Self-Publishing Secret: 1 Powerful Strategy to Shoot Your Indie Author Biz to the Moon

Now that you’ve published your first book, you may be wondering what you can do to sell more books. As an indie author, every decision you make impacts the profitability of your business. The good news is, there is more than one way to manage a self-publishing business. The better news is that you are 100 percent responsible for your own success.

One of the factors you must consider is the name of your book’s publisher. Traditional publishing makes that easy, but as an independent author, you have several options. These include:

1. Publishing under your real name
2. Using a pen name
3. Launching a publishing imprint

Each option has pros and cons. One option, however, provides more flexibility to the business side of self-publishing. If you’ve been wondering whether you should launch a publishing imprint, allow me to share a few thoughts before you make that decision.

What Is a Publishing Imprint?

Let’s get the basics out of the way. A publishing imprint is the brand under which you publish your book. It can be your real name, the name of a publishing company, or a nom de plume (aka “pen name”).

When you publish with a traditional publisher, Amazon will include your publisher’s name in the Product Details section of your book’s sales page. If you self-publish, you get to choose the name of your publisher for that product detail. Using your real name or a pen name tells readers that you are a self-published author. To get around that perception, you can create a fictitious publishing company.

If you go that route, you’ll want to purchase your International Standard Book Number (ISBN) in the name of your publishing imprint because the imprint is the true owner of the actual book product. There’s nothing wrong with publishing your book under your author name or a pen name, but there could be advantages to using a fictitious publishing company name. The question is, which strategy is right for you?

3 Reasons Why You Might Consider Publishing Under an Imprint

Your first rule of thumb as an independent author is to treat self-publishing as a business. You are no longer “just an author.” You are also a publisher and it’s the publisher’s responsibility to ensure the investment in the book as a product pays off and leads to a profit. As the publisher, you’re responsible for every success, failure, and learning opportunity. My advice: don’t squander it.

With that in mind, there are three reasons why you might consider publishing your next book under an imprint.

1. A book publishing imprint can give the impression that you are not “just another self-published author.” In today’s book publishing climate, self-publishing is not as big a stigma as it once was. On the other hand, for some books, giving the impression that you have a publishing company behind you could help you sell more books.
2. You may want to publish other people’s books. Publishing other people’s books may be a distraction from your own writing. However, if you like the publishing side of the business more than the writing side, you may find it more lucrative to publish other authors’ books. Starting a publishing company for your own book can give you that flexibility, but you should consult an attorney and an accountant to determine the best way to organize your imprint.
3. You publish in multiple genres. If, like me, you publish books in more than one genre, you may find that an imprint or two helps you distinguish your different brands. Consider it a business decision that helps you track your expenses, revenues, and profits for each brand while maintaining your independent status.

Every decision you make as an independent author is a business decision and impacts your bottom line. Weigh the costs and the benefits carefully to determine whether it makes sense for you to launch a book publishing imprint.

3 Reasons Why Launching a Book Publishing Imprint May Not Work for You

While there are several benefits to launching a book publishing imprint, you should know that it isn’t for every author. Below are three reasons you may not want to publish your books using an imprint.

1. You plan to publish only one book. If you have no plans to publish more than a single book, then publishing your book as an indie author under your real name or a pen name may be your best option. Starting an imprint may not convey additional benefits.
2. Writing is a hobby. If you see your book as a hobby or legacy project, it’s perfectly acceptable to publish without an imprint.
3. You prefer to keep it simple. The more publishing imprints you have, the more complicated your publishing business will be. There’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple. Even if you publish multiple books, you might not want to publish under any name other than your own. Many indie authors have done so and run successful self-publishing businesses.

Keep this in mind: there are no hard-and-fast rules for indie authors. You may still use a publishing imprint for your hobby book if it makes sense for your genre, audience, and writing style. For instance, if you publish craft books, a crafty publishing imprint name could establish your brand authority. Likewise, even if you publish only one book, you might want to give the impression that it was done through a publishing company as that might improve credibility with your target market and help you sell more books.

Another consideration is flexibility. It’s easier to sell a publishing company with multiple titles in its catalog than it is to sell the rights to a single book, unless there is a compelling reason for that book to reach an expanded audience. Building flexibility into your publishing business early on could be to your benefit.

Every indie author’s publishing business is different. Only you can decide if it makes sense to publish your book using an imprint.

Bottom Line: Run Your Christian Indie Author Business as a Business

The most important thing to remember about being an indie author is that you are running a business. That means you are responsible for counting the costs and calculating the profits.

Launching an imprint may be cost prohibitive. On the other hand, a publishing company can open other doors of opportunity. Plus, no rule says you must organize your imprint as a formal business entity, though that does come with its own set of benefits. You could just as well create a fictitious publishing company name and list it as your publisher without formally registering the business name. I’d encourage you to speak to a trademark lawyer or perform a trademark search first so that you don’t accidentally infringe upon someone else’s intellectual property rights.

Being an indie author is rewarding in many ways. Being an indie publisher has its own advantages and disadvantages. Starting an imprint or two could help you reach your author goals, but it begins with thinking of your books as business assets.

About the Author

Allen Taylor has been publishing books for more than a decade. He owns two specialty publishing imprints, Garden Gnome Publications and Crux Publications. His bestselling title is I Am Not the King, a personal testimony of growth in Jesus Christ, which is available at Amazon and other booksellers.