If you are planning to publish your book, you might be thinking about how much it will cost you. After you know the cost it can help your budget in advance and prepare you for all the expenses you will need to take on.
So, what is the magic number? What does it cost to publish a book?
The short answer can be somewhere between $0 and $10,000. There are many factors that impact the cost of a book, such as the format of your book, your publishing path, as well as the services you choose to invest in.
Read this blog to learn the average cost of book publishing along with a brief breakdown of how much money you should expect to invest in each and every step of publication.
So, let us get going!
Cost Of Publishing A Book: Breakdown
One of the best ways to get an in-depth cost breakdown is by thinking about each and every step that goes into any IE book publishing. You can figure out certain things, such as the experts you’ll have to hire, or the tools you might require to get a budget for you. The best news is that you can also save yourself some $$$ by ditching experts and doing things on your own. However, if you want your book to be of the highest quality, then you need to hire a professional publisher. Here is a brief overview of the entire process of publishing a book:
Step No. 1 – Writing
The first step of publishing revolves simply around writing the first draft of your book. This one is one of the most difficult yet one of the cheapest steps. You can easily write your masterpiece on your own, using essential writing tools or word processors. However, a lot of people, such as political leaders, industry experts, celebrities, etc., hire reputable ghostwriters to complete their books for them. Bestselling authors might also get help from these ghostwriters if they are willing to publish books all by themselves.
- Average Cost To Publish It Yourself: From $0 to $100.
- Average Cost To Hire A Publishing Expert: From $3,400 to $14,000.
Step No. 2 – Revising
If you are willing to publish your book on your own, or if you wish to ensure that your book is of the highest quality prior to sending it to publishers, it might be a great idea to hire professional editors to revise your work for any mistakes or polishing. If you are on a budget, then there is absolutely no harm in revising your book yourself.
- Average Cost To Publish It Yourself: From $0 to $100
- Average Cost To Hire A Publishing Expert: From $1,500 to $6,000
Step No. 3 – Proofreading
Proofreading your work is vital as errors and typos can hugely distract your readers from the main message or the story of your book. A mistake-free book will definitely help the readers focus on the story. It is a great idea to hire an expert for this stage. This is because you will most likely miss mistakes and errors in your own work. A fresh set of eyes always helps in proofreading rather than those who have been working on a draft endlessly for a month or years already. If you are confused about what it costs to publish a book here’s how you can save or spend your money for this step:
- Average Cost To Publish It Yourself: $0
- Average Cost To Hire A Publishing Expert: Between $400 and $1,100
Step No. 4 – Indexing
You can write the index for your book by yourself by using indexing software programs, which are usually available on elemental word programs, and by making these entries on your own. You can also opt to hire an expert book indexer. Professional book indexing costs around $36 to $40 per hour, at around 7 to 10 pages per hour. For a 200-page book, that comes out to about $700 to $1,100.
- Average Cost To Publish It Yourself: $0
- Average Cost To Hire A Publishing Expert: $700 to $1,100
Step No. 5 – Cover Design
You can make your book cover using tools like KDP Cover Creator, Photoshop, Canva, etc. However, unless you have expertise in designing, it is probably not a good idea to design a book cover on your own. Readers are able to spot a DIY cover from a mile or so away. An expertly designed book cover can dramatically increase your sales. If you are worried about overspending your budget, then you would be glad to know that there are some affordable yet professional book covers and book publishing in IE options available for you to get your book cover designed. A lot of designers tailor premade covers and sell them on social media and online platforms at a low rate, mostly ranging between $20 and $500. However, if you want a high-quality book cover design that is fully personalised to your book, then it will probably cost you more, i.e. from $500 to $2,000.
- Average Cost To Publish It Yourself: $0
- Average Cost To Hire A Publishing Expert: $20 – $2,000
Step No. 6 – Illustration
If your book has an artistic background, then you can also illustrate your book. All you need to do is pay for the materials costs, and that is it. However, if you do not have a proper art background, then it will be your best bet to hire a professional illustrator. There are a lot of online platforms, such as Fiver, etc., where you can actually hire expert illustrators without having to worry about how much it costs to publish a book.
- Average Cost To Publish It Yourself: From $0 to $500
- Average Cost To Hire A Publishing Expert: From $300 to $2,000
Step No. 7 – Formatting
It takes a lot of work and even more time to format a book. The certain costs of formatting a book depend on the type of book you are working on. For instance, novels might need fewer skills to format as compared to picture books. If you are willing to format your book all by yourself, then you can do it for $0. By using Scrivener and Microsoft Word, you will have export options that can create a publication-ready file. However, by doing so, you cannot endure the high quality of your formatted book.
- Average Cost To Publish It Yourself: $0 to 250
- Average Cost To Hire A Publishing Expert: Approximately $300 to $1,000
Step No. 8 – Printing
Printing is the part in which your draft is converted into a proper physical book that you can easily hold in your hands. It revolves around binding the cover, printing the pages, and a lot more. You can hire any reputable book publishing company Ireland to get your book printed in top-notch quality. However, there are also a lot of self-publishing platforms that handle all the printing for free such as IngramSpark and Amazon KDP. As a consequence, many self-published authors do not have to pay for this step at all. Moreover, you can also use an independent book printer to print your book yourself. This would cost you no more than $3 to $8 per book. So, the answer to “What is the cost of publishing a book” actually depends on how many copies you wish to print.
- Average Cost To Publish It Yourself: None, as a lot of authors do not own a professional printing press
- Average Cost To Hire A Publishing Expert: If you use a self-publishing platform then it would cost you $0, however, if you use an independent book printer, then it would probably cost you about $3 to $8 per book
Step No. 9 – Marketing And Publicity
Social media platforms including Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, etc., have become alarmingly useful ways to promote books. They are absolutely free to use and you have the liberty to opt for the perfect social media platform on the basis of which one your potential audience prefers.
A lot of writers, even the ones who have been published traditionally, invest up to $5,000, or even more than that on marketing only. So, get ready to spend at least this much on marketing if you wish your masterpiece to sell well.
- Average Cost To Publish It Yourself: $50 to 5,000
- Average Cost To Hire A Publishing Expert: From $500 to $6,000
How much can I expect to be paid for publishing my book?
If you are a self-published writer, you can expect to earn up to 40 per cent to 60 per cent royalties for the selling price of your masterpiece. However, if you are a traditionally published writer, you will earn no more than about 10 per cent to 12 per cent royalties.
Will it be profitable to publish my book?
The money you can earn from writing and selling your book varies on a number of factors. However, authors can expect to earn an advance plus 5 to 15 per cent royalties from their books that are published traditionally.
How much will it cost me to get my book published?
The total cost of the book varies on different factors, such as length. However, data suggests that the cost of self-publishing a book can range from $2000 to $4000. Traditional publishers offer a much cheaper alternative. However, they need a publisher’s cut.
What is the most affordable way to publish my book?
The cheapest way to self-publish is none other than an e-book. There are a lot of online self-publishing platforms such as Barnes & Noble Press, Lulu, Amazon, and various other similar platforms that do not charge a single penny for publishing books.
Summing It All Up!
So, by reading the above information, we are sure that you got the answer to “What does it cost to publish a book?” The total cost of book publishing depends on a lot of different factors and steps (as mentioned above). So, if you are on a budget, then follow the tips given in the above blog to publish your book successfully. That is quite some math to work through! It turns out that the total cost of publishing a book actually varies on what you are willing and able to spend. Isn’t that great?