Erin Thedwall

Early in self-publishing journey, after doing a lot of research (you can find some links in my previous post), I decided to create my own publishing company. This allows me to have more control in the long-term and offers more legitimacy for being a self-publishing author.

I decided on a name first – Emerald Rose (for my love of Ireland and a great-grandmother’s name). Then did a cursory Google search to make sure that no one was already using it. Then designed a logo:

I also reserved a domain, even though at this point I don’t think I’ll be doing much with it. But I figured that it’s better to save it for now!

My next step was to file the paperwork that I needed to really make it official. I had to go to my county’s recorder office (I live in Indiana – so it may be different elsewhere) and fill out a form for a sole proprietorship.

I also filed paperwork for an LLC at the state level with the Secretary of State’s office, but I didn’t realize I had to do that until I went to open a business bank account (more on that later!)