You know, like the city in Germany.

Okay, first things first: the URL. "Berlin" is my middle name. Predictably enough, stevenjohnson.com was taken, so I'm going with the full name right up top. They don't call these "vanity sites" for nothing.

Actually, there's a funny story about my middle name. When my first book was coming out, my dad told me that I just had to use "Steven Berlin Johnson" as my author name. I'd been co-running FEED for a little while at that point, and had written a number of pieces under the "Steven Johnson" byline. It's one thing to start publishing as David Foster Wallace from the start, but if you've got three years of Davie Wallace under your belt, and you suddenly drop in the Foster, it looks goofy.

So I said to my dad, "Well, I think I'm already kinda out there as Steven Johnson." And he says back, "I know, but it's just such a dull name."

Thanks, dad. Could have thought of that back in 1968, don't you think?

At any rate, he's finally getting his revenge, at least with this web site. Steven Berlin Johnson it is. Maybe we'll take a poll before the next book and decide whether the middle name makes it to print or not.

Comments

[MWD]

Steven Johnson Mellencamp?

[a girl from Brazil]

With the middle name is much cooler. But it will be harder for journalists to fit it in their headlines and captions etc.

On the other hand, it could be shortened to S.B. Johnson, which reminds me of J.D. Salinger. I wonder if this is a good thing or not.

[Mark Crane]

Using the middle name would make you easier to find during university library searches.

[Victor]

If site traffic outstrips past book sales, it might be time to switch.

Hey, William Jefferson Clinton did it.