Publishing is free. Really.

Many misguided authors speak of “self-publishing” companies they hire to provide comprehensive services to produce their books and publish them; however, there’s no such thing as a self-publishing company. When you publish a book, you embark upon one of three paths:

  1. Traditional Publishing. This is what people think of when they think of publishing. In this model, assuming you’re fortunate enough to be picked up by a publisher, the publisher (usually) pays the author an advance upon anticipated royalties. When the advance earns out, the publisher begins paying royalties, typically a small share (15% or less) of the revenue earned by copies sold. The lion’s share of the revenue goes to paying the professionals employed by the publishing company, the expenses of production, and profit.
  2. Hybrid Publishing. This is what is meant by “self-publishing” companies. Authors pay these one-stop shops for the services necessary to produce their books. When it comes to hybrid publishers, many are notorious vanity presses that not only charge a premium for substandard service, but they also command the author’s copyright and a hefty share of the royalties.
  3. Self-publishing. In this model, the author hires freelance professionals to provide the services necessary to produce a quality book and publishes the book on his or her own behalf, usually through one of the online distribution platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing (i.e., Amazon).

But the cost of production is not free.

The Editorial Freelancers Association has over 3,000 members around the world. Most are in the USA. Members are freelance professionals: editors, book designers, ghostwriters, illustrators, etc. The EFA periodically surveys its membership for financial data and crunches the numbers to assign median values to the various services freelancers provide. The latest update to this survey was published the first quarter of 2024.

The rates guide used to be availble only as a PDF, but now anyone can calculate an estimate of freelance professional rates online through the EFA’s rates calculator here: https://www.the-efa.org/rates/. You enter your project information, and the rates calculator will provide you with both median per-word and per-hour rates which you may use to establish a realistic budget for the service you need.

It’s important to note that the EFA does not establish or set rates for the industry. That’s illegal. However, many freelance pros use the rates guide as a guideline to setting their own rates. It’s not unusual for a freelancer to make the claim that his or her rates are in alignment with EFA guidelines.

So, what does it cost?

Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer, except to note that publishing is free, but producing a quality book is not. Traditional and hybrid publishers employ (or outsource) professionals to ensure the quality of the products (books) they produce. Those professionals get paid anywhere from minimum wage to six figures a year, depending on the skill and experience they bring to the project. The artist who did the cover to Russian Revival told me that he’d normally charge $4,000 for a project like that; however, you’ll find many artists who work for much less.

Low-bid vendors may be problematic. Often they’re less skilled, less experienced. They may take unethical shortcuts, such as running a manuscript through editing software and calling the project finished rather than actually poring over every line and making corrections manually. Cover designers and illustrators at the cheap end tend to use generative AI rather than spring for the licenses to stock images or create original artwork. Or they’ll simply download an image and use it without purchasing the license for commercial use. (Remember, just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s free to use.)

By the way, images and written content generated by AI cannot be copyrighted.

When it comes to hiring professional services, the phrase “you get what you pay for” comes to mind rather emphatically. Unfortunately, the fees professionals command may be at odds with an author’s budget. Luckily, many such pros will negotiate reduced levels of service for reduced fees or payment plans to work with the author’s budget. I offer the latter: payment plans.

If you’re a new author and you’re looking for professional freelance services to help you produce a quality book, save your pennies for the expense just as you would to purchase a large appliance or even a car. Depending upon the length of your manuscript, the amount of work it needs to be whipped into shape, and other factors, producing your book may cost several thousand dollars—and that does not include the cost of printing and distribution.

Choose your publishing path wisely and be prepared to pay for the services you need.