Why Do You Have to Have a Publishing Company Name?

When bookstores and airport store buyers look at your book, one of the first things they will do is flip to the spine, the back cover, and the copyright page to see if you are “self-published”.  Certain vanity presses showing up as your publisher will often cause the buyer to put you in the “no” pile automatically.

You want to publish your book under your OWN publisher name and present that publisher as professionally as possible.  If your publishing house, imprint or company looks professional, you get to stay in the “maybe” pile on the buyer’s desk!

What is the Difference Between a Publishing Company, Publishing Imprint, Publishing House?

Publishing House – The overall company that publishes a book

Publishing Company – The exact same thing as “publishing house”

Publishing Imprint – Sometimes, publishers will start publishing different types of books (Erotica AND Business Leadership!).  To keep the brands and look separate, they will often create a SUB publisher name for each division.  Those are called imprints.

How Do I Name a Publishing Company?

Keep it simple and professional.  Do not pick ANY words or terms that can be traced back to you as the author. (Some folks choose the name of their hometown, street, kids, pets….. no… just no)

Choose a name that inspires and sounds much bigger than your book.  Some of my current favorites chosen by my clients are Holland Press, Capitol Publishing, Organization Diagnostics, TideWater Press.

You want a name that inspires confidence in the buyer and reader.

What do you do then?

Register your publisher name at your existing Bowker listing, CreateSpace Account, Ingram Spark Account, and ALA Buyers Guide listings.