Cost Of Self Publishing on Amazon | Is Self-Publishing Worth It?

About this video

Provenance note: this transcript track is in Arabic, verified by reading the actual text, and is summarized faithfully in English here. Dale breaks down what self-publishing on Amazon actually costs, saying the total can range from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars depending on how much professional help an author buys. On editing, he distinguishes developmental editing at roughly five to ten cents per word, basic or line editing at two to five cents per word, and proofreading at one to two cents per word, estimating that editing and proofreading a 10,000-word manuscript runs at least $800 to $1,200, and he advises finding editors through recommendations from authors in your niche because editors specialize. Interior formatting can start around $10 from freelancers building a reputation on platforms like Fiverr or exceed $1,500 for elaborate designs. For covers, he cites ebook and audiobook covers at roughly $7 to $500 and print covers at $17 to $500 or more, recommending one professional designer across formats rather than piecing services together. For audiobooks, he explains the choice on Audiobook Creation Exchange between royalty share, which he advises using only when necessary, and paying per finished hour, with good narrators costing about $50 to $1,200 per finished hour. Adding up the high-end recommendations, he puts the total at around $5,000 per publication, while stressing nobody has to spend that much and pointing budget-strapped authors toward learning to do it themselves.

Key takeaways

• Dale says self-publishing costs range from free to tens of thousands of dollars, depending entirely on how much work is outsourced.
• His editing rate ranges are five to ten cents per word for developmental editing, two to five cents for basic editing, and one to two cents for proofreading.
• He estimates editing and proofreading a 10,000-word manuscript at a minimum of roughly $800 to $1,200.
• Interior formatting runs from about $10 to over $1,500, while ebook covers run roughly $7 to $500 and print covers $17 to $500 or more.
• Audiobook narrators cost about $50 to $1,200 per finished hour when paid outright, and his high-end total across all services is around $5,000 per publication.

Episode details: published July 11, 2019 · 12:56 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

← Previous: Marketing a Self Published Book | The Unfair Advantage · Next: Best Self Publishing Companies 2019 | Which Companies to Avoid →

All Dale L. Roberts videos · Dale L. Roberts profile · Dale L. Roberts on YouTube