Starting Up a Book Publishing Company
Small publishing companies are responsible for some of the most important publications in literary history. For example, the Hogarth Press, operated independently by Leonard and Virginia Woolf, printed T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland." Setting up your book publishing company can be an exciting way to contribute your unique vision to the literary world. Once you've started up the company, you can begin recruiting authors and developing a reputation in your respective genre or across many genres.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Research the legal stipulations for starting a new business. Your city and state might have specific licensing and accreditation for a book publishing company. Consider also establishing your company as a limited-liability company (LLC) to protect your individual assets.
-
2
Select a business name for your publishing company, avoiding any similarities with other publishers. Book publishing companies draw from a wide range of names, from the powerhouse Random House, which specializes in traditional literary fiction, to the Dalkey Archive Press, which focuses on English translations of out-of-print European books. The latter takes its name from Flan O'Brien's great novel, "The Dalkey Archive."
-
-
3
Consider applying to an organization like the Small Publishers of America. These companies offer resources and credibility to your budding publishing company.
-
4
Hire graphic designers, editors, copy editors, fact-checkers and other staff, as your budget permits. These employees will help establish a list of represented authors, a visual style and marketing principles. Weigh your employee requirements against the types of books you wish to publish. For instance, if you will publish memoirs and nonfiction, you will need a high number of quality fact-checkers.
-
5
Buy a block of International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) for future titles. These ISBN numbers will link together all future publications.
-
6
Negotiate a contract with a book distribution company like Oxbow, Book Hub, Diamond Book Distributors or Consortium Book Sales. In choosing a distributor, you should look at their client list. For instance, Book Hub often supplies books to chain stores like Wal-Mart and Target.
-
1
