Why register a Publishing Business?

POD means Print On Demand.  Just as it suggests, when a person wants a book, they order it, and then it is printed.  It means there is no out of pocket expenses.  And it is NOT a vanity press where you pay for so many of your book to be printed.  This is the latest way to do it and for me, it is by far, the most fun!

I admit it, I can be a control freak! At least when it comes to my creations! I learned a long time ago, that sometimes another's vision, even if they are a so called "professional" can be limiting for me. When I do everything myself, I have this satisfaction of not only having full control, but also being about to take full blame.  No chance of becoming the victim of someone else's stupidity!

Sure, may be a total flop and that is ok.  If so, it will be MY flop!  Not someone else's. I can live with that! lol!

Of course, people still get picked up by publishers and get their books put into the print the old fashioned way.  There have been many changes since the internet and POD has come on the scene.  Now a days, most publishers want you to have an agent to start with, AND they also want to see you have a following. They want to be sure there is little risk involved for them!

All fine and dandy for them however they also take almost all of the profit! If you write and don't have any other skills then getting yourself picked up by such publishers is fine, but the odds are great, and I for one, don't intend to waste my time waiting around hoping my work gets noticed!

And yes, I have come sooo close so many times!  Gone all the way up to final decision and then got rejected after having it tied up for MONTHS.  So long in fact, I had forgotten I had even submitted it!

Plus it isn't just the manuscript, it is the query letter.  Getting the first person's attention who sees your submission is just the beginning but it is important!  Like resumes, with so many submissions, any little mistakes at all, and you are out!  Screw it, I will just do it myself!

So with this in mind, I have had to make a lot of decisions such as who to go with for printing and distributing, what stores do I want it in, and so on.  So much with taxes and such I am still learning but I am getting there!

And among these decisions has also been about the registered name or not.  You see, this name can be attached to your ISBN number so when it is picked up by a book store, etc, it will give you publishing and not personal pen name.  

So what difference does it make?  Well, many people do think, if you are not picked up by a publisher, your work will be inferior. There is still a bias out there and by having a publisher name and logo for your spine, it takes longer for the average reader to figure out whether your POD or not!  This is a good thing I think!

Besides, I like designing things and having fun with them! If I am going to draw my own illustrations in the book and design the cover and my own branding, why not my logo and publishing name also? In for a penny, in for a pound!

It is a personal preference whether you register a business name or not. I chose to.  Next blog I will tell you more about the reasoning for the name and fun things about the logo!