Once upon a time, I used to work for a popular self-publishing company and reading this book I kept thinking of dozens of writers I worked with in those days that needed to be walloped over the head with the information in My Publishing Imprint. You would not believe what I saw in those days, people using another random person’s name as the name of their publishing imprint without so much as asking permission. Authors that tried to publish their books under an imprint name of a famous publisher to trick their readers into thinking it was traditionally published who were shocked, SHOCKED that wasn’t a thing you could just do. And, less egregiously but still just as wrong, people who literally just made up a random name for their publishing imprint without doing anything at all to register or secure the use of it first.

Self-publishing is a business and, like the formation of any business, has its own share of paperwork. You cannot “pants” the formation of a company on the fly like you can craft a story. Before you embark on your self-publishing journey there are considerations, registrations and legislations you’ll need to make. The number of i’s to dot and t’s to cross can be overwhelming but the good news is that My Publishing Imprint gives you a quick and easy to read guide to all of them and serves as a helpful checklist for getting your publishing business off on the right foot.

From the big picture choices like choosing an imprint name and the branding considerations of doing so to registering as a business (which people always have this confused idea is a thing to be avoided for tax reasons when the opposite is true as it protects you!), to the book by book matters of ISBNs and individual publishing and distribution options, it’s a short book but a very useful one as it gives you the crash course you need to get your publishing business set up and set up correctly.

Whether you’re just starting out… or starting to suspect you may not be doing this right… it’s well worth picking up to help you double-check that you’ve got all the details of your publishing business right!