Self-Publishing in Paperback: Imprint

There are many decisions to make when you decide to self-publish your book as a paperback, and considerably more research and work than when publishing an e-book.

Something I was giving considerable thought to recently was what publisher name (imprint) I should use. An imprint is a trade name you create for your self-publishing business and is listed online and at the front of your book as ‘the publisher’. When you self-publish you can choose to use your own name or create a publisher name for yourself. I liked the idea of a snazzy and innovative publisher name on my book. I then read the views of other authors on this subject.

Some say that choosing your own publishing imprint name makes your book sound more as though it’s been published by a company than an individual, and many authors think it adds credibility and a certain status to their work. I have also read that many bookshops, reviewers, and readers refuse to consider self-published work. If you do choose to create your own imprint then from what I’ve read you are creating your own publishing company, and whichever country you are in you should check your local legislation because different taxation and administration requirements will apply in different countries. In some countries you may need to register your company name before using it, or even trademark it.

Other authors prefer to use their own name as their publishing name rather than attempting to camouflage the fact that the book is a self-published work.

I tend to rush into things and initially was all set to choose a shiny new imprint name for myself. Then I thought that if so many authors are choosing to do this then surely bookshops and readers etc. are aware of it and if it matters to them they will look up the publisher. You can soon tell if a publisher is a company self-publishing their own works. I also considered the points about creating a publishing company, legislation, taxation and administration; not stuff I want to deal with.

And so decision made. I decided I’d like to keep it simple, use my own name as the publisher’s name and maybe create a logo for my books.

Many years ago I made this logo for the back of greetings cards that I created for friends and family. It’s not suitable for my books but I still like it. I haven’t a clue why I chose a weasel!