So, you want to be a publisher

This is how to do the job professionally

• Publishing is a business, so prepare for it
• Write a business plan!
• Decide on a business name and register it with your state
• Set up a business bank account for this business
• Join IBPA
• Buy your ISBNs from Bowker — using the discount from IBPA
• Set up an account with IngramSpark

Now, to the specifics

Publishing isn’t just writing the “greatest book in the world” then hoping the world will find it and make you rich. No, publishing is an actual business that you have to set up and run.

Write a business plan. You’ll to budget what you can afford to spend and what your resources are to back your venture. Add in marketing. If you don’t know anything about marketing — learn! We can point you to how to do that without losing your shirt. Here is a link to the Small Business Association with how-tos and templates.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help from experienced publishers. We all had to start somewhere ourselves.

Decide on a business name. You must register your business with the state. A simple LLC works very well and only requires one “member” (you), and your requirement for filing taxes is a Schedule C on your tax return. If more than one “member” then you are getting into a different schedule on your return. Now, here’s the big “however” — you MUST check the business database first to make sure your business name is available! If your chosen name is too close to another, you’ll have to pick a different name.

Set up a business bank account. Seriously, do this as it keeps the records of your expenses and income separate from your private life and makes life easier at tax time.

Join IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association). The benefits, advice and help are more than worth it.

Buy your ISBNs from Bowker. Bowker is the only place to buy them and be in control of your titles. An ISBN is owned by the publisher. You own the ISBN, you own the book. You do not need to buy anything else from Bowker, although they would certainly like you to load up on extras. Don’t. If you have joined IBPA, there’s a 20% discount on the ISBNs, too. Don’t buy less than 10. You’ll need them.

Set up an account with IngramSpark. IngramSpark is the most reasonable way to be your own publisher. With the IBPA membership, discounts abound.

Now, that your business is up and running, you had better have a professionally produced typeset book to upload. Remember, you want your book(s) to look like they came out of the big NYC publishers. If you can produce a professionally designed book, do so. If not, hire the best you can.

Download a PDF about “the business” of publishing. Learn who or where gets what, how to price your tome, and your options in publishing.