How Much Does it Cost to Publish a Book?
It’s tax season so what better time to answer the question, “How how much does it cost to write a book?”
This question is asked of me all the time. Now that I am running a Kickstarter campaign for my sequel The Wrath of Atticus, the campaign comes with its own a flurry of follow ups:
Why are you only asking $2000 for your Kickstarter?
How much does it cost to pay for an editor?
Do I need a proofreader?
What is a copy editor?
How much was your book cover?
Do you pay for advertising?
Would you like to see a picture of my penis?
Of course that last question was an unsolicited dick pic and the answer was, “No.”
All speak for my personal experience as all authors whether independent or traditionally published have their own experiences.
Before Hitting Publish
The cost to publish a book begins before an author finishes their manuscript. An aspiring author or writer needs a platform, or some kind of Internet presence. Monthly web hosting services and newsletter distributors are fees an author must pay up front before they even sell one story. Prices for these services range depending upon the kind of web site an author wants. At the very least an aspiring author or writer should own their own domain name. It’s fairly inexpensive and it serves as your calling card.
I self-host with Hostgator for about $16/month, which allows me to integrate apps and widgets that customize my web site for commercial use. I send my weekly newsletters via Aweber for about $25/month. There are free e-mail services that limit the number of subscribers you may have for free, like Mailchimp, to get a new author started.
Without even having up an editor, I’ve already spent almost $500 a year on my marketing platform.
I write stories to make a lot of money right?
Editing Costs
When you ask how much does it cost to publish a book, really one should ask, how much does the editing and proofing cost? Freelance editors charge upwards of $40 to $60 an hour. The editor may have a set fee of or $4 to $10 a page plus hourly post-editing consult. Do I recommend an editor? Every. Single. Time.
If you want to know the different types of editors, The Editors’ Association of Canada has a great post that I highly recommend.
Proofreaders charge similar rates, on the lower end.
Editing for a novel like The Wrath of Atticus, at 120,000 words (give or take a grand), will cost me upwards of $3000.
Which brings to the question asked by a concerned friend, “Why didn’t you ask the full value of the editing cost?”
As this was my first Kickstarter, I chose a number I felt cautiously optimistic about because this crowdfunding platform is all or nothing. And was I ever surprised!
Every Good Book Needs a Good Cover
Although the saying goes “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” this doesn’t apply to books.
There are a number of talented designers making pre-made covers at reasonable rates. But here’s the thing: I may not be the only one with that cover. I’ve already noted familiarity between covers of different books, or the stock photography used on covers.
That’s why I took my repeat business back to Mirella Santana. This talented woman has a knack for taking my ideas and crafting the perfect, eye-catching cover. Mirella is well worth the investment of $200 U.S. I can’t that waits to see what she does for book three!
Jessica Truscott is my model for Viper in this series of covers, and she too, is owed her due. Jessica’s fees range depending on the use of her likeness and image. I believe I spent $100 U.S.
Every Good Book Needs a Good Interior
Let’s not forget the inside of a book. Formatting the interior for an eBook is the biggest headache I dealt with in publishing The Queen’s Viper. I finally bought a pre-formatted interior for $37 US which did the job for Kobo and Amazon just fine.
Haven’t formatted for all the other markets yet. Formatting. Headache. Ugh.
What is the Cost to Publish a Book? $$$
There you have it, in part. Since there are a number of was to print per unit, I didn’t factor in the cost of printing. I also didn’t include author’s wages for the many hours of writing and editing required for a solid manuscript, or the cost of the hardware or utilities. I’d love to hire a virtual assistant and a publicist. Sigh. One day!
The costs I recoup from book sales goes directly to marketing and promotion. Guaranteed, Facebook and Amazon advertising gobbles those $$. (#funnynotfunny)
I’m very open with people when they ask me about my journey in the publishing industry. For my first two books, Growing a Rainbow, and The Queen’s Viper, I front ended the costs because I believed in the manuscripts. Growing a Rainbow is a memoir for a niche audience. It would be very unlikely that a traditional publisher would take that story on board and donate proceeds to charity. Growing a Rainbow was an ideal project for me as an independent author because I could direct the profits to the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation in their entirety, and for as long as the book is for sale.
As for The Queen’s Viper, my mother-in-law was the first to ask me why I didn’t send the manuscript to traditional publishers. To be honest, I have no solid answer. Super eager to jump on the indie wave? Viper’s manuscript is worthy of traditional publishing and the story Is unique. There is an audience for genre-blending novels featuring kid-ass villainous immortals. I’m glad I found it!
In the last two years I’ve turned more of my attention to writing and publishing and have spent fewer hours working at the hospital. That’s why I’m running a Kickstarter. I I can’t do CPR while editing my manuscript. The generous backing of this campaign gets The Wrath of Atticus off the ground faster than if I were to do it by myself while working part-time hours.
More importantly, the Kickstarter connects you to me in a special way as we reach for the stretch goals.
This is the best time to jump in and have some fun with fiction. Besides, if we reach the stretch goal of $3000, you get an extra book from me for free.
What’s better than a ticket to pure escapism worth a few grand?
Have more questions? Join me on my Kickstarter campaign website or on my Facebook author profile for a live Q&A this Wed @ 9pm E.S.T.
Fellow writers! What are the expenses that you didn’t see coming? How would you have spent your money differently if you knew now what you knew then?