Choosing a name for your book business is a crucial part that you should never neglect or go into half-heartedly. The name may not have anything to do with the actual business operations once you have the business up and running, but it does affect people’s perception of your company and will have some effects on marketing and branding. If you still haven’t picked a name for your book business, here are some tips on how to pick an effective one:
Choose a practical name
While the book industry thrives on creativity, when it comes to business you still need to be practical. Now that majority (if not all) of the consumers’ purchasing decisions are affected by the Internet, you need to pick a name that will be easy to search for on the Internet – this means avoid names that are prone to typographical errors and don’t choose words that are too common that a Google search will turn up unrelated results.
Make sure the name is not counterintuitive
When you hear the name ‘Fast Motors, Inc.’ the first thing that comes to mind are motor vehicles, right? It’s not something that would bring to mind a book publisher. When you choose a name for your book business, you don’t need to pick one that is automatically associated with books and publishing, but you might want to avoid names that bring to mind an unrelated industry. It’s all about branding – the company’s name is its brand and it should represent the business it provides, not another unrelated industry’s. So, either pick something that is associated with books or pick something generic.
Research the meaning of the name
Words will sometimes mean different things in different languages. If you’re planning to have a presence in another country, whether it’s through the Internet or via a brick and mortar store, make sure that your business name doesn’t mean something inappropriate in their local language or slang.
A good example is when American Motors in the 70s introduced their new midsize car, the Matador, to Puerto Rico. They chose the name because in America, it could imply courage and strength. However, in Spanish, the word matador literally translates to “killer,” an incredibly inappropriate name for a car especially since Puerto Rico at the time was known for having hazardous roads. Needless to say that AM’s Matador didn’t sell well in Puerto Rico and became the subject of jokes.
Take care of the legal aspects
Is your name already taken by a company from the same industry, is it too similar to a competitor’s, or is it already taken by a company that might be from the same industry but still have grounds for a trademark infringement lawsuit? There are a lot of things you have to consider when it comes to choosing a book business name if you don’t want to crash and burn due to legal troubles. All the tools for checking these things are available on the website of the government agency that handles IP laws in your country so you can do it yourself, but hiring an IP lawyer isn’t a bad idea if you can afford it.
Finally, you also need to protect yourself if you find a good name that is still available. You need to file a trademark so that it can’t be used by a competitor in order to hurt your business. If you neglect this part, it may come back to bite you in the behind when your book business finally becomes successful.
Image credit: Jack Dorsey on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of eBooks India. He is also a prolific eBook writer with over 25 titles to his name.[/author_info] [/author]