How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book in 2025?

There are several things authors can do to help manage editing costs before hiring a professional. First, thorough self-editing can make a big difference—addressing obvious typos, inconsistencies, and tightening your prose will reduce the amount of work needed later. Tools like Grammarly or ProWritingAid can be useful for catching basic errors and improving clarity. Involving beta readers is another great step; their feedback on character arcs, plot holes, and overall flow can help strengthen your manuscript before an editor even sees it. It's also important to know what kind of editing you need—whether it's line editing for style and clarity or just a final proofreading pass—so you're only paying for what truly benefits your work. Consistent formatting and sharing any specific style preferences can further streamline the process. By preparing your manuscript, you ensure that the editor’s focus remains on enhancing your story's impact, rather than errors you could've fixed on your end, ultimately saving time and money.

To help manage costs as well as to speed your book to completion, you can familiarize yourself with the various kinds of editing and target your request accordingly. Reedsy has some great educational material on this. I've noticed that many authors will check both "copyediting" and "proofreading" but often that's because they think they're synonymous. They're related, but not the same. The same editor could probably do both or either, but you shouldn't have to pay for two stages if you only need one.

When you’re self-publishing, developmental editing and line editing are crucial steps to consider if you want to put out a professional, high-quality book.

Developmental editing dives into the structure of your story—checking for plot consistency, pacing, character development, and overall narrative flow. It makes sure your story holds together, that characters make sense, and that everything from start to finish engages readers. Without it, even a great concept can fall flat if there are plot holes or confusing elements.

Line editing goes a level deeper, focusing on how your story is told. It improves the clarity, flow, and style of your writing. A line editor will help tighten up sentences, enhance your voice, remove repetitive wording, and make sure every sentence shines.

For self-publishing authors, at least one (preferably both) of these edits are worth the investment. It’s what transforms a good idea into a book that readers can’t put down. Skipping them risks putting out a story that might be inconsistent, awkward, or just not polished enough to compete.

Even if you can only afford one major editing service, try to follow it up with a proofread to make sure it's as polished as possible.

Apart from word count, several factors influence how editors quote for an editing project.

One major consideration is the type of service being requested. For instance, line editing, which focuses on enhancing sentence structure, clarity, flow, and style, requires more detailed attention and time compared to basic proofreading, which is primarily about correcting last grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

The condition of the manuscript is another key factor; a polished draft may need fewer adjustments, while a manuscript requiring heavy edits will involve more in-depth work. Editors also factor in the number of rounds of edits included in the quote—some projects may require multiple rounds of feedback and refinement, which will impact costs.

Additionally, the turnaround time plays a role, as expedited projects often demand concentrated focus and dedicated scheduling to meet deadlines. Altogether, these variables ensure that quotes are fair, tailored to the project's unique needs, and reflect the scope of work needed.

Word count and type of service (developmental edit, editorial assessment, copy edit, proofread) are my only metrics. (I used to also go by genre, but I decided to just streamline my process by sticking to word count and type of service.)

I work on picture books, novels, memoirs, and non-fiction, so I have a lot of different approaches in my pocket, ha. For picture books, it is much easier to do multiple rounds of edits, and most of my clients choose a multi-round package. That means I move from overall feedback down to line notes as the project progresses. I try to take a similar approach to longer projects, though I don't always get to see more than one draft. I'll often include taking a second look at a short excerpt--normally the beginning--in my editing package.

In term of client expectations, if I've done my job well, these will be clear before we even start working. I am constantly tweaking the language in my sales messages and offers to clarify issues that have come up with clients in the past. I am fairly flexible in changing my approach depending on how the client likes to work. For example, one client of mine prefers to talk through all of the changes in her picture book on the phone. That's pretty rare these days, but it works great for her, and we have a lot of fun on our phone calls!

Each genre has an expectation from readers, so I edit according to the target audience and what they will expect based on the genre, title, and type of book, whether it is for children or adults, non-fiction or fiction.

