Well, the question, “What is an imprint?” is pretty unimportant for the average reader who’s more concerned with reading a book rather than ruminating over who published it, but for those interested in book publishing — authors, literary agents, book bloggers, journalists — it’s valuable to know about what an imprint is and why we’re doing it.
The word, “imprint,” as it applies to books, refers to the stamp (or “impression”) a publishing concern would literally imprint onto the spine of a book to indicate that they published that particular book. In our case, 2Leaf Press is an imprint of the Intercultural Alliance of Artists & Scholars, Inc. (IAAS), a NY-based nonprofit organization that promotes multicultural literature and literacy. 2Leaf Press was created as a general literary imprint that’s dedicated to discovering and publishing new and established writers of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. We hope our imprint will appeal to discerning readers across the United States and around the world by combining excellent literary content with attractive book design.
Large publishing houses — like Random House, the Penguin Group, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, etc. — are divided into departments called “imprints.” Sometimes, several imprints are affiliated in an official ”group” like The Crown Publishing Group, which includes the imprints Broadway Books, Clarkson Potter, Crown, and many others. Publishing houses work hard to maintain a tight, consistent, reliable list of books in order to build their brand and continue to reinforce loyalty among the readers that already know them.
Imprints typically have a defining character or mission. For example, some imprints work together — like The Penguin Group’s mass market division that includes imprints like Ace, Berkley, Jove, Roc, and many others — although the department doesn’t have an “official” name. Most major publishers have at least a few imprints; according to Wikipedia, Random House, the world’s largest English-language trade book publisher, has more than 50 imprints. University presses, such as State University of New York Press has an imprint (Excelsior Editions), and it’s also not uncommon for nonprofit entities, such as the IAAS, to create imprints so they can publish works that reflect their mission.
In creating an imprint, it becomes a “brand name” under which a book is published. Different imprints are used by the publisher to market works to different demographic consumer segments. Over time, as readers came to closely identify with the subject, aesthetic, and writing style of a particular house, the publisher’s imprint becomes a trusted symbol that builds a loyal following, known as “branding.” In some cases, the diversity results from the takeover of smaller publishers (or parts of their business) by a larger company.
Some of these imprints are organized as subsidiaries, or “companies within a company,” with their own editorial staffs, release lists, etc. Others are strictly brand names slapped on a book purchased and edited somewhere in the corporation. Rather than establish a separate entity — a new company — to handle book publishing, it’s easier to create 2Leaf Press as an imprint of the IAAS. And since the IAAS is a nonprofit entity, 2Leaf Press can readily accept donations and apply for funding. While we will get one or two editors to work specifically for 2Leaf Press, many of the editors of phati’tude Literary Magazine will pitch in and get involved with 2Leaf Press.
So we decided to create a new home for writers that‘s unique and distinct with a separate marketing plan and design aesthetic. That’s why we’ve created the new imprint, 2leaf Press.
Enjoy the journey!
