How Much Does It Cost To Publish A Book
Have you written a book for publishing? Congratulations! But before you see your book in print, keep in mind that publishing can mean some expenses on your part. Learn about the cost of publishing a book in this article.
Typical Cost Of Publishing A Book
The cost of publishing a book starts from $0 to $3,500.
Getting a publisher to print out your book will cost you nothing. Self publishing a book can range from $1,000 to $3,500.
For self-published books, the price includes printing the pages and covers of the book, registering the book with the library of Congress for the ISBN, registering your book with Books In Print, and creating a Copyright notice.
If you are lucky that a publisher shows interest in your book, the price may be zero but everything is included plus book preparation, launching, and marketing the book after its release.
Factors That Affect The Price Of Publishing A Book
Type of publishing. Not every author gets the chance to find a publisher who will be interested in gambling their resources to publish your work. Hence, authors, especially first time ones, have no choice but to self-publish their books. The main difference between the two kinds of publishing is that in self-publishing, you have control over everything including the expenses and marketing but you have full access to the books’ revenue. When a professional publishes your book, expect that they will get around 60 percent of the total revenue of your books but you don’t have to invest money on it in the first place.
There are other kinds of publishing you can use for your book besides these two options. Publish-on-demand and print-on-demand publishing can print books depending on the needs of the market. In this type of publishing, a copy may cost $5 each. Another type of publishing is offset printing, the least expensive of all means to publish a book. A total of 500 books must be printed at a time so a book can cost $2 per copy.
Number of copies. This usually applies for self-published books only. The more copies you print, the higher the total cost will become. However, usually, the more copies you order, the lower the cost for each copy will be.
Kind of book. There are several options when publishing a book. First is the cover. You can choose from hardcover or paperback. The latter is less expensive as publishing hardcover books can be twice as expensive as paperback ones. Also, the size of the book can affect the cost of publishing as well as its total number of pages.
Publisher. Different publishers price their services differently. This can usually depend on the geographical location of the publisher as well as other factors such as name, reputation, and materials they use.
Additional Costs
Self-publishers can face a lot of additional expenses when publishing their books. Book preparation is one thing. This involves editing and designing of the book’s cover. Editing usually costs one to five cents per word while designing can cost around $500 to $1,500.
Marketing the book can also be an added expense. This may include book launching and other strategies to sell your copies. This may cost around $500 to $1,000 for the startup promotions alone.
Shipping the book for self-published authors adds up to their expenses. This includes shipping the book from the publishing house to your home. This also includes shipping your books to stores you wish your copies to be sold.
The ISBN or the International Standard Book Number may cost $275 for blocks of 10.
Tips Before You Decide To Publish A Book
Decide whether you want to self-publish a book or find a publisher to help you out. The decision here will not only be based on whether a professional publisher will be putting their trust on your book or not. This can also be based on whether you can afford to self-publish a book and carry on the necessary tasks and expenses to bring it out on stores. Plus, your decision may be affected on whether or not you want control over your book including its revenues.
If you want a professional publisher to print your work, hunt for publishers who may be willing to invest on your book. Some publishers require a certain kind of book so make sure to do your homework of finding a publisher who will be interested in the type of book you have written. You can find information like this on the publishers’ websites. You can also visit a bookstore and find books similar to yours and check their publishers to get their numbers and addresses. Then, take your time writing your proposal or query letter. Most publishers read books and book concepts if they are impressed with the query letter.
If you go self-publishing, find reputable printers who can offer you good deals on your books. Take time to have someone edit your book as well as get the best cover for your book. Remember, good editing and good cover can sell your book even if you have no huge publishing company behind your back.