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I wish I had found a mentor to share the cost of self-
publishing a book with me before stepping into that arena
without a flashlight. If I had that mentor, coach, or guide,
I would have used my very, very small budget differently.
My suggested budget is not etched in stone, and the figures are notalways exact. They are estimates based on several writer's input. You, of course, may find many ways to cut cost. You may have a friend who is a college professor, or an English teacher who can edit
for you. I do, however, suggest the following:
DO NOT try to edit your writing yourself because scientific studies show that when you try to edit your own work, your eyes adjust to
mistakes as correct—the extra period, comma, misspelling,
run-on sentence, etc. will look correct. I pulled
my novel off the market three times because the first time,
I thought I was such a great editor that I didn’t need an editor.
No, my editing was great for others, not for me. The next two
times, I had editors who were so incompetent that it took almost a year to straighten things out that I never told them to touch.
Yes, we all need editors, fresh eyes for that final polish. BE SURE to have your potential editor to give you an sampling of his or her work before signing a contract.
You may have a graphic design friend who can whip up
a killer book cover. Any good text layout person can design
your interior text. Those are just a few of the ways you can get
more for less. Below, I’m giving you an average cost
outlay without the favors. Adjust it according to your resources
and needs:
1)BOOK EDITING—approximately 1-2 months---------------$500--$1,000
This is a simple line edit. It does not include a rewrite, or ghostwriting. So make sure you have your story right before you find an editor, unless you’re willing and able to pay dearly.
2)BOOK COVER DESIGN----------------------------------------$500--$1,000
This is the suit for your story. It is the look that will cause a reader to pick up and purchase, or leave your book on the shelf. Letters should be bold enough to be
seen at a distance, fading light, Internet reprints and diminishing size. Colors should match the mood of your story. It should be a motif that captures your story in one glance.
Is a striking cover worth a professional’s hands and mind? I think so.
3) ISBN NUMBERS—(10) -----------------------------------------------$185--$185.
The ISBN number identifies your book from all others. It is the book’s
Fingerprint. With that number, your book can be found anyplace in the world. If You’re publishing with a mainstream publishing company instead of your own company,you don’t need an ISBN. The company uses theirs, and they own your rights, most likely. If you’re self-publishing, though,you must have one.
4) INTERIOR TEXT LAYOUT-------------------------------------------$200--$500.
If you know PDF and have decent computer skills, you can do this one yourself. But you all know I am tech challenged. The PDF freezes your manuscript, and no one can manipulate it. You or someone takes
your manuscript and shapes it into a book. It shows you exactly what it will look like when it returns to you printed.
5) PUBLISHING------------------------------------------------------------ $200--$5,000
There are so many variables in publishing-- book—size, number of pages, trade paperback, or hardcover, full color, type of paper, etc. There are printers in China that
might charge $2.75 for a 250 page novel, but it may take each order two months, or more to get to the US without being charged a fortune for faster shipping. Next are the US printers. They are a bit more expensive. That 250-page book, trade paperback, might cost $4.00. With each of the above, you have a minimum required purchase of 100- 500 copies, usually 1000 copies brings a decent price. $4.00 X 1000 books = $4,000. So where does the four grand come from? If you have it, that’s a decent price. Now, If you’re selling for the average $15.99 or whatever X 1000 = $16,000—not bad.
But, wait! If you don’t have the four grand, just go POD—PRINT-ON-DEMAND. You will not need inventory. The company prints books when you demand them. Well, that method will cost you a bit more, and your bottom line will be a bit less. But if you have a good, solid, creative marketing plan, you can take the smaller amount and save enough to purchase a few hundred or a few thousand books from a good print house in a few months. Just remember, use all of your income toward buying books and getting publicity.
POD—the books are more expensive. They cost you about$5.50 + shipping to you--about $1.00.
Now your $15.99 retail book that cost you 5.50 to print will retur $10.49. Always put 50% away for marketing. You have $5.per book. Well, sell 1,000 books out of the back of your car, on Amazon, or in front of the bank, and you’ll have $5,000.
When you have that income in hand, you can go and buy $2,500 worth of books, and
spend $2,500 on carefully planned publicity. NOW YOU’RE ON YOUR WAY!
You’ve got 1,000 books and a good deal of the right kind of publicity all over the world.
Now your 1,000 books are bringing you a $10 net return of $10,000. You’re not rich
yet, but you’re far from where you started. You can sit down and plan a real book
Campaign. The great thing about POD is this: you can buy 1 book if you like and build on that. It’s exactly what I did.
ADVANCED REGISTRATIONS—while waiting to release your book there are several
Book registrations that must be done. Most cost a bit. Copyright is about $30. Advance
Notice of Publication is about $50. Also you have to send the books to book clubs, reviewers, shows you want to be on, and you’ll need postage. I calculate that cost at-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------$150
REVIEW COPIES………………………………………… 100 copies $5.00) $500
POSTAGE………………………………………………………100 copies $3.00 $300
Approximate cost POD Low $2,035
Approximate cost high 1000 books printed $5,535
Remember this: you don't need all of that money at one time. You can use 20 books and build to that $2,035. If you chose to go high end, and spent, 5,035. you have a thousand books. Now you're in business for real.
About the Author: Martha Tucker is the author of an award-winning novel, The Mayor’s Wife Wore Sapphires, an urban political thriller. She also wrote a book on writing techniques she learned while taking ten years to write her novel. She is also founder of
New image Writers, writers who portray African Americans in a more positive way than the media shows them. On her website is a the Take-You-By-The-Hand
Method of how she made a success of her novel, starting with no money. For a free consultation contact her at one of the following:
www.newimagewriters.com
blog.newimagewriters.com
marthatucker@helloworld.com
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