FORMING A PUBLISHING COMPANY

1. Decide on a name. Be conscious that your company’s name will appear in numerous places related to your book. Choose a name that reflects the serious nature or unique quality of your product(s). Think past your first book because you don’t want to change names once you start branding your work and your business. I chose Sirius Publications because my former business was known as Dog Star Consulting and Sirius is the name of the star, the brightest in the heavens, that carries that nickname. I thought Publications was a better add on descriptor than Books, Press, or Publishing House because of the number of articles and other writing projects I do alongside my books.

2. Research your choice on-line to be sure your business name is not already taken.

3. Call your local municipal clerk’s office and ask if a state and/or local business license is required for your enterprise. If so, be sure and get the paperwork done before you start spending money under a business name. San Miguel County, CO does not require a business license. Telluride does.

4. Go to Godaddy.com and see if the domain name for your new company is available. Buy it. If the domain name is not available it might be better to change the name rather than end up without the logical web connections to your company.

5. With your domain you will likely also have a new Email address opportunity. Take advantage of it and have the messages forwarded to your present Email account. Publisher@(your new business name) keeps things simple.

6. Godaddy also offers a free web page. Build a Home Page. It really isn’t that hard with the templates and on-line tech support. You are now in the dotcom business world. Go to Sirius Publications.com and take a look. Building the site took me about four hours over two weeks and I am the least techie person I know.

7. Think about adding a logo to the business name. Make it classy because it may end up on your cover. I decided on a woodcut black and white image.

8. I also added Books That Matter below the logo to help brand my product.

9. Set up a new checking account at a bank. You can usually bargain an almost free account because you will initially be writing very few checks.

10. Buy a blank business card kit and print yourself some cards. You’ll need them when you start talking with or mailing folks about your project. Use your business Email account name on the card.

11. Establish some guiding principles for your new company then create a business plan and budget for your project.

12. Go and be successful.

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