In light of my upcoming release of the Reunion Trilogy, I thought I'd lay my cards on the table and give a full and frank accounting of what it costs me Per Book to produce it.
These figures are fluid. They will change from release to release meaning the ROI (Return On Investment) will also be changeable.
These figures are fluid. They will change from release to release meaning the ROI (Return On Investment) will also be changeable.
The Reunion Trilogy
 | The Reunion Trilogy was initially written and submitted to Beachwalk Press and remain available as ebooks. Because they were a previously released title, my outlay on it was a lot less than usual. Cover My cover cost a grand total of $AUD28 on Fiverr for the cover in print version with a high quality image. |
Now this was a great price but painful process as it took me 3 days of pushing and hammering to get the cover right. If I quantified my time value, the cost of it would have risen exponentially. I was looking for cheap and got it, but I probably wouldn't go that route again. It's far too difficult to find a quality artist on there to get what I paid for in a quick turn around timeframe.
Formatting: I recently invested in Vellum Print. I cost me $AUD139.99 to upgrade from my ebook version to the print. Given I have a number of titles coming out, that will allow me to even out the costs, if I work on 4 books in 2017 (which is close to what it will be) then the cost of that to this title is $35 to format the book. Easy Peasy.
ISBN: I bought my ISBN's in a pack of 10 at a grand total of $AUD88 so the cost for this title is $AUD8.80
My total outlay : $AUD71.80
I need to recoup that on top of my cost price for printing and shipping in order to break even then make a profit on this title.
Formatting: I recently invested in Vellum Print. I cost me $AUD139.99 to upgrade from my ebook version to the print. Given I have a number of titles coming out, that will allow me to even out the costs, if I work on 4 books in 2017 (which is close to what it will be) then the cost of that to this title is $35 to format the book. Easy Peasy.
ISBN: I bought my ISBN's in a pack of 10 at a grand total of $AUD88 so the cost for this title is $AUD8.80
My total outlay : $AUD71.80
I need to recoup that on top of my cost price for printing and shipping in order to break even then make a profit on this title.
Inheritance Of The Blood
Cover
Because this is my first totally on my own self published book and I happened to see the perfect cover very early on, I purchased a cover that was pre-made but of a very high quality.
Having said that, I'm paying for an artist, but I have 2 chances at making my money back. 1) Ebook and 2) Paperback.
Cost: $USD110 and that includes the print cover with full wrap and the ebook version. (On current conversion rate say $AUD145)
Editing
I'm so darned lucky, as my editor (who also works for at least one publishing house) also happens to be an exceptionally good friend. She looks after me. In order to get a high quality editing job, you pay. It's a case of you need to find someone who understands you, will look at your work and "get it" as well as do a quality job. Without that, you aren't going to release a quality title. (Sorry to all those who get teachers/friends and family members to edit. Unless you have a qualified/experienced Fiction Editor, then your work will suffer!!) It cost me in the region of $AUD600 - well worth EVERY PENNY I spent.
ISBN: Again, I buy mine in a pack of 10 but I used 2 for this book. 1 for the ebook version and 1 for the print version. Cost? @$8.80 each, my outlay is $17.60
Formatting: Yep add in my $AUD35 for Vellum
My total outlay for Print and Ebook versions: $AUD797.60
Because this is my first totally on my own self published book and I happened to see the perfect cover very early on, I purchased a cover that was pre-made but of a very high quality.
Having said that, I'm paying for an artist, but I have 2 chances at making my money back. 1) Ebook and 2) Paperback.
Cost: $USD110 and that includes the print cover with full wrap and the ebook version. (On current conversion rate say $AUD145)
Editing
I'm so darned lucky, as my editor (who also works for at least one publishing house) also happens to be an exceptionally good friend. She looks after me. In order to get a high quality editing job, you pay. It's a case of you need to find someone who understands you, will look at your work and "get it" as well as do a quality job. Without that, you aren't going to release a quality title. (Sorry to all those who get teachers/friends and family members to edit. Unless you have a qualified/experienced Fiction Editor, then your work will suffer!!) It cost me in the region of $AUD600 - well worth EVERY PENNY I spent.
ISBN: Again, I buy mine in a pack of 10 but I used 2 for this book. 1 for the ebook version and 1 for the print version. Cost? @$8.80 each, my outlay is $17.60
Formatting: Yep add in my $AUD35 for Vellum
My total outlay for Print and Ebook versions: $AUD797.60
What I need to make to break even on a .99cent title
I'm going to work this next bit out using the 35% Amazon royalty rate for a 99 cent title (yes, I get 35 cents in the dollar - that's it for all my hard work!)
Inheritance of the Blood - each copy makes me 34.65 cents PER COPY SOLD.
In order to recoup my original costs, I need to sell XXX x 34.65 to break even. The value of XXX = 2301 copies.
Having said that, I've got the added benefit of being able to recoup through print costs too. But it's sobering to know I need to sell more than 2302 books before I make a profit.
So, next time you pirate a book, please think about those figures.
p.s. Inheritance Of The Blood will pre-order at 99 cents before heading back up to full cost at $4.99 :) So when I make it available, please get in early and purchase your copy!
Inheritance of the Blood - each copy makes me 34.65 cents PER COPY SOLD.
In order to recoup my original costs, I need to sell XXX x 34.65 to break even. The value of XXX = 2301 copies.
Having said that, I've got the added benefit of being able to recoup through print costs too. But it's sobering to know I need to sell more than 2302 books before I make a profit.
So, next time you pirate a book, please think about those figures.
p.s. Inheritance Of The Blood will pre-order at 99 cents before heading back up to full cost at $4.99 :) So when I make it available, please get in early and purchase your copy!
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