I’m still watching the recorded conference for the Historical Novel Society, and am learning a lot!
In Jane Freidman’s Self-Publishing class, we learned that self publishing is a good fit for the following:
- Romance & Erotica Writers
- Series Fiction
- Serials or Serialization
- Prolific Popular Fiction Writers
There are three categories of self-publishing: assisted/full-service, hybrid, and DIY/Indie. With a full-service publishing company, the author pays the company. Almost nobody is ever turned away because the company makes money from each author. There are many budget categories and packages available. With a hybrid self-publisher, the author pays the company up front, but the product is vetted in some way. This company pays royalties like a traditional publisher does. There’s a potential for greater marketing and promotion support (with a greater cost, of course). The DIY/Indie option has the author hiring any help needed instead of paying a company to do everything. There’s a greater chance of profit with this option, and examples include Amazon Kindle and KDP, and Ingram Spark.
The possible costs for a full-service company start at less than $5,000 for a basic package. A professional package may cost between $5,000 and $25,000, and an elite package could cost as much as $30,000 and up. It’s hard to earn your money back through book sales with a full-service publisher. Key attributes of DIY publishing include a (mostly) free upfront, non-exclusivity, instant updates, no gatekeeper, and the author controls pricing.
Here are a few approximate costs for the DIY publisher:
- Editing: up to $5,000 (including proofreading and copyediting)
- Cover Design: It’s doable for under $1,000 but easy to double or triple costs
- Interior Print Design: $1,000 to $3,000 if you hire it out
- For tight budgets, look for designers who offer all-inclusive packages!