Sarah Jules Writing

I’m doing it. I’m taking the plunge. I’m creating a publishing imprint. But, what the hell is a ‘publishing imprint’ you might ask. Good question. A publishing imprint is the trade name created for an independent publishing business. Essentially, instead of my books saying ‘self-published’ next to them, they’ll say published by *INSERT NAME I HAVEN’T DECIDED ON YET*.

But why would you do that?

Another great question. There are a few reasons why indie authors are encouraged to set up an imprint. Here are a few of the biggies…

1. Credibility.

There’s the misconception that self-published books are not to the same standard as traditionally published books. By creating an imprint, this crazy stigma is lessened. It allows people to pick up my books, without any biases (even if they’re not aware of their biases) and decide upon its merit based on the content, not preconceived ideas.

2. Branding.

As with anything in life, branding is key. The imprint name will be across all of my future books (and I may even rerelease the previous books under this imprint in the future). It keeps everything consistent.

3. Portability.

By creating an imprint, you have to buy your own ISBNs, rather than getting them free from publishing platforms. This allows you to print the books with whoever you want in the future, without any issues transferring the book to a different printing platform.

The downfalls?

Well, there’s one big one… the fact that you have to buy your ISBNs, and they’re not cheap. Plus, figuring out the whole ISBN/barcode thing can be kind of tricky – and it varies depending on where you live.

My next steps…

1. Decide on a name for the imprint. I find this exciting, but also a little daunting. I want something PERFECT. Something powerful, meaningful, and maybe I am overthinking it. But I jumped straight into Sarah Jules Writing Services without giving much thought to the name other than not wanting people to know it was my business (hence using the name Jules, rather than my actual surname) in case it didn’t work out.
2. Register with Nielsen UK ISBN Agency, and purchase my ISBNs. Hint – it is cheaper to buy ISBNs in bulk if you’re able to.
3. Create a logo. Or, more accurately, hire somebody to create a logo for me.
4. Publish books under the imprint.

I’ll be keeping you guys updated throughout the process, and I’ll share what I learn along the way. Stay tuned for updates!

Further reading:

https://valeriebiel.com/blog/why-you-need-imprint-independently-published-author