How to Start a Publishing Company: 7-Step Beginner’s Guide

A traditional publishing company is a business that creates and distributes copies of a written work—anything from children’s books to novels to cookbooks to magazines. Large publishing companies publish thousands of books a year under different “imprints,” or departments; small publishing companies may only publish a handful of books every year.

While starting a publishing business can be a lot of work, it’s a great choice for both new or established authors because it offers a variety of advantages including:

• Creative control. If you’re trying to decide between publishing your book with an established publishing house or with your own publishing company, think about how much creative control you want over your product. While publishing with an established publishing company means you’ll have access to their designers and marketing, it also means you’ll have less control over the cover, interior design, and marketing campaign—publishing with your own company grants you full control of your work.
• Help fellow authors. You may initially start your small business to publish your own work, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ever expand to publish the work of other writers as well. While you would have to consider marketing and royalties, expanding your company into an indie publishing brand is a great way to help out other writers and to get more books on the market that you think are worthwhile.
• Convey professionalism. While you can self-publish a book entirely on your own (including formatting and uploading) or go through a self-publishing agency, many readers and bookstores have a bias against self-published books because they think the books haven’t gone through a rigorous selection or editing process. However, listing your own publishing company in the book’s details—rather than just your own name—will make readers and bookstores more likely to pick up your book. Additionally, starting your own publishing company shows other industry professionals that you’re serious about the writing and publishing world, which will help you build contacts at other publishing houses, at bookstores, and with agents, editors, and designers.
• Expand your brand. If you’ve already built a successful platform as a self-published author, you may want to expand your brand to include similar works by other authors who can benefit from being associated with your brand. Becoming a self-publisher allows you to publish complementary titles by other authors in your genre, which can lead to your publishing company becoming a brand authority on your given genre.

If you’re feeling ready to start your own business in the United States, here are the next steps:

1. 1. Solidify your goals. Before you jump into the technical aspects of starting your company, you’ll need to decide exactly what you want to accomplish. Do you want to start the company by yourself or with a partner? Will you publish your own books, or will you publish the book of others? What format will you publish (print, digital, audio, or a combination)? What sort of income are you expecting? What do you think will be the biggest challenge? Will you be filling a specific niche in the publishing industry? Answering these questions will help you make clearer decisions about your business plan down the line.
2. 2. Create your brand. After you’ve decided on your goals, it’s time to create your brand. Branding includes coming up with your business name, creating a mission statement, deciding what type of books you’ll publish, and so forth. Think about ways to make your publishing company name and brand relatable, memorable, and enticing for readers, writers, and booksellers.
3. 3. Select a business structure. While there are many different types of businesses, from corporations to nonprofits, there are really only a few that apply to a small publishing company: sole proprietorships, partnerships, or limited liability companies (LLC). Deciding which one is best for you depends on your circumstances: a sole proprietorship means that you alone are running the company and is the simplest business type; a partnership means that you and at least one other person are starting the company together; a limited liability company combines elements of a sole proprietorship and a corporation, and offers more liability protection than other business structures.
4. 4. Register for an Employer Identification Number. To start your company in the US, you’ll need an Employer Identification Number (or EIN), which helps the IRS identify and track your business. You can apply for an EIN by mail, online, or by fax.
5. 5. Set up your infrastructure. Now it’s time to set up the administrative aspects of your business—like a domain name and website, a logo, an email address, a business bank account, an accounting system, a print structure, and so forth. Hiring is another part of setting up your infrastructure. If you don’t have the time or skill to design book covers and edit manuscripts, your publishing company will need to employ freelancers to handle these tasks. If you want to publish print books, search for book publishers that are willing to do small print runs, or for print-on-demand services. During this phase of set-up, you’ll need to address every detail—from getting the manuscript to ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) to selling to customers—to ensure that your infrastructure is solid before you begin publishing.
6. 6. Start publishing. Once your new business is all set up, it’s time to start publishing books. Once you have a manuscript ready to publish (whether it’s your own or the work of another author), it’s time to put all of your resources into action—including having the book designed and getting ready to upload it online or send it to the printer.
7. 7. Market and sell your books. Now that you have a product to sell, you’ll need to create a solid marketing plan to help get the word out about it. If you’ve hired a marketing professional, they will create an actionable plan to market your product. If you choose to market the book yourself, you’ll need to figure out the audience you want to connect with, and how to market to them. Research similar books in the genre and take note of the way that they were marketed. Think about what makes your book interesting or different and highlight this in your marketing materials. Social media marketing is one of the major keys to building an audience in the modern era. Create a social media presence for your publishing company so you can promote all of your upcoming releases. You can also send out advance review copies to book review publications to draw attention to the new title. Revisit your marketing plan on a regular basis to see if there are any missed opportunities or alternative ways to reach your audience. Learn more about marketing your book with our complete guide here.

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