The Hidden Costs of Publishing

There is a lot of information swirling around online about the financials of academic publishing— how much authors might earn, how much it costs to publish a book, etc. Royalties and subsidiary rights are obvious financial topics that surround the publishing industry, but what about the publishing costs for nonfiction authors that are less discussed? Moving forward with the publication of your book is a big decision, but a lot of the smaller logistics in the process can rack up quite the bill.

Working with a publisher can make the process of publishing your book much smoother, faster, and more collaborative, but like self-publishing, can have “hidden” costs. The types of costs and amounts vary by publisher and avenue of publication, but here is an overview of some common costs you might not be aware of as a first-time author.

Is it Cheaper to Self-Publish?

The short answer is not necessarily. It can be if you’re a well-established author with a large following and a lot of infrastructure to make use of, but on average a general audience title will cost between $2,000 and $6,000 to self-publish. As we’ll go into later on, this is made up of your use of various services, such as editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing. If you self-publish, most of these are not covered, and if you go with a publisher, several can be.

Rights and royalties aside, the route you choose depends on the level of control you’d like throughout the process, how much time you are willing to invest beyond researching and writing the manuscript, and how much money you can put toward the following items.

Permissions

It is highly likely that when compiling your manuscript, you’ll face the permissions question. Reusing any copyrighted content can come with a cost, and generally this falls to authors to pay. Costs apply to both written quotations and images or illustrations.

Fair use is a continually gray area of publishing, so many publishers will prefer their authors to err on the side of caution and secure written permission from the copyright holder. That said, if the publisher you are working with is a nonprofit or university press, you may see a discount.

Costs per use case vary widely. Sometimes it can be a few hundred for an image, but if you’re quoting widely and at length you should budget upwards of $1,000. To control these costs, you can look into using Creative Commons or Open Access content, use an illustrator you have an established relationship with, or ask your publisher about redraws. Sometimes if the image is uncomplicated a publisher’s production team can cover multiple redraws across the manuscript.

Editing

The majority of costs a nonfiction author can incur in the publishing process originate after the manuscript is written. Though the idea of paying an editor isn’t novel, you might be surprised to learn just how many types of editing exist, and that even when working with an academic publisher, not all levels are covered. A quick breakdown of the types of editing you can invest in:

• Internal Assessment—Many publishers will offer some level of this for the manuscript idea and a few chapters in its early stages, sometimes in conjunction with a peer review process. If self-publishing, you can hire an editor to assist here with early-stage rewrites and feedback on scope or viability.
• Developmental Editing—A more comprehensive editorial assessment that focuses on structure, with overarching suggestions for improving the argument, evidence, organization, and flow of your manuscript.
• Line Editing—Used to address the style of your writing on a sentence level to help maintain a consistent tone, improve word choice, identify text to be cut or expanded upon, and write clear sentences in fluent English.
• Copyediting—Sentence-level editing that focuses on consistency, eliminating repetition, fixing mechanical errors, and applying the house style guide (AMA, APA, Chicago, etc.). Copyediting fine-tunes a manuscript that is already finalized from the content perspective.
• Proofreading—Likely the least expensive and the last stage editing service an author might select, proofreading is typically reserved for minor typos and consistency between manuscript sections on page proofs.

In addition to editorial assessment, working with a publisher can include some form of copyediting and/or proofreading. Some traditional publishers may offer developmental editing, but many do not. If you’re self-publishing, each of these services can average over $1,000 each and may be charged per word or per hour. However, there are many edits authors may choose to take on themselves, or work with a colleague to complete. Consequently, the total you would pay for only a couple of these services can vary widely and be made more manageable.

These costs increase depending on the book genre, length, level, or language expertise required. Luckily, there are many talented editors and price options out there to find a service level that works for your manuscript.

Design

When it comes to how your book looks, the main things to consider are page layout, typesetting, and cover design. The level of service for each depends almost entirely on cost.

If you’re self-publishing and don’t mind a simple ePUB or PDF for distribution of exactly what you’ve created, platforms like Reedsy or Kindle Create (Amazon) offer free file conversion from submitted formats such as Microsoft Word. However, many books require some form of professional typesetting. It will be covered if working with a publisher, but outsourced typesetting can cost several hundred dollars. Do-it-yourself-ers can find formatting software for less than $200.

The other major design element is the book cover. Publishers will usually cover this cost but also have a say in the final design decision. Self-publishing allows for more creative control, but you can expect to pay around $300 minimum for an illustration and up from there for the full cover. Because the cover is possibly the most important marketing tool for your book, you may not want to skimp on your reader’s first impression.

Indexing, ISBN, Copyright, Printing

An unsuspecting author can run into a slew of hidden costs as they’re preparing to go to press. Indexing, or creating a list of sources, studies, people, and other keywords with page numbers, can run on average from $500 to $2,000 and usually falls to authors. You may have the option with an academic publisher to use their freelancers, which will run you on average several dollars per page or per 1,000 words depending on the academic publisher. However, if you’re writing a trade or general audience book, you often aren’t required to include an index.

ISBNs, which identify your book, are pretty much standard. Every format needs its own ISBN, which runs $125 per barcode or is discounted if you get a bundle. Publishers will cover this cost. Applying for copyright with the United States Library of Congress or your nation’s bureau is also standard, and in the US a standard application is $65. Self-publishing authors pay this fee out of pocket, but publishers handle this cost.

An increasingly popular method of printing is Print On Demand (POD), where copies are only printed as ordered. Volume printing and print runs are becoming rarer for both publishers and self-publishing. Printing and distribution are covered by the publisher except in rare cases, and for self-publishing, some traditional e-book self-publishing platforms are now offering POD options where you can list your book for free. For example, if using a service such as Kindle Direct Publishing, you can elect POD and costs are removed from royalties. Outside this service costs are around $10/book.

Marketing

The all-important piece once your book is out in the world is marketing, and costs again vary widely across self-publishing and working with a publisher. Publishers may or may not provide support in this area, and if you’re adding to these efforts you can expect to pay out of pocket. Options include a website, email promotion, advertising, and any launch events. Publishers will rarely cover travel and event costs, so it is best to budget ahead of time for marketing, either primarily around your book’s launch or per year for the first few years.

Estimated marketing costs for a nonfiction author depend on how much you are able to invest. Still, if you’re only able to invest your time, there are a number of free options to consider. Social media posts, Facebook groups, and postable graphics are great options, and some podcasts or blogs will review your book and share it with their audience at no cost.

Conclusion

Your financial obligations as an author depend on the type of publishing you pursue, but there will always be some costs involved. Ahead of deciding which route to take, it will be well worth your time to do a cost analysis of expenses and anticipated sales based on the market. If you’re a first-time author, it may feel reassuring to have a publisher to cover some costs, but if you feel yourself to be a bit savvier about the publication process, you might find a higher value in self-publishing.

Regardless of how you evaluate costs to publish, the more you plan ahead, the fewer “hidden” costs will come out of the woodwork to surprise you and distract from the main thing to celebrate: getting your book out there!