diff --git a/swh/loader/pypi/converters.py b/swh/loader/pypi/converters.py
index 69411f9..8f7a4c7 100644
--- a/swh/loader/pypi/converters.py
+++ b/swh/loader/pypi/converters.py
@@ -1,70 +1,74 @@
 # Copyright (C) 2018  The Software Heritage developers
 # See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
 # License: GNU General Public License version 3, or any later version
 # See top-level LICENSE file for more information
 
 
+EMPTY_AUTHOR = {'fullname': b'', 'name': None, 'email': None}
+
+
 def info(data):
     """Given a dict of a PyPI project information, returns a project
        subset.
 
     Args:
         data (dict): Representing either artifact information or
                      release information.
 
     Returns:
         A dict subset of project information.
 
     """
     _info = data['info']
     default = {
         'home_page': _info['home_page'],
         'description': _info['description'],
         'summary': _info['summary'],
         'license': _info['license'],
         'package_url': _info['package_url'],
         'project_url': _info['project_url'],
         'upstream': None,
     }
 
     project_urls = _info.get('project_urls')
     if project_urls:
         homepage = project_urls.get('Homepage')
         if homepage:
             default['upstream'] = homepage
 
     return default
 
 
 def author(data):
     """Given a dict of project/release artifact information (coming from
        PyPI), returns an author subset.
 
     Args:
         data (dict): Representing either artifact information or
                      release information.
 
     Returns:
         swh-model dict representing a person.
 
     """
-    name = data['author']
-    email = data['author_email']
+    name = data.get('author')
+    email = data.get('author_email')
+
     if email:
         fullname = '%s <%s>' % (name, email)
     else:
         fullname = name
 
     if not fullname:
-        return {'fullname': b'', 'name': None, 'email': None}
+        return EMPTY_AUTHOR
 
     if fullname:
         fullname = fullname.encode('utf-8')
 
     if name:
         name = name.encode('utf-8')
 
     if email:
         email = email.encode('utf-8')
 
     return {'fullname': fullname, 'name': name, 'email': email}
diff --git a/swh/loader/pypi/tests/test_converters.py b/swh/loader/pypi/tests/test_converters.py
index cfced07..0e2f804 100644
--- a/swh/loader/pypi/tests/test_converters.py
+++ b/swh/loader/pypi/tests/test_converters.py
@@ -1,113 +1,130 @@
 # Copyright (C) 2018  The Software Heritage developers
 # See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
 # License: GNU General Public License version 3, or any later version
 # See top-level LICENSE file for more information
 
 from unittest import TestCase
 from nose.tools import istest
 
-from swh.loader.pypi.converters import author, info
+from swh.loader.pypi.converters import author, EMPTY_AUTHOR
 
 from .common import WithProjectTest
 
 
 class Test(WithProjectTest):
     @istest
     def info(self):
         actual_info = self.project.info()
 
         expected_info = {
             'home_page': self.data['info']['home_page'],
             'description': self.data['info']['description'],
             'summary': self.data['info']['summary'],
             'license': self.data['info']['license'],
             'package_url': self.data['info']['package_url'],
             'project_url': self.data['info']['project_url'],
             'upstream': self.data['info']['project_urls']['Homepage'],
         }
 
         self.assertEqual(expected_info, actual_info)
 
     @istest
     def author(self):
         info = self.data['info']
         actual_author = author(info)
 
         name = info['author'].encode('utf-8')
         email = info['author_email'].encode('utf-8')
         expected_author = {
             'fullname': b'%s <%s>' % (name, email),
             'name': name,
             'email': email,
         }
 
         self.assertEqual(expected_author, actual_author)
 
+    @istest
+    def no_author(self):
+        actual_author = author({})
+
+        self.assertEqual(EMPTY_AUTHOR, actual_author)
+
+    @istest
+    def partial_author(self):
+        actual_author = author({'author': 'someone'})
+        expected_author = {
+            'name': b'someone',
+            'fullname': b'someone',
+            'email': None,
+        }
+
+        self.assertEqual(expected_author, actual_author)
+
 
 class ParseAuthorTest(TestCase):
     @istest
     def author_basic(self):
         data = {
             'author': "i-am-groot",
             'author_email': 'iam@groot.org',
         }
         actual_author = author(data)
 
         expected_author = {
             'fullname': b'i-am-groot <iam@groot.org>',
             'name': b'i-am-groot',
             'email': b'iam@groot.org',
         }
 
         self.assertEquals(actual_author, expected_author)
 
     @istest
     def author_malformed(self):
         data = {
             'author': "['pierre', 'paul', 'jacques']",
             'author_email': None,
         }
 
         actual_author = author(data)
 
         expected_author = {
             'fullname': b"['pierre', 'paul', 'jacques']",
             'name': b"['pierre', 'paul', 'jacques']",
             'email': None,
         }
 
         self.assertEquals(actual_author, expected_author)
 
     @istest
     def author_malformed_2(self):
         data = {
             'author': '[marie, jeanne]',
             'author_email': '[marie@some, jeanne@thing]',
         }
 
         actual_author = author(data)
 
         expected_author = {
             'fullname': b'[marie, jeanne] <[marie@some, jeanne@thing]>',
             'name': b'[marie, jeanne]',
             'email': b'[marie@some, jeanne@thing]',
         }
 
         self.assertEquals(actual_author, expected_author)
 
     @istest
     def author_malformed_3(self):
         data = {
             'author': '[marie, jeanne, pierre]',
             'author_email': '[marie@somewhere.org, jeanne@somewhere.org]',
         }
 
         actual_author = author(data)
 
         expected_author = {
             'fullname': b'[marie, jeanne, pierre] <[marie@somewhere.org, jeanne@somewhere.org]>',  # noqa
             'name': b'[marie, jeanne, pierre]',
             'email': b'[marie@somewhere.org, jeanne@somewhere.org]',
         }
 
         self.assertEquals(actual_author, expected_author)