Prepare For Book Writing And Publishing Costs
Writing and publishing a book is one of the most rewarding things you can do in life. For me, this entire experience has changed my life, in ways I can’t even put into words!
Many people come to me on a limited budget, but with big goals to get their book out into the world. Sadly I also have many people who come to me who have spent thousands of dollars just to have a mediocre experience and manuscript.
With book writing being all the rave right now it’s easy to be taken advantage of. So I want to talk about how to do it right without breaking the bank.
How much does it cost to publish a book?
The cost to publish a book depends on a) the length of the book and b) the level of quality you want. Most authors spend $2,000-$4,000 to indie/self publish their book- this includes editing, cover design, formatting, and marketing services.
Now note you don’t have to spend that, but the cheaper you go sometimes it will reflect in your book quality.
What are the editing costs?
With editing there are different types of editing you may need.
For a 60,000 word count below are some averages (you can obviously double or divide this to get an idea for your own book)
- Developmental editing — $1,440 (or about $7 per page)
- Copy editing — $1,020 (or about $5 per page)
- Proofreading — $600 (or about $3 per page)
A developmental editor will charge you the most because that editor is looking at the flow, content, grammar, punctuation- they look at every part of it. Copy editing is somewhat expensive, examining the style and flow of your writing. Then there is proofreading which is the most affordable where it’s exactly what it states- proofreading. The editor reads through your manuscript and adjusts any mistakes. These mistakes most commonly involve spelling, grammar, punctuation, and consistency. Fun fact if you have or create a good reads account you can use good reads groups as a way to get your book proofread. There is a specific beta reader group where members offer to read and comment on your draft.
Not that sometimes books that require a ton of fact-checking may have additional costs as they are additional work for the editor
What is the cost of a cover design?
You have a lot of options with this. You could design your own cover using Canva, adobe illustrator or photoshop, etc. you could sign up with a website like fiverr and order a cover or you can higher a professional.
While you do have options you have to be careful with this one because books are judged by their cover. So if you’re not well versed in design or how to use photoshop be cognizant of how that may reflect to your audience.
If you hire a cover designer the cost will likely range based on their overall experience. Cover design costs based on relative experience:
- Novice designer — $300-$500
- Experienced designer (2+ years) — $500-$800
- Veteran designer (10+ years) — $800-$1,500
Cover designs also can increase in price, if you have multiple edits and changes to the design. Also if you’re making an ebook vs a print book the price can vary. This is because ebooks typically only need a front cover while a print book needs the front, spine, and synopsis.
A survey by Digital Book World found that cover design is the most outsourced part of the process, with over 34% percent of self-publishing authors hiring professionals to design the covers of their book. And it's obvious why they do this.
What is the cost of formatting?
The majority of people skip the formatting costs. With so many sites having templates this is an option. The problem is if you have a children's book or cookbook with lots of pics this can cause a lot of problems .so consider the style of your book and if you will need help. Also, note formatting may be the most tedious job during this process due to you having to go through every single page to make it right.
All in all, you can expect to spend around $500 on a professional formatting job- which is close in price to the cover designer. But unlike with cover design, an amateur typesetting job won’t ruin your chances of selling books! So again this is an option you have to try it yourself.
What are the Marketing costs?
To be honest this is hard to say because it really depends on your marketing plan. If you’re doing word-of-mouth marketing it can be free- obviously, you’re just talking about it. You could also use your blog to market and this is all about driving traffic to your blog which again is typically free. If on the other hand, you’re running ads in social media the cost would be based on what you’re spending each day. With this, you can create your own ad budget. Finally, if you hire a marketing specialist it’s going to be based on how extensive the plan is and their level of experience. Up work (like Fiverr) has some
Options but you could also use sites like reedsy to get started. I teach marketing in my book writing Bootcamp course as well.
Here is a recent video I did on creative marketing approaches to help you decide what ideas may work for you.
Most creative marketing strategies for your book
If you hire a marketing specialist they will create a marketing plan and in turn will usually take on advertising, email campaigns, and metadata (like keyword searches, etc).
Overall determine the route to go with marketing is your choice. For some new authors, marketing is enjoyable! It’s a chance to promote their hard work and interact with their readers. While others find marketing to be overwhelming. And I promise it will feel that way without a plan no matter how confident you are in your book. So do approach marketing without a plan.
How are marketing services different from publicity services?
Marketing services encompass ALL methods of getting readers to see and buy your book. Publicity specifically focuses on gaining press coverage (reaching out to journalists, drafting press releases, media connections) for your book and/or having it reviewed. Basically publicity services are one part of the marketing process
I highly recommend my book writing Boot camp course because I teach all of this to ensure you’re not being taken for granted on your publishing journey. All in all BECAUSE YOU'RE WORTH IT remember, no amount of money that you put into the process of publishing your book is ever wasted; it’s all an investment.
If you are ready to get started writing your book sign up for my FREE Aspiring author kit HERE!
