Fees
How Much Does it Cost?
Self-Publishing – From Raw Manuscript to polished, finished book…
The honest answer is that ‘it depends’… on how long your book is, how many pictures you want to use, whether you use colour in the book, do you need editing and proofreading, plus a number of other factors – and all that is before you go to print! There are so many variables involved that no one can give a realistic idea of cost without knowing exactly what they are dealing with and what you, as the author, are aiming to do. Our policy is to provide you with a detailed quote based on the services you require once we have seen the manuscript. However, our cost estimator (below) will give you a rough estimate based on the parameters you enter. We work on the basis of a 50% deposit with order, with the balance being due on completion of print-ready material (prior to submission for printing).
See Our Costing Illustration at the bottom of this page.
Editing & Proofreading
Generally speaking, Editing & Proofreading are often bundled into one operation for practical purposes – they can often be done simultaneously.
While complex or difficult projects may be charged more, editing and proofreading are charged for on the basis of $0.02 per word for each service, $0.03 per word if done together. This does not include extra and complex operations such as indexing, rewrites or restructuring, which will be quoted for separately.
Book Formatting & Cover Design
We provide professional book formatting services, using the latest Adobe Indesign technology to make your book visually appealing and reader-friendly. Base rate, from: $300*.
This excludes complicated tabling and special formatting for textbooks or technical books, for which a specific quote will be provided. Indexing can be provided from a supplied list of words, at a base fee of $200*.
Cover Design: You may submit your own cover or provide a photograph or graphic for us to design a cover for you. Includes sourcing an ISBN and a barcode. Base rate: $100*.
*These are base minimums – final quote subject to the size and complexity of the book.
Preparation of Photos & Graphics
Some books, non-fiction books in particular, contain illustrations, photos and other graphics to illustrate the content.
We have developed our own techniques for the digital enhancement of even the most faded and scratched black-and-white print.
I work with both physical prints, which are carefully scanned and then digitally enhanced – or digital prints. As many of the latter are taken on cell phones these days, they sometimes require a great deal of work to make them print-ready.
Base rate: $5 per picture, but subject to quotations for more complex work.
Specialised Services
eBook Creation & Conversions
You, as the author, may decide you wish to publish your books in both print and eBook format. In this case, it is relatively straightforward to convert the print-ready material prepared for the print book into an eBook. Base Price: $200*.
Alternatively, you may wish to go the eBook route only. In this case, all the formatting and production costs for print books will apply.
To date, we have converted and/or created well over 200 books into eBooks, both for our own authors and for other publishers. We can work from scratch, using the basic Word manuscript, or from print-ready artwork (ie PDFs). We can produce a variety of outputs: ePubs (fixed layout and reflowable), Kindle or interactive PDFs (or all of the above for the same book).
*This is a base minimum – final quote subject to the size and complexity of the book.
Miscellaneous Services
New Life for Old Books
This is a highly specialised service which can involve individually scanning and transforming each page of an old book. Pricing will depend on a number of factors: (a) Size of the book; (b) whether it contains pictures or graphics; and (c) other special content such as tables, footnotes, etc. As such, projects like these will be subject to a quote.
Author’s Copies
You can have any number of books printed, from 10 copies to more than 100, if you wish. These “Author’s Copies” may be used as gifts, or as review copies, or you can sell and distribute them yourself. Subject to Quote.
Picture shows Frank, who is also an author in his own right, with copies of his book “Do You Speak Catholic?”
Upload to Sales Platforms
Where Frank is asked to upload print and eBooks to various sales platforms, this will be subject to a fee, which could include the fee which some platforms charge. In the case of KDP/Amazon, they do not charge a fee, and in that case, the standard fee we charge is $100 (for both print and eBook).
How It All Works - Costing Illustration
Let us use as an example a 30 000-word non-fiction book, with no index, but with 20 pictures. It requires both proofreading and editing. It must also be converted to an eBook and uploaded to Amazon.
Proofreading & Editing – 30 000 words @ $0,03 = $900,00
+ Formatting = $300,00
+ Cover Design = $200,00
+ Picture Work: 20 pictures @ $5 = $100,00
+ Create an eBook = $200,00
+ Upload to KDP/Amazon = $100,00
Total = $1800,00
Printing Costs
The cost of printing “Author’s Copies” of the book detailed in the above sample will be between $7 and $12 per copy, depending on the quantity ordered. So, for example, 25 books @ $11,00 = $275
Download my Free Self-Publishing Guide
You will be able to download both my Free Self-publishing Guide and my latest newsletter when you request an estimate for your book.
