Each cost of a book, in depth.
Twenty-nine guides, one per cost line or money question, each with sourced 2026 numbers, worked examples and the mistakes that cost authors most.
Start here
Self-publishing on a budget
What to pay for first at $500, $2,000 and $5,000, priced line by line, plus the free tools and their limits.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat it costs to publish on Amazon KDP
What is free, how printing comes out of royalties, author copy costs, and three budgets from minimum to full.
Read the guide →Making the book
Book editing costs by type
Developmental, line, copy and proofreading rates per word, per page and per hour, from the EFA's 2026 chart, with a second source to check them.
Read the guide → 7 minute readProofreading cost
Per-word, per-hour and per-page rates from the EFA and Reedsy, totals at 40,000 to 80,000 words, when to buy it and how to test a proofreader.
Read the guide → 6 minute readBook cover design cost
Why covers run $350 to $1,200, what moves the price, and what a cover fee should include.
Read the guide → 6 minute readInterior formatting and typesetting cost
Per-page layout rates, how to estimate your page count, and when a free tool is enough.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat illustrations and diagrams cost
Per-image rates from Reedsy and the EFA, stock licenses, image permissions, file specs and what color adds to every copy.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat a book index costs
Per-page, hourly and per-word rates priced for 200 and 300 pages, when a book needs one, timing, ebook indexes and DIY tools.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat ebook conversion costs
Kindle Create, Draft2Digital and Reedsy Studio free; Vellum and Atticus prices; freelance rates, fixed layout and accessibility.
Read the guide → 6 minute readAudiobook production cost
Words to finished hours, narrator fees, royalty share, and Audible's 2026 royalty change.
Read the guide → 6 minute readGhostwriter rates
Per-word ranges from two data sets, what moves a quote, and what the fee leaves out.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat a memoir costs
Story editing, photos and permissions, a legal read, your own audiobook, memoir ghostwriter rates and three budgets.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat it costs to translate a book
Per-word rates from Reedsy, the EFA and the ATA, totals at 50,000 and 70,000 words, editing, Kindle Translate and KDP's rules.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat a revised or second edition costs
When a revision needs a new ISBN, KDP's 10% page rule, keeping your reviews, the audiobook, and two revisions priced.
Read the guide →Registering and printing
ISBNs: what they cost and when free is fine
$125, $295 or nothing, how many you need, and what a free platform ISBN gives up.
Read the guide → 6 minute readCopyright registration and LCCN costs
The $45 and $65 filings, the free Library of Congress number, deposit copies and deadlines.
Read the guide → 7 minute readPrinting costs and author copies
Print-on-demand cost by page count, author copy math, and when an offset run pays off.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat it costs to publish on IngramSpark
Free setup and revisions, the 1.875% fee, print cost, the wholesale discount, what a return costs, ISBNs and a worked example.
Read the guide → 8 minute readPrint cost: KDP vs IngramSpark vs Lulu
The same 6 x 9 book priced on all three calculators, paperback and hardcover, plus setup and revision fees.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat a hardcover costs to print
KDP's formula and limits, IngramSpark case laminate against dust jacket, Lulu, and what a hardcover earns per copy.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat a workbook costs to print
Coil binding on Lulu, KDP's large-trim formula and low-content rules, IngramSpark, color against black ink, and when a workbook pays.
Read the guide →Paying for it and earning it back
How to pay for a book
Phased spending, presale margins, Kickstarter and Indiegogo fees, and company bulk orders.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat an author website costs
Domain prices, Squarespace, Wix, WordPress.com and Carrd plans, free email list tiers, design help and three budgets.
Read the guide → 7 minute readWhat an author photo costs
Headshot prices from published sources, the print and web sizes you need, who owns the photo and what to get in writing.
Read the guide → 8 minute readWhat book awards cost to enter
Fees, deadlines and eligibility for seven awards open to self-published nonfiction, what winners get, and how to spot an award mill.
Read the guide → 8 minute readKickstarter for books
Fees, reward printing and Media Mail postage, dropped pledges, taxes, a budget template and a worked campaign.
Read the guide → 8 minute readHow much authors make per book
Per-copy earnings for KDP print, Kindle, IngramSpark, hand sales and ACX audiobooks, with traditional rates for contrast.
Read the guide → 7 minute readBreak-even: copies to earn it back
KDP royalty math for paperback and ebook, worked tables, and returns that are not royalties.
Read the guide → 8 minute readCan you deduct the cost of your book?
What IRS Publications 334 and 538 and the Schedule C instructions say about book costs, hobby rules and start-up costs. Not tax advice.
Read the guide →Want the numbers for your own book? Use the cost calculator, or scan every line on the costs page.