Some milestones sneak up on you. You don’t realize how big they are until you’re standing smack in the middle of them, staring down at the paperwork that somehow makes everything feel real.

That was me today.

K.B. Riley Books is officially registered with the Ohio Secretary of State! 🎉

That means my self-publishing imprint—my publishing imprint—now exists in an official, legal, paper-trail kind of way. It means that instead of publishing under some generic “Independently Published” label, Marked by Fate and any books I release in the future will proudly say Published by K.B. Riley Books. And it means that every step forward in this journey just got a little more tangible.

So, What’s an Imprint Anyway?

For anyone who isn’t swimming in publishing jargon daily (hi, I see you), an imprint is essentially a publishing brand. Big traditional publishers have them—Tor for sci-fi, Avon for romance, Penguin Random House for literally everything. It’s a way to categorize books under a specific branding umbrella.

For self-published authors, an imprint does something a little different. It turns “Independently Published” into something more. It adds a layer of professionalism, helps build a recognizable brand, and makes books look like they belong on the same shelves as traditionally published ones.

For me, K.B. Riley Books is about making my books feel as official as they’ve always been in my head.

Why K.B. Riley Books?

I wanted something clean, simple, and unmistakably mine. K.B. Riley Books ties into my pen name, keeps the focus on my work, and leaves room to grow. Maybe one day, this imprint will hold more than just my own books. Maybe it’ll become something bigger than I ever expected.

But for now?

For now, it’s the mark under which Marked by Fate will be published, and seeing that in print for the first time is going to be everything.

Why Filing for a DBA is a Big Deal

Beyond the branding side of things, filing for a DBA (Doing Business As, or Fictitious Name, for my fellow paperwork nerds) serves another very practical purpose: it allows me to accept payments under K.B. Riley Books.

That means when I sell books at events—like my launch party, book fairs, or wherever this adventure takes me—I can accept checks made out to K.B. Riley Books instead of my personal name. It makes everything more streamlined, protects my personal info, and honestly? It just feels right.

More than that, though, this step is a declaration. Self-publishing isn’t just about writing a book and hitting “publish.” It’s about building something. It’s about treating this as the business it is, about ensuring that my books have the same level of care and professionalism as anything on the shelves of a bookstore. Filing this DBA isn’t just paperwork—it’s a commitment to myself, to my career, to the books I’m putting out into the world.

One Step Closer

When I first sat down to write Marked by Fate, I wasn’t thinking about filing paperwork with the state. I wasn’t thinking about pre-orders, launch parties, or imprint names. I was just thinking about Christopher and Noa, about the world I wanted to create, about this story that wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote it down.

And yet, here I am.

Every step of this process—every milestone, big or small—makes this book feel more real. Every decision, from cover design to formatting to marketing, is another reminder that I’m not just dreaming about being an author—I am one.

The countdown to release day continues, and now, K.B. Riley Books is officially on the books (pun absolutely intended).

Here’s to the next milestone. And here’s to making this dream a reality, one step at a time. 🎉📚