The Real Cost of Writing a Book
Updated: February 18, 2023
You want to write and publish your book but budgeting for the process is more challenging that it looks. The numbers you’re hearing from experts regarding the costs of self-publishing are all over the board. And quite frankly you feel like throwing in the towel before you even begin. Trust me I have been there. It is a common misconception that book writing is a very expensive process! I know this because I too believed the price would be through the roof.
Now that I am a published author I am here to tell you that you can publish a book even on a budget.
To reduce the cost of publishing you have to think outside the box and trust me there are many ways in which you can get creative.
There are many components that go into a successful book launch. In this article I will review each part one by one.
Writing
There are two ways to write your book, write it yourself or hire a ghost writer.
On average, a first-time writer can take up to 6-12 months to write a book, unless you use our 30-day book writing system. How long it takes to write a book largely depends on how much time the writer puts into actually writing it and when you have a busy lifestyle it can get super tricky. So while writing your own book it won’t cost $ per say, it will cost you your time- which to me is far more valuable. So if you are ready to get your book written you will want to think of ways to make writing fit into your schedule and to let your creativity flow.
If you're thinking about hiring a ghost writer (a professional writer who writes books under someone else's name) then this can add up quickly: many charge $5-15 per word for their services! The sweet spot for good ghost writers with credentials is usually within $40,000 to $75,000.
Editing
This includes developmental editing, content editing, copyediting, and proofreading — can truly make the difference between a good book and great book. For a quality book, you need more than a proofread, Grammarly run through or spell-check of a first draft. You will need a thorough editing review which will mean it's best to invest in a copy editor. This is where they do a thorough editing of both grammar, punctuation as well as the flow of the entire book. This ensures that the content in your book is speaking to your audience.
For editing and proofreading, it can be difficult to choose an editor. They probably won’t have a gallery of samples you can look at – nor will they share stories of unhappy clients. You can look online or ask other authors. I also have an editor I can refer you to who is awesome!
Editing will range price based on the number of words. It is usually between .04 cents to .08 cents per word.
Test readers
While some authors pay for this you could give your book away for free in exchange for a review and feedback. The best way to do this is to find your ideal customer and start to build a relationship with them. For my book, I found a group of single mother and shared my book with them. I then asked for feedback and reviews. This was completely free and it was great for feedback. It helped me to make some much needed changes in my book as well as give them some amazing tools they needed as well.
Illustrator
Many professional freelance illustrators charge $1,200 - $3,500 for a picture book, which is typically 32 total pages and includes cover illustrations. Less experienced artists are often willing to take $100 - $1,200 in order to build up their own portfolio. You can choose to go to fiverr for a more affordable fee but it is imperative that you look at previous books etc to make sure you are in alignment with the illustrator's style and that it will speak to your audience. Please note that pricing can vary depending on the length of the book, the complexity, and usage rights of the project.
Graphic designer (Cover)
You want to have a quality design . After all books are judged by their cover. A lot of people try to skimp on this cost by using fiverr.com etc . This website is great for many things but not for a cover design. When you get a cover design you will want to look at the designers portfolio and get reviews. Do not base your decision slowly on money because often what I find is you get what you pay for.
You could also consider looking into graphic designers who are just getting started in their careers and develop a strong working relationship with them early on in your process . This gives you time to get comfortable with them and their work.
Please note it's important to know how many revisions you will get because some designers will let you make changes and some will not. Consider this when you're making your decision.
Cover designs should cost around $200-$3000 (*The higher end is for award-winning designer)
*****Below I shared my actual book cover (left) vs. the inexpensive design I ordered when trying to save money! ****
ISBN
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is recommended if you’re doing a print book or want it placed in a library. Not everyone believes you need an ISBN. If you plan on only selling your book in e-book form, then you do have the option of skipping the ISBN and using the default numbering system for Amazon,
Costs for ISBN$125 for one ISBN10 ISBNs for $295
100 ISBNs for $575
order them here: https://www.myidentifiers.com/
Publishing
There are many options for the route you use to publish.
Self-publishing - the costs listed above are what is involved with self-publishing. You pay these costs up front, but typically keep all of your royalties on the back end. You are also responsible for the writing, editing, design and marketing as a trade off.
The cost of self-publishing a book depends on many factors, including the size of your print run and where you choose to have it printed. The more copies you order and the longer they take to print, the higher your overall cost will be.
The average self-published author spends between $1,000 and $10,000 on their project--but this range can be as low as zero (if you plan on printing just one copy) or as high as $100K (for those who want to create an extensive marketing campaign).
With that said the average self published author typically only sells 250 books in the lifetime of the book. So if you go the self publishing route you will want a thorough marketing plan.
