Cost to Self Publish

Self-Publishing Costs

These are the costs to Self-Publish

  • Your time to write the book. With 10-15K words this should not take too long. There are tips below to make the writing process easy even if English is not your first language. You may think you are a lousy writer, and the best way to improve is to write and write some more.
  • Once your book is written, and even before it is finished, it’s a good idea to hire a book editor and this will cost from $500 to $1500. There are different types of editors for different stages of your book preparation. You may need them all or only for a final proof read.

There is a tool I use called, Natural Reader for editing. You load up your manuscript into the free software, click, choose the voice and press play. As you listen to your book being read to you it’s easy to pick up where your words don’t flow, spelling and obvious grammar errors.

Using the Natural Reader reduces my editing costs because I improve my manuscript ready for the editors eye. The better it is, the less work the editor needs to do and this lowers the cost. Most good editors will ask for sample of your work to give you a quote.

  • Book Cover Design is important as many people buy by the look of your book. You can do this yourself, hire cheaply on Fiverr or for a higher cost on 99 Designs.

This book cover design for my first book ” Savvy Experts Online” cost US $24

  • Once you are happy with your cover design and content the next step is formatting for online marketplaces such as Amazon. You can do this yourself or it’s also done cheaply on Fiverr for around US$50, depending in the number of words and images in your book.

Congratulations, your book is written…now what…..

Reaching your readers

Sad but true, writing a good book does not necessarily sell your book.

A lot of effort is needed to promote your book and this needs to start even before writing your book. For first time authors, personally, I’d get the book written, and then when you are confident of a finished product, start the marketing process.

Book marketing strategies are available from good trainers, easy to master and there are affordable options to outsource. This is a huge topic and to be covered in another article. Message me if you would like me to send you some of my best resources and strategies.

Reasons why people write books for business.

A book will help your business in many ways including:

  • Creating an income stream,
  • Building credibility and authority,
  • Reaching a global audience,
  • Gaining PR traction offline such as TV and Radio appearances, newspaper and magazine promotions and bookstore “The Author Speaks” invitations
  • Showcasing your expertise, information, products, services and ideas,
  • Connecting with your readers online,

Just being able to put published author on your LinkedIn profile increases your credibility.

The hard way to write a book

As a professional and an expert, you want to be thorough, and give your readers the best information and show off your knowledge…..just a bit.

You can sit down at your computer, do a brain dump of your knowledge, and write everything you know.

STOP !, this is the hard way.

I know because my first book about online business was 60,000 words. This process took me a couple of years, it’s hard being a perfectionist, and it was so unnecessary to achieve my online business goals ie

  • To expand my online audience,
  • Be of amazing value to my readers, and
  • Grow my online income stream with the self-publishing strategy.

The easier way to write a book

You may think writing a book is beyond you. It’s not, and there are many shortcuts to achieve your self-publishing business goals. Knowing these will reduce the pain.

First, you don’t need 60,000 words.

Most Best Selling non-fiction books are only 10,000 – 15,000 words. Becoming a Best Seller is easier than you may think, and it’s not all related to how good your book or writing is. This is where the importance of book marketing kicks in.

If you are only writing one book ever, it’s a good idea to outsource your book promotion. If you’d like to write several books then learn the basics of book marketing strategies and choose what you want to do and outsource other components. This may include promoting your book to 50 book sites, creating a simple author platform as a Facebook business page or simple website.

If you are not a natural writer or have a passion to write, there are easy ways to get words on paper.

  • All books need a plan before you start

Use a free tool called MindMap to structure your book. With a plan you keep focused, and a MindMap will help you to achieve your goals faster.

If you want to improve your writing, “Grammarly” is one “go to” tool. Once you have the software loaded to your computer all writing is checked for grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Personally, I wouldn’t be without it to pick up typo’s and errors. There is a free version and premium package that’s still pretty low cost.

There is another tool which I have only trialed and it seems as good as Grammarly. It’s called , “Pro Writing Aid Editing Tool” it cheaper than the Grammarly premium and gives a 14 day trial.

  • If you need more help than grammar and want to improve your writing style and readability, the Hemingway App. is what you need. This App shows your where your sentences are too wordy, and how to make your work more readable.

For one fee of under $20 US or use the free version it’s worth your valuable time. This tool improved my writing, and confidence.

  • If you don’t like writing, use a talk to text software.

Voice recognition software is a good way to get your thoughts on paper. I have used Naturally Speaking for our own voice and to transcribe video’s.

Naturally Speaking software is good to summarize your expert skills as you begin to structure your book. If you have a long commute, you can even record on your phone while driving.

  • If you just want someone to help, there are editors to help you planning, writing and polishing ready for self-publishing. You can find editors on Fiverr however do your research, read reviews from others who have used their services.

 Have No Time To Write a Book?

  • There are professional services who will work with you to plan you book. You provide the material and ideas to write your book. If you have a few thousand dollars to spare, this is the fastest way to gain all of the business benefits from self-publishing. I have come across several of these services in my self-publishing journey to find good editors.