Up-front costs
Spend these once to get your book ready to publish.
Professional designer: $200–$600. Pre-mades: $50–$200.
Final typo pass. ~$0.005/word — $400 for an 80k novel.
Grammar, style, consistency. ~$0.015/word.
Plot/structure. Optional. ~$0.04/word.
DIY with Vellum/Atticus = $0. Pro = $50–$300.
Free from KDP. $125 for a Bowker block of 10 (US).
Ongoing monthly costs
Marketing budget you'll spend month after month.
Amazon Ads, Facebook ads, promo features. $0–$500/mo typical.
How many months to project ad spend over.
Total project cost
$2,000.00 up-front + $150.00/mo × 12 months
At a $3.50 average royalty per sale. Combine with the eBook calculator for your exact royalty.
Industry pricing ranges
- Cover (custom)$200–$600
- Cover (pre-made)$50–$200
- Proofread (80k words)~$400
- Copy edit (80k words)~$1,200
- Developmental edit (80k words)~$3,200
- Formatting (DIY)$0
- Formatting (pro)$100–$300
- ISBN (Bowker block of 10, US)$295 ($30/ea)
- Ads / marketing (per month)$100–$500
Where to save (and where not to)
- 1Don't cheap out on the cover. It's your single biggest sales lever. A bad cover guarantees low conversion no matter how good the book is.
- 2Skip developmental editing on book 2+. If you can use beta readers to flag big-picture issues, you save $1,500–$3,000.
- 3DIY format if you write a lot. Vellum (Mac) and Atticus (cross-platform) are one-time purchases that pay back after one book.
- 4Always pay for the proofread. Typos sink reviews. A $400 proofread protects your first 50 reviews from typo-related 1-stars.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it actually cost to self-publish a book?
For a fiction novel with professional editing and cover: $1,500–$4,000 in up-front costs (cover, copy edit, proofread, formatting) plus $50–$500/month in marketing. You can publish for much less ($300–$500 with DIY editing and a pre-made cover), but reader expectations have risen — under-investing in cover or editing tanks your reviews.
Do I need a developmental editor?
Only if it's your first book or you're a genre author launching in a new genre. Dev editing is about story structure, character arcs, pacing — fixing the big-picture issues before you copy edit. Most experienced authors skip this in favour of beta readers, but new authors benefit enormously from a dev edit on book 1.
Should I buy my own ISBN?
If you're publishing only on KDP, no — Amazon assigns you a free ASIN. If you're going wide (Apple, Kobo, B&N) or wanting bookstore distribution, yes — Bowker sells a single ISBN for $125, but a block of 10 for $295 (much better per-ISBN cost). You need one ISBN per format: paperback, hardcover, and Kindle each get separate ISBNs.
What's a realistic marketing budget for a new release?
$200–$500/month for the first 3 months post-launch is a solid baseline. This typically goes into Amazon Ads ($100–$300/mo to drive sales velocity and BSR) plus a one-off promo feature or two ($300–$1,500 depending on the channel). Marketing without reviews is throwing money away — most successful indies wait until they have 25+ reviews before scaling ad spend.
How do I break even on self-publishing costs?
Divide your total budget by your per-book royalty. A $2,500 project at $3.28 royalty per sale (70% tier $4.99 eBook) breaks even at 762 copies sold. If you can sell that many in your first 6 months, the math works; if not, you're investing in skills and audience-building, not just one book.
Should I pay for marketing before the book launches?
Most pre-launch marketing money is wasted. The fastest way to build a launch audience is to (1) build an email list via your existing platform/website, (2) get your book in front of verified readers for early reviews (so launch-day buyers see social proof), and (3) save the ad budget for the first 30 days post-launch when BSR momentum matters most.
The one budget line everyone misses: reviews
Reviews drive sales velocity, BSR, and ad ROAS. Scrivy connects you with verified readers who leave honest reviews. Start a free 7-day Pro trial.
Start a Free 7-Day Pro Trial