Now that you have written or are thinking of writing a manuscript, you might be curious (and maybe even a little scared) to know how much it is going to cost you to bring your book into the world. The correct answer to this financial question is the ever-aggravating response of “it depends.” From the publishing method you choose to your end goals to the materials you begin your publishing journey with, many factors play into calculating publishing cost, and there is no one-size-fits-all investment every author pays.

Publishing options

The type of investment your book will require depends largely on the publishing track you select—traditional, self, or hybrid. Publishing a book requires a monetary, time, and energy investment, no matter which option you select; the difference comes down to who shoulders the weight of those costs.

Traditional publishing

Publishing a book through a traditional publisher requires the least amount of upfront financial investment from the author; traditional publishers, in fact, offer a monetary advance from the publisher. In exchange, however, because it is the publisher who shoulders the financial risk associated with publishing the book, the publisher retains the majority decision-making power over how your book is published, packaged, and delivered. And always remember that as an author, you must “earn back” your advance before you can begin receiving royalties from your book sales. In other words, an advance isn’t free money.

You should expect to invest some money in your own publicity and marketing, even with a traditional publisher. Unless you are a big-name, best-selling author, the publisher won’t have a significant marketing and publicity budget for your book.

In the end, you will, however, invest more time than money in the traditional publishing model. Only after you’ve acquired a literary agent and they have successfully pitched your manuscript to a publisher—a lengthy process in its own right—can you begin the one or two years of preparing your book for publication with the publisher.

Self-publishing

On the opposite end of publishing options, self-publishing requires the author to take on all the upfront costs of publishing the book. But because self-published authors retain complete ownership and creative control of their work, it also means that they can determine how much time and money to invest in production; if the author wants to take on the role of being the writer, editor, designer, sales manager, etc., they can end up spending very little on their book. However, this cost-saving solution often results in lower editorial and production quality, and as such, many reviewers and booksellers rarely give any self-published books the same coverage as those that are traditionally published, limiting distribution options for self-published authors.

Hybrid publishing

Hybrid publishing requires authors to purchase publishing services from their publisher, incurring a significant upfront investment on the author’s part. However, with this initial fiscal setback, authors earn the distinct advantages afforded by the other two models: the distribution reach and quality perceptions of traditional publishers and the decision-making power and ownership rights of self-publishers. In addition, authors retain much higher royalties from their book sales than with a traditional publisher.

It is also worth mentioning that no matter which publishing option is selected, authors will likely have to carry the financial burden of their marketing and publicity costs.

End goals

Taking time to account for and recognize what your end goals are for publishing your book will help you identify which publishing path you should take and allow you to identify the level of investment you will require. If you prioritize having control of your book’s production and distribution over upfront financial costs, then you will find yourself leaning toward the self-publishing and hybrid options. But the size of the investment within these models can vary widely from book to book and ultimately comes down to what the individual author is striving to accomplish.

Consider, for instance, what kind of distribution you want for your book. If you are hoping to get your book into bookstores and airports across the country, you will find that you require a significantly larger investment than an author writing for a targeted, niche audience who only sells through online retailers.

To help you determine how much of an investment your book will require, take inventory of your publishing goals by answering these questions:

· Who is the target audience you are hoping to reach? Is it broad and undefined or small and accessible?

· How soon do you want to have your book published? Do you have the time to work on it, or do you need it out as soon as possible?

· Where do you want your book to be sold? Brick-and-mortar stores, online retailers only, or digital only? Nationally or internationally?

· In the tradeoff between quality and cost, what can you afford?

· What are you trying to accomplish with your book? Are you trying to get on bestseller lists, will your book be a marketing tool for your business, or is getting published in the first place the accomplishment?

Hint: If you found yourself agreeing with the first answers, then you will likely require a larger investment.

Starting point

All authors begin the publishing process at a unique starting point. While some authors may have a complete manuscript that needs only minimal editorial work, others will require more intensive and numerous editorial services. Others still may start out without any content at all, needing to recruit the help of an editor or ghostwriter to set their first draft to the page. In addition to your editorial status, you’ll likewise need to assess your design and marketing needs, and in each case, the further from your end goals that you start the publishing journey, the more you will need to invest to bring your book to fruition.

At the end of the day, no two authors have the same publishing journey, and as such, there is no standard investment amount required to publish a book. The mark of a good publisher, whether it is a publishing company or yourself, is the ability to evaluate the end goals of the author to determine how to get the greatest impact out of each dollar spent on publishing the book.

Are you interested in exploring an investment in hybrid publishing for your book? Greenleaf is now taking submissions! Visit our Submissions Page to get started. If you have any questions about your submission, email us at contact@greenleafbookgroup.com.