Dyerbolical Ltd is neither an indie nor a traditional publishing house. It is an Integrated Cultural Media Enterprise (ICME), combining journalism, literary production, film, audiovisual media, education, interactive entertainment and digital storytelling within a coordinated organisational structure. This classification reflects the nature of the business rather than its relationship to any particular publishing market. The distinction raises a wider question concerning the cultural and creative industries: how should enterprises be classified when their activities encompass several forms of media production, each operating as a substantive function within the same organisation? Dyerbolical’s proposed ICME framework addresses this question through three principles: integration, continuity and immersion.
The Limits of Publishing Classifications
Traditional and indie publishing are established categories within the literary industry. They concern the organisation, financing, production and distribution of published works, although individual businesses within these categories may undertake additional activities. Such distinctions are useful when examining publishing businesses. They do not, however, establish the organisational identity of every enterprise that produces books. Dyerbolical operates DarkBadb Publishing as its literary imprint. The imprint develops original fiction and intellectual property, including Immortalis, Kane, Ultimate Horrotica and The Thorn and His Rose. Yet literary production is only one of the company’s activities. Dyerbolical.com publishes cultural journalism, entertainment coverage and specialist editorial material across eight DyerZones. Dyer Academy provides educational content, Dyer Trivia introduces interactive entertainment, and Dyer Almanac supplies entertainment release information. The company’s operations also encompass original audiovisual production, film-related projects, visual media and character-led digital storytelling. These functions are not subsidiaries of a book-marketing campaign. They constitute distinct areas of cultural production. Dyerbolical is not an indie publisher with an unusually extensive promotional operation. Its publishing imprint exists within a multidisciplinary cultural media enterprise.
Media Convergence and Organisational Structure
Media convergence provides an important theoretical context for understanding such enterprises. Henry Jenkins (2006) examines convergence as a process involving relationships between media industries, technologies, content and audiences. His account challenges the assumption that convergence simply means the replacement of older media by newer technologies. This distinction is relevant to Dyerbolical because the company does not merely reproduce identical content across different platforms. Its editorial divisions produce journalism and cultural commentary. Its literary imprint develops original narratives. Its audiovisual activities create moving-image material, while its digital character accounts provide environments for fictional performance and interaction. These activities retain distinct purposes but can contribute to shared cultural and creative environments. The significance of convergence therefore lies in the connections between production functions, not simply the number of distribution channels available. Mark Deuze (2007) similarly situates media production within changing digital environments, examining how professional practices, technological developments and participation reshape the organisation of media work. These perspectives provide a foundation for considering Dyerbolical as a coordinated cultural media operation rather than classifying it according to one of its outputs.
From Transmedia Storytelling to Enterprise Integration
Transmedia storytelling offers another relevant conceptual framework. Jenkins (2007) describes transmedia storytelling as a process in which elements of a fictional world are distributed across multiple media, with different forms contributing to the wider narrative experience. Dyerbolical’s Immortalis universe provides a practical example of connected creative activity. Its literary foundation establishes characters, relationships and fictional environments. Dedicated character accounts, visual production, audiovisual content and continuing fictional exchanges provide further forms of representation and performance. However, transmedia storytelling and the proposed ICME classification address different questions. Transmedia theory helps explain how a fictional property may develop across media. ICME concerns the organisational structure within which literary production, journalism, education, film, interactive entertainment and digital participation operate together. A transmedia fictional universe may be one component of an ICME, but the enterprise is not defined exclusively by that universe. This distinction prevents the company’s original fiction from being mistaken for its entire business model.
Continuity Beyond Publication
Continuity is central to Dyerbolical’s creative operations. The publication of a literary work does not necessarily conclude its development. Characters and fictional environments can remain active through further narratives, digital performance, collaborative writing and audiovisual interpretation. The company’s 67-account X network, including 57 accounts associated with Immortalis, illustrates the scale of its character-led digital environment. These identities support fictional dialogue, humour, narrative exchanges and continuing creative expression. The same principle of ongoing activity applies to the company’s wider operations. Cultural journalism develops through continuing editorial coverage, while educational and interactive resources provide additional forms of production and engagement. Continuity is therefore not restricted to the serialisation of fiction. It characterises the enterprise’s approach to maintaining different forms of cultural activity.
Immersion and Participation
Immersion describes another dimension of Dyerbolical’s creative approach. Audiences can encounter fictional properties through literature, visual representations, character-led social media, audiovisual sequences and interactive exchanges. These experiences may contribute different aspects of a fictional world without necessarily reproducing the same narrative. Participation can also become part of creative production. The Thorn and His Rose, developed through collaborative writing on X, demonstrates how digital interaction can generate literary material rather than simply distribute an existing work. Nevertheless, immersion is not a requirement of every activity within the enterprise. True crime journalism, entertainment reporting and educational resources perform different functions from fictional worldbuilding. The proposed ICME framework accommodates this diversity rather than treating all cultural production as storytelling.
Defining ICME and CDMM
The Integrated Cultural Media Enterprise (ICME) is Dyerbolical’s proposed classification for an organisation that coordinates distinct cultural media activities within a common enterprise. Its defining features are the substantive operation of multiple media functions, meaningful relationships between those functions and the capacity for continuing cultural production. The associated Convergent Digital Media Model (CDMM) describes the operational processes connecting creative development, editorial production, publishing, audiovisual media, digital participation and distribution. The distinction is straightforward: ICME describes the organisation. CDMM describes how its media activities operate together. These concepts are proposed analytical frameworks, not officially established industry classifications. Their value rests on whether they provide a useful explanation of organisational structures that cannot be reduced to a single media function. They also require careful application. A business does not become an ICME merely by maintaining several social media accounts or distributing a publication through multiple services. The classification concerns substantive cultural production and organisational integration.
A Distinct Corporate Identity
Dyerbolical’s classification is not an attempt to redefine indie publishing or position the company as a variation of an existing publishing model. The distinction is categorical. Its literary imprint publishes books, but the company also undertakes journalism, educational publishing, audiovisual production, interactive entertainment and continuing digital creative activity. Its operations are immersive where fictional properties support connected experiences, continuous where cultural production remains active beyond individual releases, and integrated through the relationships between its different media functions. Dyerbolical Ltd is an Integrated Cultural Media Enterprise. Its identity is defined by the cultural media organisation it operates, not by any single product, platform or publishing category.
References
Deuze, M. (2007) Media Work. Cambridge: Polity.
Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.
Jenkins, H. (2007) ‘Transmedia Storytelling 101’. Confessions of an Aca-Fan, 22 March.