Hybrid publishing- Authors no longer have to choose between traditional publishing and self-publishing. They can choose to go the hybrid route, this is a mix between self-publishing and traditional publishing. With hybrid publishing, you can pay for what you need help with. For example, you can pay for editing and graphic designing and then you can do all the marketing on your own. With hybrid publishing, you have to pay up front as well and it can range from $2000-$8000 depending on the company.
Traditional publishing - you pay nothing but typically when your books are sold the publisher takes a percentage (up to 80%) of the royalties you make. You may make little in return, but you're not responsible for the design, editing or marketing, and many people loving having that team and support behind them.
Publishing a book can be expensive, but there are ways to keep your costs down and still create something you're proud of.
Use free resources like Wordpress or Blogger.com to build your website, instead of buying a domain name from GoDaddy or some other company that charges $15 per year for the privilege of owning your own website's URL.
Hire freelancers on Fiverr or Upwork instead of hiring people full-time in-house; this will save you money while still providing quality results! Just make sure that whoever does work for you has experience working on books before accepting their offers--you don't want someone who doesn't know how long it takes them (or anyone else) to write 250 pages at an average pace of 50 words per minute!
Marketing
Marketing your book depends on your goals for your book, how you will distribute it, what types of publicity you want from publishing (print, broadcast, the internet & live appearances), and, how much knowledge you have to do some tasks yourself.
You can very easily market your book on your own. I did this using Facebook groups, my blog, and my Instagram page. I basically discussed tips, strategies, and tricks related to my topic. Once I did that I built a following so when it came time to market my book o already had a crowd interested in buying it. I also networked in my local area to where I thought my ideal customer would be. This too helped me to build a naturally interested following.
If you want someone to do the marketing for you, they will handle creating pages, networking, increasing your visibility and creating content.
Marketing: $500-$5,000
Printing
Physical costs of printing a book. Depending on the number of pages as well as the number books on average it's about $4 for hardcover or $2-$3 for a paperback. This does not include full-color cookbooks or coffee table books, with lots of high-quality photographs and color. Those are much more expensive to produce and print.
Coaching
One of the biggest mistakes I made was allowing myself to believe that I had to go through this journey alone. I believed I knew how to write, but truthfully had no clue about what all was important in the writing and publishing process. For this reason when I wrote my first book it took an insane amount of time and I still fell on my face. I sold literally three copies and then couldn't figure out why I was stuck. The second time around I hired support and that changed EVERYTHING. I was able to hit best selling author and the go on to publish 9 additional books. Having a formula and support changed the entire process for my journey. So let me ask you why re-create the wheel when there is someone who can show you the way?
I wanted to address some frequently asked questions I get on the journey to becoming an author":
Should I have an online presence before publishing my own book?
If you're planning on publishing your own book and selling it, then yes. You need to have an online presence.
You can't just put a book up for sale and expect anyone to buy it if they don't know who you are or what you're about. Even if someone finds your book in the Amazon search results, they will probably be reluctant to buy unless they have seen something about it that makes them interested enough to click through and read more about it. This means having some sort of social media presence--either a website or blog where people will see posts related to the topic(s) covered in your books; or at least some kind of social media account where they can follow along with what is going on in your life (and therefore hopefully become interested in reading more).
Make sure people know about it by promoting on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as any other networks where there might be an audience interested in what they have written about (for example: LinkedIn). This can help bring in sales without having spent any money on advertising campaigns yet -
How do I price my book and make sure it sells?
The first thing you need to do when pricing your book is consider the market. This can be tricky because there are many factors involved, such as:
The audience you're trying to reach and how much they're willing to pay for books in this genre.
What other authors in your genre charge for their books--and what kind of royalty rates they get (percentage or flat).
How much it costs you to produce a copy of your book (printing, distribution).
You don't want to price so low that people won't take you seriously; but if you're not charging enough money for what it took to produce the book in the first place, then why would anyone buy it? Make sure that whatever price point (or package) works best for your needs also generates enough revenue to make up for all those hours spent writing and editing!
So where do you go from here?
Writing a book is a big step, but it doesn't have to be an expensive one. You can self-publish and still make sure your book looks professional with the help of freelancers like editors and designers. The key is knowing what kind of support you need--and hiring people who can deliver it at the right price point for your budget.
Writing a book can be a very overwhelming process. I remember walking through the process and feeling a series of emotions. I felt like I had a thorough understanding but I was lost. I tried googling tips and strategies but all that did was leave me more confused.
In my book writing boot camp course, I walk you through the entire process of writing, publishing and marketing your book. I teach you tips and tricks to make the process seamless. I even have an added bonus which walks you through the best-selling author strategies!!
The process that I will share is one that has truly worked time and time again. It has helped me to become an author of 12 books, 4 journals and 4 planners as well as help dozens upon dozens of women write, publish and prosper from their books as well.
Check it out here: https://www.nicolyawilliams.com/writing-a-book-course
