Sometimes I'm doing research for the Goncharov remake script and I get so overwhelmed with emotions I have to take a break and do nothing for anywhere between ten minutes to ten hours

How much does it really cost to self-publish?

When deciding which route you want to take to publish your novel, there are many different variables to consider. One of the biggest drawbacks of self-publishing is the cost it takes to produce a beautiful and quality novel. If you decide to self-publish, then unfortunately, you work has barely begun. Writing the novel is step one in a long list of items that take your book from a manuscript to being available for sale to the public. As a self-publishing author, every step is your responsibility and that includes financially. I have composed a summary to give you an idea of what you can expect to pay covering both ends of the spectrum, from high end to low end prices.

  1. Editing. This is, by far, the most expensive thing when it comes to getting your book self-published, but also the most important. I would absolutely suggest doing as much editing as you are able to on your own to minimize the cost, as well as finding beta readers (I offer that service for free BTW). They will catch things you won’t. Be sure to find an editor that works with your genre specifically, as they will give you your most valuable feedback (and some editors won’t edit certain genres). There are multiple kinds of editing, and while I don’t feel it is mandatory to get all of them, I do think they are all beneficial. a. Copyediting In my opinion, this is the most detrimental of all the types of editing. This is when the editor will check for grammar and punctuation mistakes, inconsistencies in the story or timeline, and makes sure certain items stay the same throughout the novel. While I do see this as the most important, it should also be one of the last edits you do (Unless you are getting it proofread). The cost of this service will range depending on if the editor charges by hour, by page (250 words is a page), or by word count. Hourly rates can range from $30-$80 per hour, $3- $5 per page, or $0.01 to $0.02 per word. For an 80,000 word novel, you will be looking somewhere between $800-$1,600. b. Developmental editing This covers your story itself. If there are plot holes or the characters don’t seem to grow, this is where the editor tells you what doesn’t work. Things that are cliché or farfetched will be reworked until the story is at the best it can be. This is a major edit and may cause you to rewrite large portions of the plot. Editors know what does and doesn’t sell in your genre, and will help your book have more positive responses from more readers. $45-$55 per hour or $0.06 -$0.08 per word. An 80,000 word novel for this service will cost around $4,800- $64,000 (I know…I about choked to death). c. Line editing. This is exactly how it sounds. Each sentence is dissected and checked for awkward phrasing, better word options, word repetition, and fact checking. This is another fantastic service that will drastically improve the quality of the novel. I have read so many books recently that could benefit from this service. This is around $0.019 per word, but a lot of time you can get a cheaper copyedit/line edit combo. Line editing alone for an 80,000 word book will put you at about $1,500. d. Proofreading. This doesn’t really change much of the book. This is just to double check what has already been previously copyedited. This is a nice polish to add on to your editing to be secure in the product you are about to publish. This will cost you about $.006 -$0.009 per word which comes to around $500- $700 for an 80,000 word manuscript. *Complete editing including all services is going to land you in between $6000-$8000. I know that is insane, and I know I don’t have six grand lying around. Do what you can do and remember this is an investment. If you are a more seasoned author you can get away with doing less. Decide where you will benefit the most and go from there.   2. Formatting and Layout Formatting is the way the book looks on the page and the way it appears on e-book vs printed copy. This can be done for free if you have the skills to do so or know someone that can. If you don’t, conversions can range from $150-$2000. While formatting is important, self-publishing isn’t cheap so if I had to skimp and go a little cheaper somewhere, this would be where I would do it.   3. ISBN number The ISBN is the little barcode on the back of the books. They are used to identify the book, edition, and publisher. You can grab a single ISBN number for $125, or ten for $250. There is nowhere to bargain shop for this, the price is set. It isn’t always necessary if you are only publishing in e-book format, but be aware that you may not be listed as the publisher for your own self-published book. If you are going to be writing more books or putting out multiple additions of your book, it would be smarter to get the ten pack.   4. Book Cover For me, the cover is where I want to go all out. I’m obsessed with book covers so this is the part I am excited about going through. You do have a lot of options, just remember this is the first thing people see involving your book so you want it to stand out and be eye-catching. a. Create your own. Let me go on the record saying that I do not recommend this unless you have extensive experience with this type of design. Not having the knowledge on what makes a book cover esthetically pleasing, can easily result in readers not even giving the book a chance. While this is the cheapest option by being free, I do not see it as the smartest option.  