How Much Does It Cost to Write and Publish a Book?
- Jenna Moreci
- Apr 21
- 8 min read
HelloOoOo everybody!
Today we're talking about money, specifically how to spend it on writerly things. This topic was requested by one of my patrons over on Patreon, Frankie. Frankie wanted to know about the financial end of being a writer, namely, what sort of things we should expect to spend our money on throughout the process. This means you probably want to brace yourself. Take a seat, clench your butt cheeks, and prepare for the hurt. It's gonna get ugly.
Before we get started, a few disclaimers:
I live in the US, and thus I will be referring to US dollars.
Additionally, publishing is like any other business; you have to invest in your product in order to produce something that consumers will want to buy. If you're expecting to put $0 into your book, you're in for a rude awakening.
That said, it's typically more expensive to self-publish a novel than it is to traditionally publish. If you self-publish, all of that investment is on you; you're choosing to do this alone. That means if you do a shitty job, you take the loss. But if you do a great job, you reap all of the rewards.
If you go traditional, your publisher is going to pay for a chunk of the services that you require; in return, you are giving them a cut of your profits as well as a significant amount of control over your work. That means all the financial mumbo-jumbo was taken care of, but you don't get a say in the business end of your novel, specifically how or when it's produced, released, or pulled from shelves.
Whichever publishing option you choose will largely depend on your needs and skills as both an author and a business person. So be sure to do plenty of research, because both options have their pros and cons.
Now onto writer expenses, get ready to cry, and cry, and cry.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to also subscribe to my YouTube channel for more writing tips, sarcasm, and of course, more of Princess Butters!
Number 1: The Professional Edit
A professional editor is someone who edits your manuscript, hence the name. They make sure your story is entertaining, well-written, and meets industry standards. But it's hard to predict a price point for a professional edit, because it depends on a lot of variables. First of all, there are a bazillion different types of editors: copy editors, line editors, developmental editors. There are also optional editing services like critiques, proofreading, and sensitivity readers.
Basically, since there are so many different types of editing packages, it's not uncommon for a writer to hire more than one editor or an editor plus a relevant service. Additionally, editing rates vary depending on the level of the edit, the length of a manuscript, and the editor you're enlisting. The simplest way to create a ballpark figure is to go with the averages.
From my experience, most editors charge between one and three cents per word. If you wanna predict your editor budget, simply multiply your word count by one cent, then multiply your word count again by three cents. Your editor fee will most likely fall somewhere between those two figures. If you decide to hire a critique, proofreader, or sensitivity reader, on top of an editor, their rates are typically one cent or less per word.
As for who needs a professional editor, the answer is everyone. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either on crack or full of shit. And no, having your mom or a friend of a friend proofread your book does not count. That said, if you're going the traditional publishing route, you don't actually have to pay for your editor. Your publishing house will handle that for you. However, some writers who are going this route still hire an editor or critique before they query agents. If that's something that you choose to do, you're gonna have to pay for this out of pocket. If you're self-publishing, you're gonna have to pay for the edit yourself. And you better not skip this step, or I swear to God I am coming for you.
Number 2: The Format and Cover Art
Cover art and formatting are kind of self-explanatory. The cover art is the cover of your book, and the formatting is the format of the pages. And once again, rates vary. I've seen cover art packages as low as $25, and I've seen them as high as $2,000. But I personally believe you can get a really great package that includes cover art and formatting for some price that's in the middle. I paid about $600 for my The Savior’s Champion art package, and that included three ebook, paperback, and hardback covers, as well as four ebook, paperback, and hardback formats.
So who needs to hire a cover artist and formatter? If you're going the traditional route, this shit is going to be handled by your publisher, but if you're self-publishing, this is all on you. Unless you're a professional graphic designer, you do not want to design the cover yourself, because readers do, in fact, judge books by their covers.
Author's Note: This is an older video, and rates and practices have changed since the publication of this video. Quality cover art is now a lot more affordable, and I format my self-published novels using Vellum, which makes hiring a formatter unnecessary.
If you're interested in professional self-formatting, I have an affiliate link for Vellum, and I highly recommend using them!
Number 3: The Copyright
Typically, you want to copyright your novel after it's fully edited and complete. If you're in the US, you can do this electronically by submitting a form online. It can take about three to six months to process, so it's slow as fuck. But on the plus side, it's super cheap. An electronic filing costs a whopping $65 as of April 2026. Again, if you're going traditional, your publisher will take care of this, and if you're self-publishing, this is on you.
Number 4: Publishing
Let me make this perfectly clear: if you sign with a publishing house and they ask you to pay a fee, there's a 99% chance that they're scamming you, or that they're a vanity press, or both. This is the same deal for self-publishing. For the most part.
