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The Cost of Being an Indie Author

What It Takes to Release a Book

By S. K. GregoryPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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Indie authors get a bad rep, with many viewing their books as less than worthy if they didn't manage to land themselves a deal with a top publisher. When a book is released, unless it is free or 99 cents, many people are unwilling to purchase it. Many are perhaps unwilling to part with their cash if a book isn't from a well known source, or receiving rave reviews. They are missing out.

As an indie author myself, I can tell you that a LOT of work goes into producing a book and it can be very expensive. You might think with sites such as Amazon allowing people to upload their books free of charge that there is little to no cost to the author. Surprisingly, you would be wrong.

Once an author has written their book, the hard part begins. First, the book needs to be edited. Depending on the length of the book and the editor's price list, this can be anywhere from a few hundred, to a few thousand dollars! Editing includes proofreading, developmental editing, and more.

After the book is edited, there is the book cover to consider. If you want your book to sell well, you need to use a professional looking cover. This can cost anywhere from $100 to $500 depending on the designer and even higher if it requires unique art work and not just stock images.

So the author has a book that is ready to be uploaded, now what? Well, there is the marketing of course. Most successful ads are run through Amazon and Facebook, as well as through top newsletters such as Bookbub. Again, this can run from several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on how much you plan to spend per day.

Amazon offers an easy to use service, but of course they take a percentage from the sale. If a book is priced at 99 cents, Amazon gets 70 percent. That means for every copy sold, the author receives only 33 cents per book. Considering the cost to produce the book, it could be a very long time before they even break even, never mind make a profit, if ever.

If you are considering purchasing a book from an indie author, first of all thank you. Most indie authors are hard working, dedicated writers and we love hearing your feedback. If you have doubts about buying the book, here are a few tips to ensure you are getting a good book.

The first thing you will see is the cover, if it is a professional looking design, then the author has put the effort in, which means they have most likely made sure the book is thoroughly edited. An easy way to check is to download a free sample. You should be able to see if they book is well written in those first few pages. Next check out the blurb. It should be well written and tell you what the story is about, while leaving you wanting more. Finally, check out the reviews. Do read them, sometimes people will leave a negative review for silly reasons such as they did not like the book ending on a cliffhanger or similar. You should be able to get a good idea of the book's good and bad points.

Indie authors are dedicated to bringing you the best books possible. Take a chance on a new author today and who knows, they could end up being your new favorite author.

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About the Creator

S. K. Gregory

I am an author, journalist and blogger. I love reading and offer reviews to authors

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