conte" for his book 'Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc' (1896) and "Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass" for 'The Adventures of Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass' (1928).
Write or type this name under the title of your piece. If you are known by a different name in life make sure your publisher or editor understands this and only publishes the name that you have specified as your byline.
Choose different bylines for different kinds of work.
If you write about widely varying subject matter, for instance; you write science fiction but also have a column as an agony aunt, you can choose choose two different bylines that suit the job at hand. For instance you could use "H. Comet" for science fiction and "Auntie Aggie" for an agony aunt column. The joy of a pseudonym is that you can get creative to achieve the impression you would like to give to your readers.
Add your position after your name if you are a member of staff on a publication. For example: "James Bean, Reporter" or "Zelda Zany, Fashion Editor."