Sorting Through the Costs of Publishing a Book

It’s hard to imagine that anything would give a person more satisfaction than knowing they’ve just written a book. Once you’ve taken that giant leap, you know you want to make the right decisions regarding its printing and distribution. There are two main avenues to take in regards to publishing a book in India: traditional publishing and self-publishing.

While traditional publishing may seem like the easier route to take—you simply sign over your rights to a publisher and let them deal with printing and distributing the book, and you just focus on enjoying your royalty check—that’s not always the case. For one, you have to get your book accepted by a publisher, which can be a long, drawn-out process. For another, once you’ve signed over your rights to the book, it’s the publisher’s, to, for the most part, do with as they please. There is another avenue to consider: self-publishing. With self-publishing, you maintain all rights and control to your book.

You are also responsible for all decisions and costs associated with publishing and distributing it. While this may sound scary, here’s a breakdown of the costs associated with self-publishing to help calm your fears. When self-publishing a book, you’ll be responsible for the following costs: developmental editing, copy-editing, cover art, formatting, ISBN number, printing, and marketing. The need for book editor (both developmental and copy-editor) is an important one.

You want someone to go through your book with a fine tooth comb, looking for errors and suggesting revisions. You want to know that when your book hits the shelves, it’s completely error free. Let us know about how much can it cost to publish a book in India . Developmental editing can cost anywhere from 2,500 rupees to 4,000 rupees per hour based on the experience of the editor. Copy-editing can cost anywhere from just under 50,000 rupees to 4,00,000 rupees. Cover design is a major part of marketing your book.

An ugly, uninteresting cover makes for fewer sales; it’s that simple. Cover art can come pre-made or be customized to meet your needs. Covers range from just over 5,000 rupees up to 1,00,000 rupees. Formatting can be done by the author or can be hired out. If done by the author, it’ll be free. If the author pays someone to format their book, it can cost upwards of 1,50,000 Rupees. Every book should have an ISBN number in order to be listed as the publisher and have it sold in bookstores.

One ISBN number generally costs 7500 rupees. Printing can be done on an as-needed basis when self-publishing. These costs can vary depending on which print-on-demand service you choose. Marketing prices will vary depending on what strategy you use. There are some free marketing options, such as setting up book signings, advertising via social media outlets, and more. Others, such as newspapers, radio, and television, can cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Choosing the right cover and properly marketing your book are probably the two most important parts of self-publishing.

It may seem overwhelming getting started with the self-publishing process, but there are many reputed publishing companies in India who can walk you through the steps of self-publishing, all while allowing you to maintain your rights as the author. So once you’ve made the leap and decided to self-publish, give them a call and let them help you through the self-publishing process. Knowing that you’ve not only written a book, but also published it should make you feel a great sense of pride.

The author of this article recommends the book publishing services of BecomeShakespeare.com.