The publisher is responsible for the costs of putting the book out into the world. That means when a book is self-published, the author is taking on those costs theirself.
Since self-publishing I Know You Like a Murder, a few people have asked for an idea of what they can expect to spend if they chose to self-publish. So I thought I’d share this info with all of you.
Overall, I want to say: Costs will vary! My costs will not equal your costs. We want different things, we make different connections, we have different skills, lead different lives.
- Want different things: A perk of self-publishing is the freedom for authors to choose what works with their budget, their vision, and their goals. An author wanting to print something off for their family versus an author wanting to make the NYTBS list will have hugely different costs.
- Make different connections: Some people may know a copyeditor, cover designer, book formatter, graphic designer for marketing materials, bloggers/vloggers/social media influencers to get the word out, etc. It takes a village, and each author may have certain connections and need others. Some of those connections may give a great deal, and some may charge full price. Neither are wrong, just different.
- Have different skills: If you are a graphic designer, you may be wanting to design the cover yourself and save that expense. If you know how to format a book (or choose to learn), that’s another expense saved.
- Lead different lives: Let’s be real. Some people will have the income to run a huge Amazon ad campaign. Some people will have little to spare and choose to design an adequate cover with free software themselves. That’s the beauty of self-publishing. It can be thousands of dollars if you can/want to invest that, but it can also be simple and cheap. You’ll want to expect vastly different results, but there are both options.
But let’s get to the gnitty gritty. How much did Amy choose to spend getting I Know You Like a Murder into the world? My best calculation of what I consider being “expenses specifically for making/selling the book” is $1600. But let me break that down for you because your expenses will wildly vary from mine as we already discussed above.
ISBNs (pack of 10)
$295
You want one ISBN per book per format (a separate ISBN for paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook)
Copyright
$55
Not required, but it is nice to have that piece of mind.
Copyediting, book formatting, & cover design
$172
I did a lot of work myself, took advantage of deals, and got help from friends. Prices for this category will widely vary depending on what you want, but expect it to likely be higher than the price I listed here.
Website (2 year payment)
$405
You only need this if you want to sell the books from your own site. Otherwise, stick with a free website for yourself and sell books thru Amazon and other online retailers.
Marketing
$145
This category can be as much or little as you want to make of it. I tried social media ads and a blog tour, with little luck as I still have a lot to learn on that front honestly.
Book inventory
$528 (for about 225 books)
About $2.50 each, but full-length novels will cost more. Remember, some of these will be for selling, and some of these will be for sending to reviewers and bloggers to get the word out.
Other costs to consider that aren’t listed above:
- shipping supplies, if you are shipping your books to customers
- shipping costs can be charged to the customer, but if you choose to include shipping, it’s a few bucks each within the US with media mail.
- promo materials, including the design and printing costs (for me, that would be crime scene tape & collectors cards)
- book signing stuff for your table: autographing pens, signs, swag, decor, etc.
- travel costs: gas, meals, hotel stays (if applicable) for any author events you attend, plus for business trips to the bookstore, office supply store, post office, library, etc.