The Hidden Costs of Self-Publishing
Find out how and where to spend your precious publishing budget
Self-publishing gives authors full control over their books, but many don’t realize just how many costs are involved beyond writing the manuscript.
While traditional publishing covers expenses like editing, cover design, and distribution, self-published authors must invest in these areas themselves.
To avoid surprises, here’s a breakdown of the hidden costs of self-publishing — and how to budget for them wisely.
Professional Editing
Readers expect polished, error-free books so they can have a seamless and wonderful experience while reading.
While professional editing is important, know that you can use Alpha Readers to read your first and second drafts to catch grammar and developmental mistakes. By doing so, you decrease the amount of work and time it will take the professional editor to go through your manuscript.
What kinds of professional editing costs should you expect?
Developmental Editing ($0.02–$0.08 per word) — Focuses on big-picture elements like structure, pacing, and character development.
Line Editing ($0.02–$0.05 per word) — Improves sentence flow, clarity, and tone.
Copy Editing ($0.01–$0.04 per word) — Fixes grammar, spelling, and consistency issues.
Proofreading ($0.01–$0.03 per word) — The final polish to catch typos and formatting errors.
Did you know that you can also hire freelance editors through websites like Fiverr and Upwork?
Many of these editors offer samples of edited work for you to view, reviews from previous clients, and will sometimes agree to do a sample edit of your work for a small fee.
When I searched for an editor for my book Anywhere Else on Upwork, I placed a job on the website for a 60k book and said I was willing to pay $250 for it to be edited, and an extra $50 for a sample edit of the first three chapters. And guess what, I had 25 people respond to my job posting.
I took the time to read through each person’s resume, reviews, and more and weeded them down to 3 editors.
The person I went with did a wonderful job with my book, so much so that the small publishing house I was in negotiation with at the time wanted me to keep working with them until the book was edited.
I call that a win-win.
Book Cover Design
Your book’s cover is the first impression your book gives a reader, which is why it is crucial to get it right.
You can create covers yourself if you have an eye for design, but know that it can be a challenge to find the right fit for not only your genre but for your target reader.
This is why many writers/ authors turn to a professional for creating a book cover, but you need to spend your budget wisely, so pay attention to the costs.
Cost Breakdown:
Pre-made Cover ($50–$150) — Budget-friendly, but not unique.
Custom Cover ($300–$1,500) — Best for genre-appropriate, high-quality designs.
Illustrated Cover ($500–$3,000) — Ideal for fantasy, sci-fi, or children’s books.
There are many places to find cover designers. As I mentioned before, you can always find freelancers on Fiverr and Upwork to create a cover for you. Or you can look up other successful books in your genre and find out who designed the cover and contact them.
As an indie author, I was working with pennies in the beginning.
I paid a service, now owned by Amazon, called CreateSpace three thousand dollars to publish my book for me. In this package, they edited my book, created my book cover, wrote my book description, and uploaded it to Amazon for me. And in the end, I came out with a great book.
But you and I both know that isn’t a sustainable option when publishing.
When I decided to publish again, the covers I made started like these:
Now these aren’t great, but at the time, I was still learning and like so many other indie authors, didn’t have much money to pay a cover designer.
So I put my nose to the grind, learned more about design, and gave my books a facelift.
Know that with Self-Publishing, you do have the power to help your books when needed, like I did with a facelift for my book covers.
ISBNs and Copyright Registration
ISBNs are required for print books sold outside of Amazon, and copyright registration protects your work.
Now as wonderful as it is for platforms like Amazon, Kobo, and more to offer you a free ISBN, you should be purchasing your own. Why? Because when you take a free ISBN from the platform you are publishing to, that ISBN belongs to that platform.
And when you try to publish that book somewhere else, it conflicts with other ISBNs on the platform you are trying to offer it to.
ISBN (International Standard Book Number):
Free through Amazon (KDP) but limited to Amazon use.
Bowker (U.S.): $125 for one, $295 for ten (cheaper in bulk).
Copyright Registration:
U.S. Copyright Office: $45–$65 per book (optional but adds legal protection).
I personally purchased mine in bulk from Bowker.com, but I did so because you need a separate ISBN for your ebook, a separate ISBN for your paperback, and a separate ISBN if you choose to publish a hardcover option.
See this for more information: NEVER use the “free” ISBN from Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, or any other platform! | Self-Publishing Tip
Formatting for Print & Ebook
Proper formatting ensures your book looks professional on both digital and physical platforms.
For many, formatting a book can become an arduous process as you work to format your book to fit each program that you are submitting your book to.
Which is why many people pay to have their books formatted.
Ebook Formatting ($50–$300) — Converts Word files to Kindle/ePub without glitches.
