How to Publish With Your Own Imprint
I love my traditional publisher, Second Wind Publishing LLC in North Carolina. Second Wind released my first novel (The Hardest Thing in This World) in October 2013. So why did I decide to self-publish my second novel and a nonfiction e-Book in 2014? Simply because I wanted to learn the DIY side of the business, and take charge of getting my books to market at a faster pace.
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To publish with my own imprint (= publishing business), I followed the basic steps below, which you can adapt for the state / province where you live and the self-publishing service company you work with.
First, the definition of “imprint”
An imprint is a publisher name. Your own imprint is simply the publisher name you choose, clear, and register according to your state business laws to use in self-publishing your own books.
File your imprint name in your state
I live in Ohio, so once I settled on my imprint name—Bench Press—I had to check its availability in Ohio and register it as a trade name. The steps should be similar in your state.
I went to the Ohio Secretary of State website.
Went to Business Services page.
Reviewed their Guide to Business Name Availability.
Did a Business Search by Name and by Exact Name.
Bench Press didn’t come up in the searches, so I filed the Ohio “Trade Name (Name Registration)” form and paid the $50 fee to register the name.
I was granted the Trade Name Registration for Bench Press.
The registration must be renewed every five years.
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How does your self-publishing company handle author imprints?
Considering to use the POD services and retail arms of Amazon and Smashwords, I researched all their policies. You will need to research the policies of the company you will working with well before you are preparing to publish. Here’s what I found in my research in February 2014:
Amazon CreateSpace (paperback):
Yes, you may publish with your own imprint, but must buy your own ISBN to do so (more on ISBNs in a minute).
Amazon KDP (Kindle):
Yes, you may publish with your own imprint and are not required to buy your own ISBN.
Smashwords:
Yes, you may publish with your own imprint and are not required to buy your own ISBN. However, if you elect to get the free ISBN from Smashwords, be aware that:
1. Smashwords will be listed as the publisher in the Bowker Books in Print database; and
2. Your imprint will be listed as the publisher in your e-Book.
ISBNs: to buy or not to buy?
I did decide to buy an ISBN for the paperback of my novel I Don’t Think It’s That Simple because I want Bench Press (not CreateSpace) to appear as the imprint in the paperback.
I decided not to buy ISBNs for GPS for New Novelists because I’m releasing it only as an e-Book, and I’m satisfied with the Smashwords arrangements regarding their free ISBNs.
To learn more about purchasing ISBNs, visit Bowker Identifier Services.
More opportunities to consider
You could choose and buy the domain name of your imprint and create an additional website for your book(s), with all the corresponding exposure and marketing opportunities.
You could incorporate under your imprint name. Incorporation is a complex legal process and you will need a lawyer.
You could invite other authors to publish under your imprint and build a collective. Consult a lawyer before you do.
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Conclusion
Publishing with your own imprint requires you to do your due diligence upfront. Be sure to allow enough time in your pre-production schedule for the research and the decision-making that are involved.
About the Author
Nicole Eva Fraser is the author of I Don’t Think It’s That Simple, forthcoming in Summer 2014, The Hardest Thing in This World (2013), and GPS for New Novelists: Navigating the 5 routes to publication (2014).
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