I thought it would be interesting for anyone who has or is thinking about setting up their own publishing company to share information and thoughts. For someone just starting out in independent publishing, I think it would be kind of intimidating, but setting up your own company and publishing name seems to be a very good idea. On Amazon and other online stores, your books won't say published by CreateSpace, Lulu, etc. and, as others have said, that will give you credibility. You will have to put more money into this way because you'll likely be buying your own ISBN numbers ($125 for 1 or $250 for 10), but in the end, I believe it will be worth it.

I just finished creating a website for my new company. http://www.livingswordpublishing.com Now I just have to file the papers with my county and it will be official.

I would definitely recommend getting a website if you do this because it's just one more place someone could come across your books, plus it will add to your credibility if someone decides to check into your publishing company before they buy your book.

First, and slightly off topic, your site looks amazing, Molly! It's gorgeous, easy to navigate, and professional. Very confidence-inspiring. Good job.

Would you, as a multiple-time self-publisher, recommend self-publishing a couple of books before investing in creating your own publishing company? Or would you recommend forming a company prior to releasing your first novel?

Thank you! First compliment I've gotten on it, besides my Mom's.

I'm not sure what to say on whether or not to publish a couple books first. I think it really depends on the person. It can seem complicated, but it really isn't, so doing it right away has it's benefits. For instance, my first books will always say on Amazon that the publisher is CS because I can't change the ISBN number (which was provided by CS) unless I completely redo the books (and I don't really want to because I don't want multiple listings on Amazon). If I would have had my company from the start, I could have used my own ISBN numbers. (I can still put my publishing company name on the books though.) So if you feel like reading up on the papers you have to file and can afford ISBN numbers, I'd say go for it right away. But doing a book or two first gives you the experience in publishing before you have to start thinking about all the other details. Plus, if you publish first, you could use your profits to put towards company expenses in the future.

*nods* While it would be difficult to redo your old books, you can still list them on your website. One thing about publishing a few titles first is that, when you do set up your company, you'll have some titles to list. One of the reasons your site is interesting and professional is that it is filled with content! 4 books plus an upcoming, trailers, reviews, and all of that.

Just gotta say, "A Captain's Heart" has pretty much my favorite self-published ebook title ever 'Tis very nice. Anyways.

I haven't thought about starting a new publishing company. That is what Scott Appleton has done with Flaming Pen Press.

eru

If you start your own publishing company just to publish your own work, how does that look professionally? Is there a need to publish other people, and if so, don't you then have to invest money into editors, designers, etc? I can see the benefit of not having CS as your publisher, but is there much difference? Also, do you really need an ISBN? If people know your title and name, then can't they find it without an ISBN, especially if you are doing digital only?

I've thought about doing a publishing company, Spike Publishing, but I'm curious if I have to in order to self publish. Do I have to list a publishing company if I just go digital? I saw someone recently with a Kindle and a POD version, the Kindle was $4 and the POD was $15. Who's going to pay for the POD when the Kindle is that much cheaper? I'm not trying to divert to a different topic, but am just saying, I don't know that I'll be pursuing paper forms of my titles, and if not, is there a need to have a publishing company or ISBN?

Allow me to throw in my two cents. . .

As for self-pubbing companies, I have only studied Createspace. I know they can assign your work an ISBN. I know they do not mark your book as published by Createspace since createspace isn't a publisher. They do not have the rights to your book. They are just a printing company that will help you get your book on Amazon. They do have a space for a publisher's mark, but it can be left blank if you do not have a publisher. I can not imagine other POD self-pub companies being much different.

Yes, you need an ISBN for an ebook. An ISBN is the separating mark between all books, and makes for much easier processing of the product. I am unsure of whether or not an ebook and a book of the same material need separate ISBNs or not. No, you do not need a company for a self-pubbed ebook any more than you need a company for a self-pubbed book.

To echo Phila, Molly, your sites are very impressive and professional! More on-topic, I'm curious what promotional tactics you are using and what your sales numbers have been.

We have a topic for discussing ISBNs in detail here: viewtopic.php?f=123&t=3111

But I want to add that, according to my research, you do not need an ISBN to self-publish. At least, not with Kindle. Kindle doesn't require an ISBN. Smashwords does, at least for certain ereaders, but Smashwords has a service for providing ISBNs, I believe. I spoke with an established self-published Kindle author on Twitter who does not do ISBNs, as they are an unnecessary expense for her. That is probably the route I will go, because even though an ISBN affords you extra search capabilities, I probably want to cut the expense. I will, however, register for copyright. It all depends on what you need for your personal marketing plan.

Many of the indie publishers I've met have set up their own company just for their books. It's not necessary to do any other books. I may sometime offer some publishing services like cover design and interior formatting. The biggest benefit to having your own publishing name is to put it on your books and not have CS listed as the publisher on Amazon, which it will be if you don't have your own name. Plus, I intend to use Lightning Source as well as CS to print books in the future and LS is more for publishers than just authors.

As for ISBN numbers, you don't need one for ebooks on Kindle or on Smashwords unless you want to be included in Smashwords' premium catalog, which gets your books distributed to Barnesandnoble.com, Apple, etc. And there is no publishing company listed for ebooks, so you don't need one if you only do digital.

I do both paperback and ebook versions of all my books. I mostly sell ebooks, but there will always be people who don't have e-readers and don't want to read books on the computer. I, for one, will always buy my favorite books in paperback. So I want to have that option available. Plus, I have church and Christian bookstores that stock my books, and I do book signings at events once in a while, so I have to have some physical copies. Gotta say there's nothing like holding your book in your hand.

KathrineROID, one of the most beneficial promotional tactics I've done so far is contacting homeschool blogs and asking if they'd like a free copy of my books to review. Most say yes and the more they've been reviewed, the more others have started contacting me. Since I started focusing on blog reviews a few months ago, I've been selling about 30 Kindle copies of my books a month since January.

Word of e-mouth, then? Neat. Promotion and sales are my main concern with self-pubbing - they've got to be equal to or greater than the advance a regular publisher would offer for me to consider the option worthwhile. If you don't mind me asking, what other tactics have you tried, and how did they compare? You said you "started focusing on blog reviews," so I assume you tried other methods as well.

P.S. The link to your company site in your sig is broken. It's missing the . between "www" and the address.

Scott Appleton set up his own publishing business (Flaming Pen Press), and he was able to snag a contract with AMG after selling more than 2000 books. I think the issue is how many books you've sold more than anything else.

He has published two other authors ... one being Jacob Parker (J.R. Parker), but I don't think that entered into AMG's decision either way.