HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO SELF-PUBLISH A BOOK | blue piggy bank, stack of books

 

 

This post has been updated for 2024.

I’ve both traditionally published and self-published books, and a lot of people ask me, “How much does it cost to self-publish a book?” I’m also asked questions like, “Do I have to hire a cover designer, or can I design it myself?” “Do I really need an editor?”

There are a lot of all-inclusive self-publishing packages and services out there for novels and nonfiction books. Some of them charge too much for services, taking advantage of less experienced authors. Other groups or individuals will try to lure you into paying high rates by claiming, often falsely, that they can give you an inside track to a big 5 publishing contract. One of the reasons I’m writing this post is to give people the information they need when evaluating companies, services, and self-publishing costs.

This is mostly geared toward traditional fiction and nonfiction books with no illustrations. Some other types of books might have different needs. There is no one way to get a book ready for self-publishing, and some people may recommend different things from what I’m suggesting here.

The market is flooded with badly edited, badly designed books. No matter how you achieve it, quality can make your book stand out and help you build the long-term audience you need to be successful as a writer.

(To my international readers: sorry this is all in U.S. dollars, but I hope it still gives you a good idea of the costs involved!) 

 

"Real Talk: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO SELF-PUBLISH A BOOK? Bryn breaks it down for you at bryndonovan.com" | cute piggy bank and books

 

Developmental Edits (or Story Edits) 

What it is:

A critique of your story. Plot holes, weak characterizations, pacing problems, point of view issues, dialogue, descriptions, and more get addressed here. For a nonfiction book, this can address matters such as structure, pacing, logic, and flow.

Should you hire a professional?

Probably.

If it’s your first time publishing a work of fiction, and you don’t have a bunch of whip-smart beta readers that have given you thorough, specific, and perhaps agonizing feedback, I would say yes.

How much it costs:

I prefer to pay by the word rather than by the hour so that I know what my final bill will be.

Up to .02 per word is reasonable for an experienced editor (example: 50,000 words = $1000.) At Lucky Author, we charge .015 per word (example: 50,000 words = $750.) There are lots of terrible editors out there, and they should be free for all the good they will do you. If possible, hire someone with industry experience.

Copy Edits (or Line Edits)

What it is:

This is your second editing pass, after you have all the kinks worked out of your story. It’s a line-by-line critique of your prose. Over-used words, incorrect usage, awkward and unclear sentences, and everything else that makes your work sound clunky or amateurish gets hashed out here.

A copy editor is so much more than a proofreader. To better understand what a copy editor does, with embarrassing examples from my own writing, check out my post: What Does a Copy Editor Do?”

Should you hire a professional?

Absolutely. No question.

How much it costs:

Again, up to .02 a word is reasonable. At Lucky Author, we charge .016/word (example: 50,000 words = $800). We also offer “The Works” editing—developmental and copy edits, all in one pass—for .02/word. 

My above warnings about editors apply here as well.

Proofreading

Should you hire a professional?

Probably. Most people aren’t good proofreaders of their own work. They don’t catch their own mistakes because they know what it’s supposed to say. Unless you’re married to or friends with someone with expertise, I’d hire someone familiar with the Chicago Manual of Style

However, if you really need to save, you can overcome the issue of too much familiarity by reading the whole work out loud (or using a text-to-voice application and listening.) Proofreading errors will jump out at you that you would not have noticed in a regular read. This is time-consuming, but it’s free.

How much a proofreader costs:

Expect to pay .007 a word ($525 for a 75,000-word novel) or more. 

Please note that you need to do a second proofreading pass once your book is formatted. One pass isn’t enough to catch everything, and it’s even easier to catch mistakes once it’s in book form. If the book has already been proofed by a professional once, the final pass can probably be done by an English major who will do it for free because they love you.

Formatting

What it is:

Turning your book into a properly laid-out file for upload to Amazon and wherever else you like (Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and Kobo are likely choices). If you’re going to have a print edition of your book, that needs to be formatted, too. Kindle Direct Publishing, Barnes & Noble Press, IngramSpark, and Smashwords are some choices here (and they aren’t mutually exclusive.)

Should you hire a professional?

Eh, up to you.

Plenty of authors do this themselves, using software like Vellum. There can be a bit of a learning curve at the beginning. If you hire it out, an experienced formatter may make it look a bit nicer, with curly bits between section breaks, nicely designed chapter headings, and so on.

How much it costs:

You can expect to pay anywhere between $150 to $250 for an ebook without special formatting challenges. An additional print edition will cost more.

Book Cover Design

Should you hire a professional?

Unless you have strong design skills, yes.

How much it costs:

A custom ebook cover usually costs $500 and up. I think anything between $500 and $900 for a cover created with stock images is reasonable. You may pay more for top talent. If you need a print version as well, that will cost you more.

If you hire an artist to create original artwork or photography, that will probably (and rightfully) be much more expensive.

You might enjoy looking at premade ebook covers, which the designer just customizes with your book title and name. These usually run much cheaper.

Even if you’re a rock star designer, you will have to purchase the rights to the photography and design assets you use, unless they are copyright-free or you created them yourself.

Many book cover designers offer deals on bookmarks and other swag, if you’re into that kind of thing.

By the way, you might want to check out my post on book cover design mistakes to watch out for!

ISBN

What it is:

A standard international identification number for books. Libraries and some retailers won’t order your book without an ISBN, and many marketing opportunities require one.

Some publishing partners like Amazon’s KDP offer free ISBNs, but if you use them, they are the publisher of your story. If you buy your own ISBN from Bowker, then you are the publisher. That’s the only way I would go. There are websites claiming to sell ISBNs for cheaper, and they are all scams as far as I know.

Please note that if you’re doing ebook and print, you’ll need one ISBN for your ebook (you can apply the same one to a mobi and an epub file), and a different one for your print version.

How much it costs:

One ISBN costs $125, and it costs $295 for ten.

U.S. Copyright

Your creative work is your intellectual property, but if it gets ripped off, having the registered copyright may be helpful as you fight for your rights. However, some people feel that having the ISBN is enough.

How much it costs:

For self-published books by a single author, this costs $45.

I’m sorry that I don’t know about copyrights for other countries!

 

how much does it cost to self-publish a book #how to self-publish a book | books on a shelf plus an e-reader

These are just the expenses for actual book production. Your marketing budget could be nonexistent or astronomical, and there’s a lot of disagreement about the most cost-effective ways to market a book, so I’m not even going to delve into that here!

This has been a pretty quick overview, but I hope it’s helpful. If it is, please share it on your blog, Twitter, or wherever you connect with other writers…it’s much appreciated!

Whether you’re just starting to write a book or you’re in the “messy middle” of a draft, you might like to check out my book Blank Page to Final Draft. It’s a step-by-step guide to writing a novel that’s ready to publish, based on my experiences as an author and as an executive editor.

 

cover of the book BLANK PAGE TO FINAL DRAFT: How to Plot, Write, and Edit a Novel Step By Step, by by Bryn Donovan

And if you like free resources about writing, be sure to follow the blog — you can subscribe below. Thanks for reading, and good luck in all your ventures!

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