How to Name Your Small Indie Press

Running a small independent press is a romantic notion—just reading manuscripts in your cozy armchair, casually discovering the next Jesmyn Ward. Yes, that’s not at all what it’s like, but counterpoint: shut up. Let us have our dream.

And the only stumbling block to achieving that dream, besides the thing where you need money to live, is the difficulty of coming up with a really compelling name for your publishing effort. Luckily, we’ve solved that problem. (For the money thing, you’re on your own.)

Here’s the formula: Combine an adjective describing your favorite item of clothing (“soft,” “grey,” “flannel,” etc.) with your favorite natural or organic design element. This could be a natural feature or material you’d incorporate into your ideal home, or the flora or fauna you most like to see represented in clothing or home goods or jewelry. So if you love your stripey sweater and your bedspread is printed with foxes, congratulations: you’re running Striped Fox Press. If you have a potted fern in every room of your house and water them in your fuzzy slippers, we can’t wait to see what Fuzzy Fern Press puts out.

Feeling uninspired? That’s okay: we’ve built you a Press Name Generator. And below are some logos we generated for some of our favorite press names shared on Twitter. If you make your own, and especially if you give it a logo, and especially especially if you actually start publishing books, share it with us at @ElectricLit.

@j_zimms @edotwoods @emilyhughes Black Paper Press is legit.

 — @diaryofaneditor

@j_zimms @edotwoods @emilyhughes I think Silk Succulent Press is pretty great.

 — @carmenmmachado

@sharilyn @j_zimms @edotwoods @emilyhughes Cozy Stones Press. Pretty sure we publish inspiring books about finding Buddhism & doing your Art.

 — @mollybackes

Corduroy Bird Unfortunately my new small press' mascot has just sold out on Etsy. https://t.co/VKdpG4eKj3 https://t.co/5OKk7VrSnQ

 — @emlfc

@j_zimms @edotwoods @emilyhughes Omg Mustard Creek

 — @theillustrious