How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book?

How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book? I'm sure many indie authors and publishers would love it if there was a nice, neat answer to this question. Unfortunately, because every project is unique and there are several factors that involve several variables, it just isn't possible to give specific numbers that will apply across the board.

It is possible however and very advisable, to familiarize yourself with the various components that go into publishing a book; that doesn't change much. The information provided here is based on services in the U.S.A. and from here you can research going rates for equivalent services where you live. 1. Editing This is a step that, unfortunately, too many independent authors overlook. It truly is a necessity however to have your book professionally edited until it is as near to perfect as it can be. This might involve developmental work at the beginning and another round focusing on the technical stuff like having periods and commas in the right places at the end. At each stage you can plan to pay anywhere from a dollar a page if your manuscript is really clean to begin with, up to seven or eight dollars a page for more detailed assessments for work that needs a lot of help. If you know someone whose profession involves writing in some form, you may be able to get a bargain, but do no matter what, do not skip this step. Your readers and your reputation should be worth the expense. 2. Cover Design This is an area where you can pay a lot or not, depending partly on your personal preferences. Costs for graphic design are all over the board. You can get a quality cover done for a few hundred dollars or a few thousand. The two biggest factors to consider is professional knowledge of what makes a good design as well as your satisfaction. Some people will pay a little more to work with someone they absolutely love even if they might get something similar for less. 3. Interior Layout & Prep As with cover design, you'll need to find an experienced graphic designer for this element as well. This time price will partly be determined by complexity. It should cost less if your content is mainly text that needs to be set into chapters, compared to having a lot of photos, charts or graphs that all need to be sized appropriately etc. Here again, costs could be a few hundred to somewhere in the thousand dollar range. 4. Printing There are a several factors that play a role in determining your cost per book. One of the main ones is how long the book is of course, but quantity figures in as well. Generally speaking, if you're using print on demand technology (printing only a handful at a time) you will pay somewhere around four to seven or eight dollars for a 150 page book roughly. If you print 500 or more, the cost should start to go down. Print cost is definitely one factor where it is imperative to comparison shop and to be absolutely sure about what you're getting for your money. As you can hopefully see, the costs of publishing can be significant. However, if you have a message to share, something to say that will make a difference in the life of someone else, you'll also find it is worth it. How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book? Related articles: Spring Valley Vitamins