Non-fiction readers of self-help, for instance, are looking to grow and learn. So I will edit this type of book for clarity, pacing, and whether or not it provides new information for readers that they are eager to learn. These types of books must also have strong takeaways and practical applications, since readers expect this from this genre.

A historical novel, a fantasy novel, or a sci-fi novel will need to allow for strong world-building. This is needed more so than in a novel that takes place in the present day.

So, having experience editing these types of books and keeping reader expectations in mind is what is needed here.

A professional cover plays a huge role in the success of self-published books because it’s the first thing people notice. It gives your book credibility and helps it stand out, making it look just as polished as those from traditional publishers. A great cover not only grabs attention but also sets the tone for your story and appeals directly to your target audience. In a crowded market, it can be the difference between someone scrolling past or deciding to give your book a chance.

It's an enormous impact. I would say it's the single biggest factor in whether your book sells. When I see a cover that looks amateurish, I subconsciously assume that the writing is probably going to be at an amateur level as well. It's as simple as that. I always judge a book by its cover. The book may be the greatest work of the new century but if it is packaged in a way that communicates carelessness or lack of attention, then that has huge repercussions for the reputation of the work and the respect that it needs in order to sell.

Just go into any book store. Look at the new released that are elegantly designed. You immediately assume that its worth reading because the author, the publishers, everyone deemed it worthwhile to invest time in producing. That assumption is critical in getting your work out to a new audience. Humans are visual creatures. Otherwise, art, advertising, TV, the internet, social media, none of that would need to exist.

First impressions count. An eye pleasing cover ensures that the book gets picked up in the first place!

As a standard, my process includes three main stages, each with clear steps and opportunities for feedback and revisions to ensure the final design meets the client’s expectations.

For concepts, I offer three black-and-white thumbnail sketches in the first round. These serve as the foundation for the design, allowing him to select one concept to move forward with. If necessary, he can request revisions during this stage, with up to three revision rounds included. Additional rounds are available for a fee, though most clients are satisfied with the initial sketches.

Once a concept is chosen, we move to the Detailed Sketch Round, where I refine the selected design, adding more clarity and, if relevant, suggesting a color scheme. The client is entitled to two revision rounds at this stage, with extra revisions available for an additional fee. Revisions during this phase should be smaller and align with what was approved in the previous round to avoid production delays.

Finally, during the Final Cover Round, I produce the polished, final version of the design. One last minor revision round is included to ensure all details are perfect.

This structured process allows for clear communication, minimizes unexpected delays, and ensures both the client and I are happy with the final product.

I’m happy to provide unlimited revisions for my clients until we create a design they absolutely love—that’s just how I like to work!

Typically up to three revisions included. However, I want you to REALLY love the end product. Additional revisions are case by case :)

The short answer is two per round.

I have several rounds during a project, and before I start each round, I ask for and read through all the authors' notes about what they are looking for. If I've forgotten something that they specifically asked for in the beginning, I won't count that as part of a revision. If the author has changed their mind about something or updated the manuscript in a way that requires changes to the artwork, that will count as a revision. After two revisions, I will do more, but it will be at an additional cost.

I send my clients a PDF of my work process before we start a project. It outlines all the steps/rounds in the project and the revisions allowed in each. It also goes over the additional fee that will be added to the project budget if the revision amount is exceeded. It's important to always be on the same page from the very beginning about this. If an illustrator doesn't mention revisions, it's something I would bring up before starting a project. It's frustrating as an illustrator to have endless revisions without additional pay for extra time spent on the project. It's also frustrating for an author to suddenly be asked to pay more when they weren't aware that was the expectation.

I supply a minimum of 3 different concepts but I often give a few more if the books subject has inspired me or I've come up with more valid designs than the standard 3.

I carry out 3 rounds of revisions to the client's chosen preferred front cover option. Another 3 rounds for the combined back cover and spine. And if I'm commissioned to design the interior, 3 rounds to revise that too.

