There are so many things to think about when you decide to self-publish–cover design, formatting, pricing–and add into the mix the question of should you create an imprint name. Amazon and CreateSpace offer the option of using an imprint name when you self-publish with them. I have several indie author friends who have done that and have created a logo for the imprint that appears on their books just as you would see with a traditional publisher. Very professional looking. I have several other indie author friends who used their own name as their publisher in their Amazon listing–equally professional because as self-pubbed authors we should be proud of our accomplishments. I did some research online and found both options to be fairly prevalent. The big no-no is creating an imprint with the intention of fooling people that you have a publisher, as if you are ashamed to be self-published. A quick Google search will tell you if that’s the case if you really want to know, but who cares these days? While there may be some lingering bias against self-published authors (to me it seems more like a bias against bad books, and sadly there are a lot of poorly edited and formatted books out there), self-pubbed authors are selling an awful lot of books and giving the traditional publishers a run for their money.

I went back and forth a bit and ultimately decided I would create an imprint. It seemed like a good branding opportunity because the goal is to publish more books and if someday I decide to write in another genre, at least all of my books with have this in common.  I had a lot of fun coming up with a name and a design. Why Gray Corbie Press? (Because all of the other names I thought of were already taken? LOL) Corbie is a Scottish word for raven and I have a fondness for ravens. I like the result and can’t wait to use it in future books!