When we wanted to start our own publishing company (ND Pendant Artists) we noticed a missing link. One can find a ton of information about becoming either a music or a book publisher, but not both. Since we decided to dedicate ND Pendant Artists to publishing both music and books, we felt inspired to share our experience and write an article for people who are cross-faceted artists like us looking for information on how to go into independent publishing.
Here are the basic steps to become a publisher of both music and books:
- Create a business name.
- Check if your business name(s) and the URL are available.
- Register your business.
- Open a business checking account.
- Get a business license.
- Start a professional website.
- The two diverge when registering with their respective organizations.
The work to start either or both publishing companies does not end there. Many of the above steps, as well as what’s involved with each step will apply with any start-up. See the step-by-step process we took.
Step-by-step process to start your business in publishing:
1. How to brainstorm a business name: Your publishing name will be the same one you use for both music and book publishing. Make sure your name represents what you want and the kind of material you’ll be publishing across the board.
If you cannot decide between two opposing ideas or names, consider using oxymorons, if the two sound good or flow well together. A good example would be Paul’s old band name, Wicked Saints, the Oxymorons of Rock.
2. How to check your business name: The first thing you should do is to check with your county or city registrar’s office. If your company name cannot be found there, the chances are the name has not been taken.
It’s also a good idea to check across music and book publishers to make sure no one in those industries is using your name.
You can do additional checking on Google, as well as making sure the URL is available in order to ensure no one else is using the business name you chose. If your name is taken, think of variations of the same name that would also work.
3. How to register your business: File a Fictitious Business Name (DBA) with your county.
step 1: When registering your DBA, you’ll be asked how the business will be conducted and by whom.
• Sole-proprietorship is the easiest and cheapest method.
• LLC is more involved, but it can protect you a bit more in case someone launches a lawsuit against your company.
• Others: Partnerships and Corporations require much more paperwork and are much more expensive.
• Talk to your accountant about what’s right for you.
step 2: Publish your new business with a local paper. They will do the rest of the business registration work for you. The paper will publish the business name for four weeks and then send you a confirmation that you’re all set
4. How to open a business checking account: Once you have your publishing business, half of the royalties received will be paid to your publisher. For that you need a separate business account so that you can collect that money.
• Once your DBA has been filed, you can take it to any bank and open a business account.
• Choose a bank that does not have fees or has a low daily balance in exchange for not accruing a monthly fee.
• When choosing what name to open the account under, putting it under your name first followed by DBA Business Name (John Doe DBA Music & Books) will give you more options. This way your clients can write the check to either your name or your business name. Write it in the same order when ordering your checks and debit card.
• Connect your business account with your checking if you’re using the same bank for easy access.
5. How to get a business license: Tax law requires for freelance and independent businesses to have a business license now. Each city and state has its own rules about obtaining a business license.
If you’re planning to run your publishing company from home, which most of us independents do, then whether you own or rent might make a difference. If you’re a renter, some cities will require that you get your landlord’s notarized permission to practice your business at home. If you own, you will most likely not deal with this part of getting a business license.
In either case, it would be a good idea to ask your accountant’s advice. If you have a business address separate from your home, then you will be using that address for your business.
6. How to get the URL & build your website: Don’t get a URL until you’re sure about your name and it’s available as both a book and music publisher, as well as a business in your county’s registrar office.
Once you have your URL with your publishing name or as close to it as you can with the hosting company of your choice such as GoDaddy or Bluehost, you can start building a website. If you’ve never built a website or would like a more professional look, consult our graphic designer.
The first quick and easy steps to starting a website are: Build a website through free services like WordPress or WIX. The upside of using free versions are it’s free to get going and they are typically user friendly. With minimal understanding of computers, you shouldn’t have a problem getting your website off the ground. The downside of using free versions include: limitations in design, services, and capability.
Build a website through your hosting service like GoDaddy, Bluehost, and other hosting sites. The upside is that it gives you more capability and control to make it look like you want and do what you want. The downside it’s not free and you have to have more knowledge or make more time for website building than with free versions.
Build a website through the help of a graphic designer. What a graphic designer can do is help you with hosting your site if you cannot do it yourself, as well as design it to your specifications. The better your website looks and more user friendly it is, the more likely people will come back to your site.
MUSIC PUBLISHING VS BOOK PUBLISHING
How To Become a Music Publisher
- Register your publishing company with a performance rights organization (PRO)
- There are three main PROs in the US: BMI, ASCAP and SESAC. Any of these give you the capability to become a music publisher. The costs may vary. See pricing below.
- Register songs on a PRO to receive royalties for performance rights.
- Copyright your own songs at the Library of Congress.
How To Become a Book Publisher
- Create an account with Bowker Books.
- Purchase ISBN numbers under your publisher name on ISBN.org or Bowker Books. Buying ISBNS as a publisher is the same as buying it as a self-published author. The only difference is that you buy it under your new publishing company instead of your own name.
- We would not advise buying ISBNs until you have at least one finished book that has been properly edited, polished, and designed. (There will be other articles on this topic later).
- Copyright your own books or the books of authors you represent at the Library of Congress.
- For pricing on ISBNs see below.
Starting a publishing business is not free, but it is affordable to do. Here are the COSTS involved with each step:
- Creating a business name and checking its availability — FREE! Go bananas with your creativity here and it won’t cost you a thing. Checking availability also won’t cost you anything.
- The cost of registering your name – Sole-proprietorship is the cheapest way. For example, in Los Angeles it costs about $28 currently. The prices go up from there if you choose a different method.
- The cost of advertising your new business in a newspaper – Every paper charges differently. Pasadena Weekly, for instance, charges $40 currently. Also, Los Angeles County Registrar website gives a comprehensive list of potential publications and their pricing.
- The cost of opening a business checking account – Free, except for maintaining a certain daily balance. Chase Bank requires a daily balance of $1,500 currently. Ordering a checkbook will cost about $20.
- Business License Costs – Varies based on the city you’ll be operating from. It’s about $100 – $200 dollars to initially get the license. There are continuous costs involved with having a license. As of now, Los Angeles city charges about $300 every two years.
- Website costs – The URL will cost you a yearly fee, depending on the name and your host. Hosting a website might cost something monthly or yearly, depending on how involved you want to get with it. You could begin with a free site until you start getting traffic and growing your business.
- Hiring a graphic designer or website builder will be an additional expense but could be worthwhile, especially if you do not know how to build a website, would like a more professional look, or need help in running it. If you have additional questions, ask our graphic designer.
- Registering with a PRO – Remember BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC are the three main ones. BMI and SESAC charge $150 for a sole-owner of music publishing. ASCAP charges $50 currently.
- The cost of ISBNs – Buying in bulk is a lot cheaper than buying them one by one. As of now, ISBN.org charges $395 for 10 ISBNs. As we mentioned earlier, you do not need to accrue this cost until you have a ready-made book(s).
Related Articles
Our Experience Starting a Web-Based Business During COVID-19