The Cost To Publish

These days it is very easy to publish. Anyone can take a story they’ve written and post it on Amazon. The barrier to entry is practically zero. If you want any sort of success you’ll need to stand out. This means a good cover, editing, and advertising. Many authors are overwhelmed by all of that and lured by vanity publishers who handle all of that for you for a few grand. In my opinion, authors would be better off spending that money on their own book.

I’m working on two upcoming series and wanted to outline my plans for publishing. The first is a LitRPG-lite style fantasy adventure novel. It is packed with action and humor and doesn’t take itself seriously at all. The other is a more serious Thriller set in Charleston, SC.

I recently saw a post on twitter about a vanity publisher who would publish your work for a small commitment for $2,000. Claiming it would be a partnership. Here’s how I’ll be spending my $2,000 instead.

Covers, I’m working with an artist who charges roughly $600 for an eBook and print cover. Editing, I’m working with a friend whose got years of experience editing and will be taking on the project for roughly $900 and is well worth the money. This will leave me around $500 for advertisements on Amazon. With that I hope to get enough traction for my book to take off. At which point I’ll reinvest my earnings back into more advertisements.