Print Formatting ($150–$500) — Ensures proper page layout, margins, and fonts for paperbacks/hardcovers.
Budget Tip: Use Vellum ($199 one-time fee) or Atticus ($147 one-time fee) for DIY formatting.
Budget Tip: Did you know that if you upload your book to Reedsy.com, you can use it to format your book for FREE? Yes, you heard that right. (I use Reedsy.com to format my books every time I publish)
Marketing & Advertising
I heard somewhere that ‘sometimes you have to spend money to make money.’
Marketing and advertising are a must for every book. Why? Because without you the author spreading the word about your book…then who will?
Now, there are a few options for marketing, and some cost money:
Author Website ($100–$500/year) — Essential for branding and reader engagement.
Amazon Ads ($50–$500/month) — Pay-per-click ads to boost book visibility.
Facebook/Instagram Ads ($100–$1,000/month) — Targeted ads for reader discovery.
BookBub Featured Deals ($200–$1,000+ per promotion) — A powerful but competitive marketing tool.
Email Newsletter ($20–$50/month for services like MailerLite or ConvertKit) — Helps build an audience.
But, there are other methods of marketing that can do just as well, but take more time to see results:
Social Media — From the time you start writing your book, you should be talking about it in some way. Whether this be a favorite character you have written, the word count you reached, or the book research you have conducted. Talking about your book in social places from day one builds momentum.
Hashtags and Keywords — These are words that are frequently searched or used by your target audience. So take some time to find out what they are by looking for your target readers’ posts or trends and using them to your advantage when you post content online. Doing so will help your posts be seen by the right people.
Word of Mouth — Asking your ARC, Alpha, and Beta readers to spread the word about your book before, during, and after your book is published is worth its weight in gold. Why? Because these readers have read your book, and likely know someone else who will love it. Which is social proof that it’s good.
Book Bloggers/ Reviewers- Taking time to research, interact, and then contact bloggers/ reviewers who pair well with your book opens you up to their exclusive audience. Their audience trusts their opinion, which means that if they review your book, that audience may read and review it too.
ARCs and Review Copies
Reviews build credibility and influence purchasing decisions.
As indie authors, we are strapped in terms of the budget we have available to send physical ARC copies to readers. However, there are paid and unpaid ways that you can send out ARC copies as an indie author.
Paid ways:
Print ARCs ($5–$15 per copy + shipping) — For influencers, bloggers, and early reviewers.
NetGalley Listing ($450 per book) — A platform where reviewers request early copies.
BookSirens ($10 per ARC + $2 per download) — A budget-friendly alternative for ARC distribution.
Budget Tip: Offer digital ARCs via BookFunnel ($20/month) or StoryOrigin (Free & Paid Plans) to reduce printing costs.
Unpaid ways:
Email ARCS — There are a surprising amount of readers who are willing to receive a free ebook or PDF ARC copy of your book over a physical copy. You just need to find them. You can do so by asking your newsletter subscribers or posting on social media about your book and asking if anyone would be interested in receiving an emailed ARC copy.
Book Bloggers/ Reviewers — The chances of your book being reviewed by these types of people are higher if you can contact them 3 to 6 months before your book’s release. You can simply tell them in your book review submission request that you are able to send an ARC via email.
Distribution & Print Costs
Even after publishing, distribution platforms take their cut. Because after all, they are showcasing and hosting your book on their platform.
Here is a breakdown:
Amazon KDP Print Fees: Printing costs + 40% royalty share.
IngramSpark Setup Fee ($49 per book) — For wider bookstore/library distribution.
Expanded Distribution Discounts (40–55%) — Needed for bookstores to stock your book.
Budget Tip: If selling mostly online, Amazon KDP is often the most profitable route.
There are authors who use Amazon to publish their books, order their books under the ‘order author copies’ option, and keep stock to sell directly to customers through their website. Or they keep this stock for being vendors at brick-and-mortar, book signing events, and more.
Audiobook Production
Audiobooks increase earning potential but require upfront investment.
There are different types of audiobook services such as:
Audible
Bookbaby
Scribe Audiobooks
Novel Audio
Podium Publishing
Narration Costs:
Royalty Share (Free upfront, but you split earnings) — Risk-free but lower long-term profits.
Per Finished Hour (PFH) ($150–$500 per hour) — A 10-hour audiobook can cost $1,500–$5,000.
Budget Tip: If the budget is tight, start with ebook/print and revisit audiobooks later.
Self-publishing can feel unreachable to many writers and authors out there looking to get their work published.
But the key to self-publishing without breaking your budget is to:
Learn the business of self-publishing
Network with other authors
Research and learn as much as you can about tools, services, and ways to keep costs down without compromising your quality
Knowing the costs of self-publishing upfront can allow you to navigate them and figure out what is best for you.