Table of Contents
There are so many misconceptions about what it takes to have a successful indie author career. Some folks are under the impression that they can do it for cheap or free—that they can bootstrap their way to success.
But this is an unrealistic idea. Maybe it comes from how little art is valued in our capitalistic Western society; writing is a frivolous business, so it doesn’t require up-front investment, some might think. Certain influencers spout fantasy marketing in order to keep eyes and ears on their podcasts and YouTube channels. “All you need to be a successful self-published author is hard work!” they might say.
As someone who has been in the indie publishing business for a decade—and who tried to boostrap their way to indie publishing success and suffered consequences—I know this isn’t true. And as someone who makes a living as an editor primarily for indie author clients, I cringe whenever someone posts to a Facebook group something like, “Aren’t there any editors who are affordable?” “Affordable,” of course, is code for “underpaid,” “underskilled,” and “scammers.”
Sure, anyone can put a book up on Amazon. They can make their own cover, throw up a book description, and upload unedited work. But in a sea of books with beautiful and marketable covers, well-crafted marketing copy, and high-quality editing and formatting, a book without all that will be, at worst, spurned and, at best, ignored by readers.
An indie author business is a business. It requires up-front investment to be profitable (as opposed to lots of sweat equity gone down the drain). Editing is just one expense, though it’s one of the most important.
How much capital does a person need in order to build a successful indie author business? And what should they do if they don’t have any money to invest?
First, let’s look at the expenses required to publish an indie book.
Indie Publishing Expenses
Any dollar values I list in this post will be USD.
Cover Design
Like with any of the services I’ll discuss in this section, cover design prices vary widely, but also, as the adage goes, “you get what you pay for.” This means that in order to get a high-quality cover, you will need to pay a certain amount. The cost of services also depends on the versions of covers you will need, which can include e-book, print, and audiobook. Starting out, indie authors publish an e-book and usually, but not always, offer a print-on-demand option.
In addition, you have two options when it comes to a book cover: custom and premade. Premades are almost always cheaper than custom covers but can definitely be high-quality. Many designers offer both kinds.
As I discuss in my blog post on how to vet a freelance editor, sites like Fiverr and Upwork encourage cutting corners and undercharging, so it’s best to look for established designers with their own websites. Examples include Damonza, Miblart, and Wolfsparrow.
From my own research, I estimate cover design costs in the below ranges. Though some designers, including ones I’ve recommended, may charge less or more, I suggest staying within these ranges for the best quality and value.
Premade Covers: $50–$300
Custom Covers: $200–$1,200
Editing
As an editor, I’m a bit biased, but to me, editing is the most important investment any author can make in their craft. (Of course, readers won’t know anything about how great your manuscript is if there isn’t a high-quality cover to grab their attention.)
Editing isn’t just to make your book marketable, though obvious typos and grammatical errors will most definitely hinder book sales. Editing makes you a better writer. Over time, you will actually need less editing (never no editing) because working with an editor will help you improve your mastery of storytelling. Ideally, over time, you will be better able to create good stories in the planning stages, hit reader expectations, and write faster. A skilled editor heightens reader immersion, eliminating distractions and story elements that could throw your reader out of the story, having them going, “Huh?” and opting for someone else’s book.
All that being said, it’s crucial to find the right editor, not just anyone claiming to be skilled at editing. You must do your due diligence by getting sample edits and vetting any editor you work with. You also have to pay them what they are worth, because underpaying is likely to lead to a low-quality edit, or worse, getting scammed.
I recommend looking for established editors with their own websites (this means they don’t have to rely on sites that act as a middle man between clients and service providers, such as Upwork, Fiverr, and Reedsy, which take a cut of editors’ earnings in exchange for putting them in front of clients). To save money, but at your own risk, you can work with newer editors who are still building their client bases, as they usually charge below market value; I did this myself starting out. But if you can afford it and if you want the cleanest copy, I recommend paying for a more experienced editor—and one who has edited within your book’s genre.
Editing prices vary among types of editing. Most editors charge by the word, though some charge hourly (I recommend a per-word rate for the most transparent pricing). As a first-time author, you will need a minimum of three rounds: developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading. These can be all from the same editor (most of my clients hire me for all three) or from more than one.
Some clients also need line editing (my copyedits include light line editing), which focuses on sentence and paragraph structure, style, and readability. An experienced editor like myself can give you a recommendation for what types of editing your manuscript needs. Over time, you will be able to cut down to just two rounds: copyediting and proofreading. Some authors, especially those who rapid release, opt for just one round later in their careers.
Some authors may benefit from a manuscript evaluation, which is a broad editorial report, but to me, it’s more of a “nice-to-have” or appropriate only in specific circumstances.
Referencing the EFA’s rate chart, I’ve estimated the below editing cost ranges per one round of editing based on manuscripts of 50,000 to 100,000 words. If your book is longer than 100,000 words, expect to pay more.
