Carolyn Keene is the pseudonym used by the authors of the beloved Nancy Drew mystery stories and The Dana Girls mystery series. These stories were produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a company known for creating popular children's book series. Carolyn Keene is also credited with the Nancy Drew spin-off series, River Heights, and the Nancy Drew Notebooks.

Edward Stratemeyer, the founder of the Syndicate, hired writers to craft the manuscripts for the Nancy Drew books. Among them, Mildred Wirt Benson, initially wrote under this pseudonym, contributing significantly to the character's development. Writers were compensated $125 for each book and were required to relinquish rights to their work and maintain confidentiality.

Harriet Adams, Stratemeyer's daughter, revised the original books and added new titles following Benson's departure. Several other ghostwriters who contributed to the Nancy Drew mysteries under the Carolyn Keene name included Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Walter Karig, Nancy Axelrad, Patricia Doll, Charles S. Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., Margaret Fischer, and Susan Wittig Albert.

After a legal dispute in 1979, the Stratemeyer Syndicate switched publishers to Simon & Schuster, continuing the series creation. In 1985, the Syndicate was acquired by Simon & Schuster, and the Nancy Drew books are currently managed by Mega-Books, a New York-based book packager.