How to Start Your Own Song Book Publishing Company

The music industry is always looking for new music.

Starting your own song book publishing company is a big undertaking, but it is an exciting one as well. By running your own company you have control over the types of song books that get published, how many, the format, and all of the creative and artistic elements involved in publishing a song book. You can publish your own work as well as the work of other deserving songwriters, in any genre you choose.

Things You'll Need

• Songs
• Copyright forms
• ISBN form

Instructions

1. Focus on the type of song books you are going to publish, such as country, rock, or rap by picking music you know best. Take some time to become known as a publisher of that music genre. Network as much as possible with other music industry professionals, especially in your chosen genre, to increase your credibility and visibility. Consider promotion of your song book on radio stations and at live performances where one or more songs from the book are featured. A charity benefit concert is an excellent way to do some good for the community and get your song book promoted.

2. 

   Song books written for a single instrument are popular.

   Assemble a collection of songs which you feel would make a good song book. Twenty to thirty songs is common for an average-size song book, and fifty songs is typical of a larger book. It is a good idea to tie them together by theme, songwriter, instrument, or some other factor, to target a specific buying audience.

3. 

   Copyright your music and song book.

   Copyright everything in your song book, as well as the song book itself. You can get the appropriate forms from the U.S. Government Copyright Office. (www.copyright.gov) This will prevent anybody else from being able to publish any of the songs in your book. Use Form CO from the site to copyright each song, and Form TX to copyright the entire book. If any song is already copyrighted, you need written permission from the copyright owner (usually this will be a contract) to include the song in your book. Include this information when obtaining the whole book copyright.

4. 

   An ISBN is added to your book cover with a bar code.

   Get an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for your book. (http://www.isbn.org) This provides your book with a unique reference number, used to identify it in stores and libraries worldwide. (Look at any book in any bookstore -- it will have an ISBN on it.) These numbers can be purchased from the U.S. ISBN Agency singly or in blocks of ten or more. For current pricing check the ISBN website.

5. 

   Get your song book into print.

   Print your songbook using one of two methods. Either have a printer provide you with a specific number of printed copies up front or use an on-demand printing service. Buying your copies first will normally provide you with the lowest cost per copy, but due to quantity requirements you can expect to pay several thousand dollars for your first order. On-demand publishing will cost you more per book, but there is nothing to buy in advance and no risk of left-over copies. Typically an on-demand printer will also drop-ship the song book to your customer.

6. 

   Income from your business is the end result of a good product and good marketing.

   Market your new songbook. Use Internet marketing to spread the word. Social sites, blogs, and music bulletin boards are low-cost methods for letting people know about a new song book. You can also use press releases to newspapers and trade publications to market through more traditional channels. List your song book with online book sellers to increase your exposure and sales. The more people who know about your book, the more money your new business can make.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep up with the competition. Visit book and music stores to see what kinds of song books are being sold, how much they cost, and what they look like. Keep your song books comparable to what is already on the market in terms of price and appearance. Talk to book and music store owners to find out what is selling and what is not, and try to identify for yourself what makes one song book sell better than another.

• Not every printer you encounter will be able to deliver a quality product in a timely fashion. Get estimates from several printers, and ask for samples and references. Beware of any printer who cannot provide these, as well as anyone who asks you for a large sum of money up front. Investigate thoroughly before contracting with a printer.

References

• United States Copyright Office: Copyright Registration for Musical Compositions
• U.S. ISBN Agency: Information and FAQs Page
• LaCosta Music: The Business of Songwriting
• Café Press: Publishing Learning Center

Resources

• U.S. Government Copyright Office: Song copywriting form
• U.S. Government Copyright Office: Song book copywriting forms
• Book Surge: Publishing Made Easy
• Omni Press: Printing Made Easy
• Amazon: Self-Publish with us