There are a bunch of popular platforms for publishing ebooks. But to my knowledge, the two most popular platforms for publishing physical books are KDP and IngramSpark. If you use KDP, the process is free, and there are no fees involved to publish. IngramSpark used to have a set-up fee for every physical book and ebook duo, but as of April 2026, setting up a new title is free.
Additionally, if you push your book through for publication, and then after the fact you realize “Oh shit, I gotta fix something,” that right there is a $25 revision fee. To my knowledge, no such fees exist on KDP. However, IngramSpark has a lot more features. So it's kind of a give-and-take. Aside from that, the act of publishing on its own should not cost you a dime, no matter which route you take.
Author's note: IngramSpark has changed their pricing model, so some of these fees are no longer relevant.
Number 5: Printing
This is a step that confuses a lot of people, especially when it comes to indie writers. There's this misconception that self-published writers pay to have their books printed, and then just stockpile them in their home and distribute them to readers, which is not the case, nor is it remotely sustainable.
So here's how it works. If you are signed with a publishing house, printing and shipping are not your issue. If you're self-published, printing and shipping are still not your issue. If someone buys any author’s book on Amazon, whether they're traditionally published or indie, Amazon is going to take care of it. It's not up to the author to pay for the printing or shipping. The cost of said printing and shipping will be deducted from the author's profits. So when they receive their royalties, the printing and shipping fees will already be accounted for.
“But Jennaaa, if that's the case, why did you even put this on the list?”
Because I'm not finished yet, you ding-dong. In many cases, writers do like to have a small stockpile of their books so they can send them out to reviewers. If you are a traditionally published writer, I believe you can ask a publisher to send you some books, and I'm pretty sure they'll do it for free. If you're self-published, you can log into your publishing platform and order a shipment of your books. These companies will sell you your book at cost. So you're not paying the sale price of your book, you're paying the cost of printing plus shipping.
Number 6: Marketing
This right here is probably the greatest misconception about the publishing industry. “If I go traditional, they'll handle my marketing for me.”
Think again, dummy. If you wanna know how much marketing power you'll get from a publisher, answer this question: Are you a celebrity or a household name? If the answer is yes, oh my God, hi! Welcome to my platform!
If the answer is no, take whatever marketing power you're expecting and reduce it by 90%.
Look, no matter which publishing option you choose, marketing by and large is going to be on you. And the amount of money you spend on it is going to depend on your platform size, your needs, and your budget. Because of this, it's pretty much impossible to generate a one-size-fits-all marketing budget. Of all categories, this is the one that varies the most.
Some traditionally published authors have gone on record saying they reinvest their entire advance into marketing. That's tens of thousands of dollars spent exclusively on marketing. I also know many self-published authors who hire a marketing team or buy ads on social media. These methods can have great results, but as you can imagine, they're not cheap.
This is why developing an author platform is so important. It's also why I created a Skillshare class on the topic, in case you didn't already know. When you have a large audience, you can do a lot of direct marketing straight from your platform, and it's free. Additionally, making connections with other writers, readers, and bookish folks significantly improves your reach, while also reducing your potential marketing costs. These connections open you up to interviews, endorsements, and other ways to spread the word about your book. And basically, the more effort you put into your author platform, the greater marketing opportunities you'll have, and the less money you'll have to spend in this area.
I haven't spent thousands of dollars on marketing, but that doesn't mean you won't need a marketing budget, because you will. You're just gonna have to do a lot of research regarding marketing techniques, figure out which ones work best for you, how much they cost, and what you can afford.
So that's all I've got for you today!
A huge thank you to Frankie for suggesting this topic. If you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, check me out on Patreon. I've got the link listed below.
Follow Me!
Buy My Books!
CHECK OUT THE SAVIOR’S CHAMPION:
CHECK OUT THE SAVIOR'S SISTER:
ftc: sometimes I use affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission per sale. This does not affect my review of products or platforms. All opinions are my own.
I found this breakdown surprisingly honest, especially the way it lists real costs like editing, cover design, and marketing instead of pretending publishing is cheap. It kind of contrasts with quick-hit curiosities like your name in landsat—fun, but not exactly useful. This gave me a clearer picture of the real investment behind becoming an author.
The phrase 'take a seat, clench your butt cheeks, and prepare for the hurt' really cracked me up. Jenna Moreci's breakdown about spending makes me think about the small fortune it costs just for editing and cover art. Who knew being a writer was such a financial adventure? Wacky Steps
Really insightful breakdown super helpful for understanding the real costs behind writing and publishing a book, so like war the knights