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There are two ways to self-publish a book: under your name (legal or pen) or under a trade name/brand name (an imprint). Either works, but as someone who is in the self-pub trenches right now and just launched a small press, I wanted to share the benefits of establishing a publishing imprint and how to set one up.
First of all, what is an imprint?
An imprint is who’s listed as the publisher of a book. If you run to your bookcase, they are listed on the spine and on the copyright page of a book. They’re also attached to the book’s ISBN and displayed in distribution channels, i.e. under the product details on a retailer website like Amazon or B&N.
Do I need to set up an imprint? Can’t I just use my author name?
You can certainly use your author name (a lot of people do!) but I wanted to create a clear distinction between my brand as an author (Tory Guyon) and my brand as a business owner (Salt + Stars Press). It’s important to note you can create an imprint in name only—unless you want to accept payment under your imprint name, or offer more robust services, then there is no requirement to have any type of registered business.
What are the benefits of creating an imprint?
As mentioned above, clear differentiation between you as an author and you as a business. Tax advantages. The ability to expand into ventures with an already established brand name. I’ll use my imprint as an example: while publishing is at the heart of Salt + Stars Press, I knew from the beginning I wanted to do more than just publish my books—I wanted to apply all that I was learning and create a space that empowers and uplifts people who want to self-publish. By creating a brand, I can run a multifaceted small business with coaching, an online store, resource hub, etc. all under the umbrella of Salt + Stars Press.
How do I go about setting one up?
Ah, the fun part. Pick a name! It can be anything. Think about what’s important to you, what drives you and inspires you. I’ll use my imprint as an example—being a dreamer, I am always looking up at the stars. This, along with my love and proximity to the ocean, sparked the name Salt + Stars Press. Once you’ve narrowed it down to one or two names, do some research to make sure it’s not taken. The next step is to register it and at the bare minimum set up a bank account for it. You don’t have to go full LLC from the start (again, think about what your goals of this imprint are). You can start out small, register as a DBA, and operate as a sole-proprietorship.
The steps to file a DBA (which are also known as a fictitious business name) aren’t complicated, but they vary from state to state (and country to country). I recommend using government websites as your first and main source of information, such as your county’s website. A Google search would look like this: DBA San Jose County or FBN San Francisco County (you can use DBA and FBN interchangeably). Once you’re operating with a DBA, you can then open up a bank account and accept payments under your business.
Recommended reading: Here are a couple of books I recommend that are super straight-forward, aren’t loaded with legal jargon that’s impossible to follow, and are fairly quick reads. I do not have any affiliation with the authors, just find their information helpful!
I hope you enjoyed this post about how to set up your own publishing imprint! If you’re looking for more self-publishing advice, check out this blog post for everything you need to know about ISBNs!
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