Developmental Editing: $500–$4,000
My rate: $900–$1,800
Copyediting: $400–$3,000
My rate: $900–$1,800
Proofreading: $200–2,000
My rate: $450–$900
All Three Levels: $1,100–9,000
My rate: $1,900–$3,800
Formatting
The term formatting refers to the process of turning your manuscript into publishable e-book and print files. Formatting can also refer to interior design, the process of laying out your book’s inside pages and making them aesthetically pleasing.
There are a variety of ways to format. The cheapest way is to use a word processor like Microsoft Word, but this can be tedious and cumbersome. Most indie authors use software like Vellum (my personal favorite) or Atticus to create their e-book and print files, and this is the method I would recommend. Still, some authors hire interior designers to custom design the insides of their books.
Because of the variety of methods, there is a wide price range for formatting. Below, I am using “formatting” to refer to DIY formatting using some type of software (this includes something bare-bones like Word to something very advanced like Adobe InDesign). Software costs are usually one-time fees but can be subscriptions. I am using “interior design” to refer to custom designed formatting.
Formatting: $60–$276
Interior Design: $225–$2,000
To get a single book ready for publication, I recommend budgeting around $4,800.
That being said, based on my estimates, the cost to get one book ready for publication (cover design, editing, and formatting) ranges from a minimum of $1,210 (a premade cover; the cheapest developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading for 50,000 words; and formatting with Microsoft Word) to $12,200 (the most expensive services for a book up to 100,000 words).
Marketing/Promotion
Though you will want to get started on marketing with your first book, some of the below considerations are more applicable when you already have a backlist or series published. Where appropriate, I’ve estimated based on one year of costs.
Author Website
It’s essential to have a hub on the internet that you own (that means outside social media) where you can direct readers. You need one clear place to put your author information and book links—and that isn’t at the mercy of changing social media leadership that can completely tank a platform. You can also use your website to blog and improve your SEO, or search engine optimization, so readers can find you by Googling your author name.
Several options exist when it comes to creating your author website, ranging from low-cost to a bit pricey, but they also range in quality and services offered. There is no free option you should be using, since websites without a domain name (yourname.someothersite.com, as opposed to yourname.com) are unprofessional and not good for SEO. Keep in mind that if you choose the cheapest option, it can be cumbersome and annoying to switch to a better platform later on.
For those without a technical background, I recommend a high-quality website builder like Squarespace, which I’ve personally used. Wix is popular with nondesigners, but as someone with a background in user experience and user interface design, the alignment issues on almost every Wix website—even those built by professionals—make me cringe.
Those with technical experience will be better served by building their own website. To do this, you’ll need webhost like SiteGround along with WordPress (.org, not .com!). (Avoid Bluehost, I beg! They have a good affiliate program, so many people recommend them, but my SEO improved so much when I switched from them to SiteGround. Plus, SiteGround’s user interface is so much more user-friendly.) I personally use the drag-and-drop WordPress builder Elementor on my websites, but you can get by with a free theme and WordPress’s built-in solution, Gutenberg.
The most expensive option for an author website is one designed and built for you by a professional designer. This isn’t necessary at all, but if you have the money, it may be worth it to you. Please research and vet any designer you work with, and make sure they have several beautiful and usable websites in their portfolio. With this option, you will still have to pay for ongoing hosting fees.
The below ranges include services from the lowest-priced website builder I would recommend, WordPress.com; to a builder or webhost with all the bells and whistles you don’t really need (though you may want to consider a store at some point to sell your books and perhaps merchandise later on); to the highest-priced designer I came across. However, you will be well served going with something in the realm of $200–$300 per year.
Website builder: $48–$1,188 per year
Website hosting + DIY design: $36–$648 per year
Website done for you: $199–$8,500
Email Marketing
You may have heard that every author should have a mailing list. This is a collection of email addresses gathered through forms on your website, or sometimes from in-person sign-up sheets, that belong to people who want to receive email communication from you about your books.
Theoretically, you don’t need an email marketing service; you could draft emails yourself with a free email client. But there are certain laws that you have to abide by, and an email service helps you cover your bases in that regard. Also, most people on mailing lists expect to receive attractive and readable emails created through an email service, and your subscribers need the ability to quickly and easily unsubscribe from your list. In addition, these email services make it easier to gather emails, providing the ability to easily create sign-up pages and forms, track subscriptions, group and segment lists, and more.
Starting out, you can get an email marketing service for free. Many of these companies offer free accounts up to a certain number of subscribers, usually around 1,000–2,000. After that, you will need to pay a fee. The fee is usually higher with more subscibers, but in theory, the more subscribers you have, the more you will be able to invest in your business.
