What is an Imprint, Anyway?

 For an aspiring writer, publishing is confusing enough -- so many editors! So many publishing options! And then adding another layer to the confusion cake is the question: What is an imprint, anyway?

Here's my definition, from Fran's Dictionary of Publishing

Terms: An imprint is a little publishing house
inside a big publishing house.

Okay, that might not have helped.

 So let me explain. 

You've probably heard of the Big Five Publishers: Penguin/Random House, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Macmillan, and  Hatchette. Each of these big houses has many imprints that are grouped with other, similar imprints. 

Here's a look at HarperCollins (visit the interactive image here). This is the children's book group.

 

 Each of these imprints exists for a reason: Because they produce unique books. Heartdrum specializes in books by Native American authors. Another imprint, Allida, which takes its name from the Korean word for "to inform," also focuses on bringing new voices to light, as does Amistad. Harper Alley, meanwhile, focuses on graphic novels.

Even smaller publishers have imprints. Here's a screenshot from the Globe Pequot Press website.

 

Let's take a quick look at two imprints, Globe Pequot and Down East Books. Both were previously independent companies that focused on New England, though Down East was more firmly focused on Maine. Today, Globe Pequot still focuses on New England, but it also publishes books about other parts of the country; the landing page for the imprint includes books such as Austin Food Crawls and Pennsylvania's Coldest Cases. Although there are a couple of kid-centered books on the website, there are no middle-grade novels, picture books, and the like. 

Today, Down East publishes a range of titles, both Maine-centered and not, for adults and children. (Confession: Down East published my first book, The Orphan Seal, and my latest, She Went to Space.)

In short, imprints, like the publishing houses they comprise, have individual personalities. They focus on different parts of the book market. And they can also change over time; for example, Clarion Books used to publish just nonfiction many years ago, but now they offer a wide range of books, fiction and nonfiction, series and stand-alones, for all ages.

So, what does this mean for you as a writer? A couple of things:

1) Find the right fit. Before you submit to any imprint, look at the books the imprint publishes. This will give you a better chance of placing your manuscript.  

2) Visit the website. The world changes fast nowadays, and publishers launch new imprints frequently.

3) Check your resources. Publisher's Weekly and Publishers Marketplace will keep you up to speed, and I strongly recommend Harold Underdown's Purple Crayon website.

It takes time, I know. But it's worth it.