While your book is being prepared for printing, you can go a step further, and start your own Independent Publishing Company. At Falcon Books, we have helped many authors go through the exciting and rewarding process of choosing a company name, creating a logo, and becoming a publisher as well as a writer.

Being an independent publisher has many advantages. Your imprint will appear on all of your books, giving a professional presence to your work. When communicating with reviewers, booksellers and distributors, you will be writing as a member of the Small Press community, a well-respected part of the world of books. If you choose this option, the following is a brief outline of the steps which you would take to make your company a reality. We will help to make the process a smooth and cost-effective one.

Some of the Steps necessary to Create
your Independent Publishing Company

• Obtain forms needed to establish fictitious business name (usually at County Clerk's office)

• When business name is obtained, open business checking account

• Find out if your town ordinances require a business license

• Contact government offices regarding sales tax and resale number (for selling books/collecting & paying sales tax)

Vesta,
Client Service Specialist

• Request ISBN information from Bowker

• Secure copyright information from U.S. Copyright Office

• Secure Cataloging in Publication information from Library of Congress

• Secure bar-code film master using ISBN

• Edit material meticulously for grammar, typographical errors, content, etc. (consider hiring a professional editor and recruiting friends or colleagues to edit and proofread)

• Research copyrights on material you are utilizing and secure permission to quote from any copyrighted material (this is usually done by writing to the publisher)

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Moving towards completion of your book

• Decide on title of book

• Decide on general style of book: size, shape, type of cover, size of type, approximate number of pages, etc. (finding a sample book of a style you like would be helpful)

• Consult with Falcon Books to develop design of your book and choose fonts, style, format, etc.

• Decide on cover, front, back and spine, and obtain art work as needed

• Proofread the galley proofs

• Make corrections and return. [There is no charge for corrections of errors introduced by the typesetter, but any revisions (additions and deletions, major or minor changes) are subject to additional charge.]

• Before going to print, a camera-ready master is created: typeset, paste-ups, cover art and photo preparation are completed

• Print and bind book

• Have a marketing strategy in place so that when your book is in print you are prepared to promote and distribute book. This is a vast and complex area, and each book and author have special needs. Some ways of marketing a book include reviews, book readings, receptions, direct mail, contact with distributors, organizations and special interest groups, advertising in publications, press releases and interviews in newspapers, magazines, tv and radio, etc.

E-mail Ken Debono
for more information