How Much Will You Spend? The Truth About Book Publishing Expenses
Publishing a book can cost you around $4000 - $10000+ depending upon different factors and the publication model.
Penning down your unique story, seeing readers dive into it, getting reviews is an unparalleled feeling. But behind a successful book lies an investment- financial and otherwise.
This blog will highlight all the expected costs you may have to bear for publishing. This will help to get an estimate of the required budget.
Factors That Influence How Much it Costs to Publish a Book
Not all the books cost the same. Different factors impact the publishing budget. Below are some of the factors you must consider before framing the budget.
Genre
Different genres cost differently.
A non-fiction book will cost more due to the fact-checking and formatting.
Science fiction is usually lengthy, so formatting and editing require more time and budget.
Historical novels present many facts and statistics that demand rechecking all the resources. The editing cost is higher.
With low word count, children’s books/comics may require less budget regarding editing, yet the illustrations are of key importance.
Word Count
More words, more editing charges. The longer book editing is time-consuming. And particularly if it has facts or stats.
Publishing Model
Traditional, self-publishing, or hybrid, the price of publishing a book differentiate for each model.
Editing
Developmental, copyedit, and proofreading are three different types of editing services that decide the budget. Here again, genre and book length are key factors in evaluating the total price.
Print Format
Ebook and print are commonly used printing formats. Audiobooks are also common these days. Ebooks require a low budget while printing books is expensive.
Publication Models and Cost Breakdown
The publication model is the key factor in defining the budget. Below are the two commonly used models and the cost breakdown.
Traditional Publication Cost Breakdown For Authors
Traditional publication is not free. Before handing over the manuscript to the publishing house, authors must invest some money into the process.
Here is the breakdown of the cost if you choose a traditional publication.
Paid Beta Readers Cost: $150-200
In the traditional publication model, the other party hires the editors for exclusive editing and proofreading. Yet, an author may also hire an editor, or a beta reader while tight on budget to read the manuscript before sharing it with the publisher.
Apart from free beta readers, you can use paid beta reader services to ensure there are no grammar and punctuation mistakes. They charge between $150-$200;
Agent’s Fee: 15%
If you sign up with a literary agent to represent you, expect to pay 15% of your earnings as a fee.
Query Letter Review: $250
Hiring an editor to review your query letter before accessing publishers increases the chances of getting noticed. They charge almost $250 to edit and structure the query letter.
Self Publication and Cost Breakdown
With full creator control, the self-publishing model costs an author almost $3000- $10000+, depending on the factors discussed above.
Choosing self-publishing means the author is responsible for all the costs of bringing your book to market.
It’s important to understand the various steps—and their associated costs.
Self-publishing typically requires investment in:
Editing
Indexing
Formatting
Cover design
Printing (if applicable)
ISBN and Distribution
Marketing
Editing: $1800- $5000
The first step in the self-publishing model is hiring an editor. The editing charges vary depending on the experience and the project length. The genre is a key variable in deciding the fee of the editor as
For an 80,000-word book, the breakdown of editing is below.
Developmental Editing: Development editing costs between $1,000 and $3,000. It is comprehensive editing, focusing on the structure, plot, character, and overall flow of your book.
Copyediting: It typically costs between $500 and $2,000. A copyeditor checks for grammar, punctuation, and consistency.
Proofreading: Expect to pay around $300 to $1,000 for the final editing stage. Minor typos, punctuation, and errors are checked at this stage.
Indexing: $2- $6/indexable page
The average cost varies from $2-$6 per indexable page. If the book has 200 pages, indexing may cost between $800 - $1200.
Indexing your book facilitates the readers. Indexing creates reference sheets for a particular topic. It also depends on the genre; not all books require indexing. Non-fiction books require more detailed indexing.
Formatting:250- $1000
Relying on some online tools such as Atticus and Vellum to format the book on your own may cost around $250. Hiring a professional requires a budget of $600 to $1000, depending on the specific needs and the expertise of the hired person.
Formatting is important to create symmetry. It includes adding titles, margins, and chapter headings. Aligning the illustrations with the text to make it readable and more attractive comes under the formatting umbrella.
A technical person can use online software to do the job. A non-technical person may find it more time-consuming and tiring, with the results not up to the mark. Gener defines the requirement of formatting as well. An educational book with plenty of illustrations may require more formatting. Hiring a professional in this case would be a wise decision.
Illustrations and Images
Highly depending on the illustration requirements the total cost vary accordingly.
A children book full of illustration may cost around $1500 to $4000. While the fanntsy illustration usually charge you $1300 and middle grade novels around $2300.
Cover Design: $50 - $1500
Using pre-made covers is less expensive, ranging from $50 to $300, but offers less customization. High-end designers charge even more, but a quality cover can significantly boost your sales.
It is important to choose a cover design that does not suck. The readers see the book before they even read it. Hiring a professional may seem like an extra expense, but it impacts the overall marketing.
Printing (if applicable)
Self-publishers mostly choose the print-on-demand (POD) model. The cost per book can range from $2 to $15, depending on factors like page count, color, and binding. The printing cost is taken from the royalties of each book; no upfront payment is required.
If you choose offset printing (ordering large quantities), you’ll typically pay less per book, but the upfront cost is higher, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 for a run of 1,000 copies.
ISBN and Distribution
A single ISBN will cost you $125. Purchasing a block of 10 from Bowker will cost around $295.
Distribution is mostly based on royalty. Platforms like KDP or IngramSpark offer global distribution. Uploading books is free, but they charge a 15% to 30% royalty on book sales.
ISBN is the unique identity of your book. It is a must for physically printed books. You will need a new ISBN for each format, and it cannot be reused on any other book.
Marketing $350 - $6000+
Time, effort, and investment, after everything, many writers complain that their book isn’t selling. The key reason could be poor marketing. Adopting the right marketing strategies can double the sales.
Self-marketing or hiring an expert team are the two options every author have. The marketing budget depends on the option you choose.
Here is the breakdown of budget you may need in both cases.
Self Marketing
Marketing strategy: $0
Author Website: $60 - $500/ year
Newsletter : $0 - $300
Reviews: $50/review
Digital Ads : $5/day
Price promotions : $15-$120
Hiring an Expert team
Marketing strategy: $1200+
Author Website: $60 - $500/ year
Web Designer: $1600+
Newsletter : $0 - $300
Reviews: $50/review
Digital Ads campaigns : $1000+
Price promotions : $15-$120
Your book deserve the best shot at success. It may requires hefty budget, particularly if you choose self publication. The that the investment you make in editing, design, and marketing can significantly impact your book’s success.
Reaching out to the expert publication team like Brilliantmedia facilitate the authors to make the publishing less stressful and more fun. Putting your ideas into words must be a fun, without worrying about all the the process.
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