b. Hire a designer for a custom made cover. This is the highest recommendation by a long shot. Good covers cost you in between $200-$500, but also your books will be the only one with that design and is created based off your story. (I will say one of the most beautiful work I’ve seen that also has a very decent price is murphyrae.net. He also offers other services at very reasonable rates.) c. Stock image cover These cost around $50 or so, but are reused and edited over and over. I refuse to buy a book if I know it has a stock image. Maybe that is a little stuck up, but I hate having more than one book with the same cover I think it cheapens the entire project. Seriously, I would rather an author create their own cover than go this route. d. Hire multiple professionals. Some authors will hire models, photographers, and designers, as well as purchase their own font. I can’t really put a price on this because there are so many factors and I have no idea how to go about finding a model. If you have contacts with people that do these things though, you may be able to create a beautifully unique cover with all the elements chosen by you. This is an interesting option and I have seen some amazing covers that went this direction. *Also, keep in mind, if you are planning on putting the book on both e-book and printed format, you will need to purchase the cover for both. (They will look the same, but the printed book has a spine and a back cover as well. E-books don’t.)   5. Website. It is important to have a website. It’s a place for people to find you and for you to showcase your work and showoff your brand. The range in price is as extreme as you can imagine. There are websites that offer free basic website packages (such as Wordpress and Wixsite) as well as the ability to upgrade giving you things like a custom domain. You can also get a website custom designed on the low end for $300 and it can jump up all the way to $10,000 (that seems excessive) on the high end. While I do think a quality website is important, I don’t believe this is the place to spend thousands unless you have it to burn.   6. Author photo. Your author photo is what goes in the back of the book and the image you can use for your website and social media sites. A basic headshot will cost you in between $100-$250, but if you want to look like a supermodel in your photo, modeling headshots will cost you upwards $200-$400. For me, this is not the important place to splurge. As long as the photo looks professional, you are good to go.   7. Printing. There isn’t much of need to pay much for printing these days with book on demand options (Such as Amazon’s Createspace) and e-book popularity. There will be times that you will need to get large quantities for your book such as book signings and other author events. For a basic 400 page book without any special images or other additions will be roughly $4.00 -$5.00 per book.   8. Marketing. This is a tricky one because there are so many ways to go about it that don’t cost money, such as asking bloggers and like authors if they would like to help promote your book. You can give some of the proceeds to a good cause (gaining readers AND helping people… It doesn’t get better than that), going to author events and self-promotion (not too much) on your own page. There are also the advertising options, such as Facebook advertising which is around $3-$15 per post depending how many people you want to reach or $5 a day page promotion (Keep in mind this is usually untargeted, so while you may reach a lot of people most of them may not care). You could also go the crazy expensive route and get publicists and marketing consultants, but I couldn’t begin to tell you what that would cost. I personally feel it’s about contacts and relationships when it comes to marketing so get out there and make friends with other writers and people that share the same passion as you do. Books!   When I first got the numbers, it discouraged me a little bit, but keep in mind that you may be able to hire someone locally that is more affordable or maybe you have a friend has some knowledge in one of these subjects that you can ask for help. I would suggest knowing exactly what you are going to spend where, before doing anything, so you have a clear understanding of your budget. Also, remember that some of these professionals are booked out months in advance, so if you find one you like give yourself plenty of time. Just whatever you do don’t give up. This is your dream, so even though things like budget can get discouraging sometimes, don’t allow yourself to give up on your goals.   * Was this post helpful? Anything you would add? Thank you so much for reading and keep writing! Charity B.