Blot Publishing - Book Publishing (Costs)

Introduction Submission Production Completion Costs

Book Publishing - Costs

What Will it Cost to Publish a Book?
It is very difficult to say what any one book will cost to publish, even after reading the manuscript, but for some idea see the examples below. Certainly, book publishing is not cheap. We consider each project separately and prepare an estimate to account for all the costs you are likely to incur between sending your manuscript to us and receiving your finished books.

If you change your mind after giving us the go-ahead about, for example, the style of the cover, we will need you to pay any extra costs involved; but if the change reduces the cost, your final bill will go down. We won't charge you for work we haven't done, or for costs we haven't incurred. If you choose to pull-out of the project altogether you will only be charged for the work (and expenses) completed up to that point.

Page-setting Costs: Costs vary enormously and depend mostly on the complexity and length of the text. A book of poetry, for which each poem must be set individually might cost Ł2,000 to page-set. A novel, containing justified lines of text, with only chapter headings to break the flow, might cost as little as Ł500.

Printing & Binding Costs (examples only):
176 pages, perfect bound (paperback), 500 copies, B&W cover with picture: Ł2,000
240 pages, hardbound 2,000 copies, 4 colour photographs gathered in the middle: Ł5,000

Publishing Costs:
We make no extra charge for publishing if we have done the page-setting, other than asking for seven copies of the finished book (six for the deposit libraries and one for our archives).

How Do I Pay?
The cost is split into three parts, the full amount covering the cost of design, page-setting, printing and binding, as well as a such peripheral administrative items as telephone calls and postage. The first part due will be as a deposit. The second part, to cover the cost of printing, is due just before the book goes to press. Please note that we will not pay the printer until you are happy. The third part, the final balance, only becomes due once the project has been completed, and your book is in print.

You can change your mind at any time, but you will be expected to pay for any work already undertaken. If your deposit covers less than the work undertaken, you will be asked to pay the difference. However, if your deposit covers more than the work undertaken, the surplus will be returned to you. Thus you pay for work done (and expenses incurred), and no more.

Will I Make Any Money From My Book?
All the income from sales of each book goes to the author. If this income exceeds the costs then the author makes a profit. If sales of the book do not cover the costs then the author makes a loss. Once Blot has received the final payment we have no further financial claim on your book.

Cover price: You should take into account the mark-up value for each book that you sell. Distributors might be happy to accept your book, but might want as much as 50% of the cover price for themselves. If you market and sell the book yourself consider other costs, such as advertising, and remember to add something for postage.

Example:
1000 copies, perhaps costing Ł3,000 for publishing & printing.
Cost of each book: Ł3.00 (not including your own sales and marketing)

Ł4,500

Cover price Ł3.75 (75p profit per book):
Ł3,000 ÷ Ł3.75 = 800 books to be sold before breaking even.
1000 copies - 800 = 200 copies
Possible profit: 200 x Ł3.75 = Ł750

The more you charge for each book, the fewer copies you must sell before recouping your costs, and vice-versa. In reality, it will probably take some time before you manage to sell all your books and so it is not a good idea to embark on a project with the idea of getting an immediate return on your money.