How To (Self)Publish Books On a Budget (updated April 5. 2021)
It’s possible. And if it’s your first book, you might have no other choice. Unless you’re filthy rich, but again, then you should go somewhere else.
Disclaimer: I am not a publishing expert. On the contrary. Drafting this, on December 8th, 2020, I am still 10 days off releasing my debut book.
Update: I am now a slightly more experienced author, with two books self-published. You will s see these updates throughout the article, where I comment on things I have learned since the day I wrote the original blog post. I have chosen to keep the original text, so you can see the original and updated advice. Too get a glimpse into my journey.
The value I offer lies in my noviceness (if that’s even a word?). I look at this from someone in the middle of it. Trying to figure things out. I have tried a bunch of things, thrown both money and time out the window, and done many mistakes. And I still keep making them on a weekly basis.
My book has cost me approximately $1500 to release at the point of writing this.
Update: Final cost was $2000. I did another editorial run on it after it was published, and I have spent money promoting it. Since then I have published book two in the series, and that was considerably cheaper, coming in at $1000.
If I could rewind and start over today, I would have been able to make it 50% cheaper, if not more. (Update: As proven by book two)
A book, isn’t a book, isn’t a book
My book is a small book. It’s a season with six short episodes. The total word count, a whopping 13 000 words.
To put it in perspective: 50 000 words are defined as the entry point to novels, being around 250 printed pages. A relatively thin book.
Depending on the genre you write, the normal word count (rough estimate)is in the ballpark 60K — 100K.
Word count is important for publishing costs. More words = More expensive.
For my book, the small ninety-minute read, $1400 is too much, I should have spent around $600, or more likely $7–800.