I personally use MailerLite for my email marketing. I’ve tried other services, but I prefer MailerLite’s drag-and-drop template editor, competitive pricing, and user interface. Their free account is available for those with lists of up to 1,000 subscribers.
The ranges below are based on 0 to 5,000 subscribers and the pricing of various popular email marketing services. Authors can most definitely have more subscribers than this, but it takes time and consistent hard work to build a large list.
Email marketing service: $0–$2,400 per year
ARC Distribution
A key task for indie authors is distributing ARCs (advance reader copies) to readers in order to get advance book reviews. Not every author does this, but in my experience, the majority do. Many of these authors pay for a service like BookFunnel or Booksprout to make this easier for them. BookFunnel also allows you to participate in group promotions.
ARC distribution: $20–$348 per year
Advertising
Indie authors must market their books in some way to get sales. The term advertising encompasses so much, including your author website (see above), as well as ad platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ads, Amazon ads, and BookBub ads and featured deals. Advertising can also include posting on social media for free, working with influencers, doing newsletter swaps with other authors, paying to have your book featured in newsletters, and more.
How much advertising costs varies widely. As an example, you can spend as little as $1 per day on Facebook ads. But the sky is the limit. You can spend as much as you want on advertising, but you must do it strategically in order to get a good return on investment, or ROI. Basically, if you get a return on your investment, you are making more than you are spending.
You don’t have to advertise everywhere, you should develop an advertising strategy based on your book’s genre and audience. When you are first starting out as an indie author, it is best to focus on free methods of advertising. Facebook ads and the like are more profitable for those with a backlist or series. As your career progresses, you might want to look into paying other people to manage your advertising and publicity, but like with all paid advertising, this comes with a financial risk, and you should thoroughly vet any person or company offering these services.
Advertising: $0–$4,000 per year
Additional Indie Publishing Costs
Cover design, editing, formatting, and marketing/promotion are nonnegotiable expenses for indie authors. However, as your indie author business gets more successful, you may want to invest more in your business, expand your offerings, network, or travel.
Audiobook Narration
Audiobooks are usually the last published of the three typical editions of a book: e-book, print, and audio. It’s possible to get an audiobook produced for only royalties through ACX’s Royalty Share program (ACX is Audible’s audiobook creation marketplace), but since that requires a long seven-year contract, some indies invest up front in audiobook narration and production.
Audiobook narrators are paid PFH, or per finished hour. To estimate the length of your audiobook, divide its word count by 9,300; this is your estimated length in hours. When you look for talent on ACX, you can filter the narrators by payment in a range from $50 to $1,000 PFH, so I’ve used that, as well as a word count of 50,000 to 100,000 to estimate the range for audiobook narration.
Audiobook narration/production: $300–$11,000 per book
Conventions/Festivals
Some indie authors attend certain fan conventions or reader festivals in order to sell their books and engage with the reading community. This can be an expensive endeavor, especially if the convention or festival is not near where you live. For each event, you will typically need to pay a fee to register, and bring your own table, swag, and other supplies. Not many authors manage to sell a high number of books, so make sure to have realistic expectations about how much money you will make at a given event. Often it is a financial loss, but you can get email list sign-ups (you will need to print sign-up sheets and provide writing utensils), network with other authors, and get your name out to readers. For nonlocal festivals, you will be expected to pay for travel and accommodations.
An example event is the Collingswood Book Festival, held each October in Collingswood, NJ. In 2024, the registration fee for authors was $60.00. Each attendee needed to provide their own tent (the event is outside, weather permitting), table, and chair in addition to whatever they wanted to give away, sell, or present on or around their table, such as physical books, swag (such as bookmarks, business cards, pens, etc.), banners, signs, and holders (such as for books and flyers). Another consideration is how you will take payment for books, as many readers will expect to be able to pay with a card or digitally with an app like Venmo or PayPal.
The below range is just an educated guess on my part. It could cost loss (though probably not much less) or more to attend a festival or convention, especially if it’s overseas.
Convention/festival: $300–$2,500
Professional Organizations
It might be worth it to you at some point in your career to become a member of a professional organization, such as ALLi (the Alliance of Independent Authors). These types of associations provide certain benefits, such as affiliate discounts, legal advice, networking, and other resources.
Professional organization: $90–$150 per year
Writing Groups, Classes, and Workshops
Writing groups, classes, and workshops are great for social development and continuing education. Writing groups can be local or online and usually require some type of dues payment in exchange for community networking, support, and events. My local writing group is a nonprofit that uses annual dues to pay for things like the a website, event space fees, refreshments, and supplies. I am on the board and have found the group invaluable when it comes to making friends with like-minded folks, learning and teaching about writing and publishing, and attending bookish events.
