Can an author write a mythology-related story and publish it with "Riordan" in the name?

Question

Will this cause people that the stories come from Rick Riordan an author known for mythology fiction?

Answer 1

Yes, it might. I would recommend not using the name of a popular author known for writing mythology in a mythology book, because then people would get mixed up and think you're Rick Riordan. On top of that, while I don't know a lot about legal processes, you might even get sued (I might be wrong about this part). Anyway, I'd just keep myself away from trouble and play it safe. Good luck on your novel!

Answer 2

When you say "publish" its ambiguous.

If by publish you mean self-publish, then the answer is yes. You can publish under any name you want. That doesn't mean an author or publisher of that author can't bring a lawsuit against you. The question to consider is does your publication seek to capitalize on the name Riordan for monetization or is it just a coincidence. If I published work like The Stepford Stepwives or The Stand 2: Electric Boogaloo under the name Stephen King, I'd expect to hear from his lawyers because I was obviously trying to make money by confusing readers and tarnishing his name.

If you mean traditionally publish your work under the name Riordan, then that would be up to the publisher that bought your book. They don't want to get sued. They have lawyers that will provide them guidance on whether they were opening themselves up to litigation by publishing your mythology stories under the name Riordan. They might refuse to publish the work. They might say will publish stories under another name. They might say its fine because your name is actually Riordan, and they'll make sure the author photo and the biography make it clear that you aren't Rick Reardon. That is their job as publishers.