How much does it cost to publish a book?

[zeronem]

I'm getting particularly interested in writing a literature book, or a screenplay. I hear it is expensive to get a book published. However I could consider self-publishing like Mark Twain which is probably expensive but less expensive.


So, what is the total cost of getting your book published and sold out of stores? And have any of you ever published a book?

 

[Evo]

If a publisher wants to publish your book, they will pay you. A friend of mine got a very lucrative book deal with a LARGE up front check, plus royalties.

If you are just wanting to print your own, I would suggest contacting a number of companies that print and bind books and get prices. Price is affected by how many you order, paper quality, binding, etc...

Then you have to get stores to agree to sell your book. You should anticipate this as a financial loss and something just to do for fun. People have rarely recouped expenses or made a profit if they did it themselves.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I'm also not sure where you got the idea Mark Twain self-published his books. That might possibly have been one of his many schemes at some point, but the majority of his books were published the normal way.

 

[Danger]

Evo's right on about that. Stay away from Subsidy Publishers (called Vanity Publishers in the business) unless your ego demands your being published regardless of any lack of quality. If you have to pay someone to print it, it probably won't get any sales. Publishers (well, their editors) recognise potential and will inform you if you have any. Writers' Digest Publishing has a book called "Does It Pay to Pay to Have It Published?" Read it before making a decision.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I just remembered that there is a TV commercial that airs now and then concerning some software or system whereby a person can publish a book, or even a single copy of a book, if they so desire. I paid no attention to the details, though. That would be worth looking into. Might be the cheapest option of all, for self publishing.

 

[Kakarot]

i plan on trying to get a book published some day. I've been writing some science fiction stories in my spare time but i never end up finishing them lmao. oh well they probably suck anyways :P

 

[Evo]

I just remembered that there is a TV commercial that airs now and then concerning some software or system whereby a person can publish a book, or even a single copy of a book, if they so desire. I paid no attention to the details, though. That would be worth looking into. Might be the cheapest option of all, for self publishing.

There is a lot of publishing software that puts what you type in book format, but you could do that yourself with a little effort and Word. It's getting the book bound, if you want it to actually look like a real book that's going to cost. Or you can just go somewhere like Kinko's and get a cheapo report type binding.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I order odd, old technical books that are reprinted and sold by a company called Lindsay Books. In his catalog he writes quirky editorials. One thing he has complained about several times is that the mere cost of paper is what prevents him from charging less. Given what you pay for a pack of printer paper, I don't disbelieve him.

 

[zeronem]

I for one hope I can get a book published. It would be nice to make money as writer. Especially if you write a good book that becomes best seller. Writing to me, would just be an interesting way to make a living. I would feel more independent being a writer. I have a lot of free time as a College Student waiting for the next semester. Might as well see what I can cook up on paper with the use of my imagination, while waiting for the next semester.

 

[skeptic]

Most large printing companies now offer a service known as 'demand publishing'. It is a sort of glorified photocopying, but the product is indistinguishable from an ordinary book. Depending upon book length, it might cost 10 dollars/book, for a print-run as short as 10 books. One then sends these to reviewers or mainstream publishers, or asks local shops to display them. If you get orders, you can then 'demand-print' a longer run (at a more advantageous rate), change to conventional bulk-printing, or sell out to a large publisher.

 

[hypatia]

A friend of mine published {1980}a short book of poems, that a child of theirs had written. 1000 copies cost them almost 3000 dollars. Paperback of course, with only some black and white drawings. It was only 20 some pages long.