I think my method is a little different from most as I offer different rates depending on how much/how often the client wants to potentially make changes/revisions. Sometimes a client is happy for me to describe how I envision each illustration, do very rough sketches (stick-man level!) and then leave me to outlining, painting etc until they get the final image. Other clients want to see the final outlines (second stage); while others may want to be able to make changes even once I've painted (this is usually only clients where the characters in the book are people they know, I've found).

So each rate has a different number of rounds of revisions included. The higher the rate the more rounds of revisions. Most authors go for the mid-rate, which includes revisions at sketch stage, and at final pencil outline stage.

I usually invite the client to give feedback at every stage of the process, thumbnail, sketch and final, ensuring that there's no miscommunication throughout. If there is a situation where the feedback stage becomes drawn out, I limit myself to a maximum of two rounds of revisions before additional fees get added. However, I try to remain flexible when responding to client feedback, with my goal always being to end up with a result the client is happy with. Extra fees are normally only added if the revisions cause serious delays or are outside the scope of what the client is paying for.

It's important to remember that every author is different. Even if an author has worked on their book for months, if not years, and has a deep understanding of places, characters and content, it doesn't always mean they know how it should look. Other times the author knows exactly what they want.

Often an author has prepared visual references and described their project in detail in their proposal. But others can be less sure. Either way, I will want to pick their brains and try and get as much information and hopefully relevant picture references from them as possible. This could be other illustrations, art or books they like, but also experiences and situations that have inspired the book that they think are relevant. I may also suggest some references here if I think it can help. If the author is unsure at the start, then this process will help them find a visual idea that we can build upon.

Then the next stage is to find a coherent look and style from this material that can work for the project. To do this I will narrow down the references to find a core idea by making a number of sketches and mockups of characters or scenes with references for colours, lines, light or textures that we can discuss. It's good to give this phase a little extra time to ensure we both understand what I am aiming for in the visuals. It may take a couple of variations but hopefully we can agree on a look that we are both happy with. I want to make illustrations that match their vision but also need to be sure it's a look that I am comfortable making that's not too far from my personal style.

After this, and if its a bigger project with many illustrations, then it can be a good idea to choose a 'typical' scene from the book and make a single, finished illustration for approval that can be a style reference for all the rest.

Even if we both agree on the visuals, it's still important to me that the author can follow the progress throughout the rest of the project to avoid any problems or disappointment at the end. This doesn't mean the author has to give a critique of everything I make, but it's good to confirm my work feels right for them and see if there are details that they want to change.

In short its a process of respect, understanding and guidance from both parties that leads to a successful visual interpretation.

When an Author sends me their text, my first step is to produce a written visual layout on their text. So for each page I will write in red my idea for the page or spread. This is solely for me to begin researching any reference I need and collect this into a folder to refer to later.

I will then produce a rough layout of each page, very loose, quick sketches to convey the action and composition of the scene, I will do this for the whole book. Then all the text and rough sketches go into a PDF which is sent to the author for notes. This way, we can agree overall composition, make sure it flows well etc, but also, we can make changes easily. So when I move into producing the final artwork, we are both as prepared as can be. There will inevitably be further changes for the final art but this way, they tend to be minimal. It's about setting the ground work early on so the client knows what to expect.

Most clients begin to gather quotes for publishing a book and start with the writing, since that's the first step. A ghostwriter will provide a quote for their work required to gather background information, interview the author and related characters, draft chapters, and then edit the chapters for hand-off to the publisher.

From there, the author can choose to work with a one-stop-shop publisher that will handle copyediting, proofreading, cover design, page layout, indexing, printing, and distribution, or they can look for individual professionals who will complete each of those tasks. In that case, each professional will provide a quote for the cost to engage them. The total can range from a few thousand dollars on top of the ghostwriter's quote, to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on any ancillary marketing services you may choose to invest in.