Writing classes and workshops teach you a skill, give you a deep dive on a subject, or guide you through writing or revising a novel, and they are fee-based as well. Their prices can vary widely and may be one-time or monthly. They can be single meetings or groups that meet over time. Make sure to research courses, especially high-priced ones, and the people teaching them before investing in them, and be discerning. Many people online are selling courses these days, and the marketing copy can be very convincing, even if the course isn’t worth your time.
I’ve based the below ranges on events I’ve attended and course listings I could find online. Though there are more expensive courses than in the range below, up to $1,000 or more, I don’t recommend paying more than $500 for a single nonuniversity course (even if it lasts over time) unless you have lots of extra money lying around or have some other compelling reason for booking it.
Writing group: $35–$50 per year
Writing class or workshop: $35–$500 per class or workshop
Conferences / Writing Retreats
These types of events are similar to a convention or book festival (see above), but instead of selling to attendees, you are an attendee.
Conferences are professional networking and educational events, sometimes put on by a professional organization (see above). You attend to make contacts in your field and learn information about the industry and how to succeed in it. Examples include Author Nation (a transition from the former 20Books Vegas, which arose from the 20BooksTo50K® Facebook group) and AWP. Conferences can be in person or virtual.
Writing retreats are an absolute dream for many authors. What’s better than time to write, especially in a beautiful location? Writing retreats run the gamut from a DIY Airbnb retreat with friends to a lush European getaway. What’s attractive about many retreats is that you don’t have to deal with booking a hotel because the retreat cost will include room and board at a lovely location.
The prices of conferences and writing retreats vary depending on offerings, locations, lengths. It could cost less (though not much less) or more than the below ranges to attend a conference or writing retreat, especially if it’s overseas.
Conference: $150–$2,500
Writing retreat: $150–$4,500
What to Do If You Don’t Have Money to Invest
Save Income from a Job
If you need to buy something, how do you pay for it? Unless they’re independently wealthy or inherited money from rich relatives, most people work a job and use the money they earn as income to purchase what they need and want. Indie authors are no different. Many of them have day jobs or start out with them before they are able to go full-time with their author business.
Depending on your living situation, income, and expenses, it might take a long time to save up the money needed to invest in an author business, or it may not be possible for you (If you are someone who cannot work, there is still a way to be an author! Check out the other two routes below). But for most, this is a doable method of getting the money together. It might require taking a hard look at where your money is going and making changes to how you spend and allocate it.
So many people, myself included, have money-related trauma and ingrained limiting beliefs about money that they got from their parents or how they grew up. It might be helpful to journal about this topic and reframe your limiting beliefs, or try to remove the emotion from money and look logically at your finances and what’s possible in your life. Could you get a better-paying job than the one you have, or an additional job? What are you currently spending money on that you could do without? Are there other ways you could bring in income?
Try Crowdfunding
Some authors and small presses have had success with crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. This isn’t a “set it and forget it” type of venture, however. You will need to find a way to get people to fund your project, which involves getting the word out and offering attractive incentives for funders. PublishDrive has a blog post with tips on how to crowdfund a publishing project.
If you already have a platform from blogging, podcasting, social media, or somewhere else, crowdfunding could be a good option for you. But if you are just starting out, it might be best look at other avenues first. Crowdfunding is always an option for later in your publishing career.
Check out Kickstarter’s publishing category to see some projects people are currently trying to get funded.
Go the Traditional Publishing Route
There’s nothing wrong with the tried and true method of traditional, or trade, publishing. Luckily authors have more options than ever before when it comes to making their dreams reality. If you don’t want to invest money up front but still want a career as a pubished author, then traditional publishing is a great option for you.
It’s true that there is a lot of competition for book deals, but there is competition in every field, including indie publishing. These days, many assert that getting a book deal requires investment up front in the form of editing, but this is not the case. Editing comes after the book deal. The whole point of going the traditional publishing route is that instead of paying out of your pocket, you pay with a percentage of your advance (if there is one) and royalties.
To get a traditional publishing deal, you must first write your book and self-edit your manuscript to the best of your ability. You will then need to format your manuscript file to certain standards. I gave a presentation on this topic in 2024, and you can download the slides from Google Drive.
After that, you write a query letter, adapted for each specific agent or publisher you will send it to, and send out queries to agents that represent the type of book you’ve written and/or publishers that pubish that type of book and take unsolicited and unagented queries. Jane Friedman has a great blog post that details all the different types of publishing and how you get paid.
Regardless of which publishing path you choose, there will be hard work involved. Writing isn’t easy, even if some people think it is. But you have several viable options at your disposable when it comes to getting your book into the hands of readers and realizing your dream of becoming a successful published author.
Next Steps
Writing a romance novel? Get Romance Novel Planner to make outlining a breeze.
Ready to invest in high-quality editing? I’m an experienced freelance editor specializing in romance and erotica, though I copyedit all fiction genres. Several of my previous indie clients have gone on to get six- and seven-figure publishing deals. To hire me, start with a free sample edit.
