10 Cost of Self-Publishing

So How Much Does All this Cost?

Just the Essentials

Writing: free (if you do it!)
Ebook conversion (using Pressbooks): $19.99/title, one-time fee, unlimited exports
PDF book file production (using Pressbooks): $99/title, one-time fee, unlimited exports
Ebook and Print book covers (using Pressbooks): Free to make (if you have the $99 package above)
Publishing and selling ebooks direct: Free (minus % of sales to retailer), plus your time
Publishing and selling print books direct: Manufacturing fee per book sold, plus % to retailer, plus your time
Marketing: Your sweat & tears

Extras You May Wish to Invest In

Editing: Average around $7.50/page (~$1,500-2,000/regular novel)
Cover: From $5 to $2,500 (we recommend spending $100-200 if you hire a professional)
Your own ISBN: ISBN…$19-$125 per book format
Distributor for ebooks: Varies–usually a percentage of sales
Distributor for print books: Varies–IngramSpark will charge you a $49 setup fee and takes a percentage of sales)

Nowadays, the biggest cost of publishing should be your time — and the most difficult part of getting your book published today should be writing it.

We hope this handbook has demystified the rest of the self-publishing process for you.

Now, you just have to write the book.