Episode 14: The Costs of Self-Publishing

Today on the show Jodi talks about the costs of self-publishing a book. Self-publishing grew 40% in 2018, according to Bowker. Author-entrepreneurs know the advantages of self-publishing, which we explored in Episode 6, particularly control, but they often have no idea what they should expect to pay to write, publish, and market a book to serve their business. 

Author-entrepreneurs understand that a book is an investment in their business and treat it as such. They are willing to spend money on a book because they see it as another business expense.

Every area in which money is spent on writing, publishing, and marketing a book should have a budget associated with it. Each area can be accomplished by spending zero dollars up to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on whether the author-entrepreneur has a shoestring budget or a “done for you”-type of budget. Hire professionals like editors, cover artists, and publicists based on their zone of genius and then let them do their job. 

Once you set a budget, stick to it as much as possible so there aren’t any surprises down the road. If you decide you need to spend more in a certain area, revisit your budget and adjust elsewhere.

Always remember this: As with anything book-related, everything starts with the writing. You can’t publish an unwritten book, nor can you market one. Happy writing!

Listen here or on your favorite podcast player, and let me know what you think!