The Cost Of Writing

The cost of Writing and finding a way to Save.

There is an old adage that says "It takes money to make money" Well, even when it comes to being an Indie author this is true.

Of course, the first thing you must pay is your time. The story has to be written before you can publish it. In this case, your family and pets pay too, as most people have full-time jobs while trying to break out in the writing business, so squeezing that time in, takes away from the loved ones.

Once you have written, you now have to get it edited. Social media is a great tool to meet other authors, editors, illustrators, you can make deals, help each other, get free or cheap rates. Or there is the old fashion way and pay for it professionally. Which I have to tell you editing is expensive, extremely expensive.

There is also formatting, you can't just type up the book as you think it should look on paper. (I made this mistake my first time around.) It gets reject because all e-readers have different layouts, and printing has its own layout too. 

There are websites, I like E-launch.com, they have decent pricing, these companies take your book as is and correct the formatting for a fee. Or you can go online do the research and figure out how to do it yourself. I've found as long as leave it very simple, no indents, no tabbing and a detailed content page, I can do it. If I want it to look like a professional book, however, I need the pros to do for me.

Then there is your cover. I have found Canva.com, a great place to make covers free (with your own photos) or for just a few dollars use their stock photos. They have been a lifesaver for me, as I can't afford $75 -$200.00 for a profession cover artist.

And lastly, if you want your book in paperback you must buy the proof to make sure the layout is correct, and there's shipping too. For myself being a Canadian, that means US funds charge, plus shipping charge, plus a duty charge - as I'm sure this is for other countries as well. So my books cost me almost double to obtain. Therefore if I want to have 10 copies here to sell to friends and family (some are gifts of course), I am paying from $80.00 - $130.00 to buy, so when I resell it's at cost or even a loss.  

The rest is Marketing, and that I've found you can do for free if you work hard enough at it. Although the sales are minimal, it's a stepping stone. The goal is to get enough work out there and your name far and wide and perhaps you'll be the next big hit. 

So don't let the fees discourage you, give it a go. You can do it without spending, do the basic format, publish it free as E-book only, on Smashwords, or any other free site you may find, and start there. Creating websites are free. Writing a blog is free. So there are ways. The most important thing is to write and give it your best and just keep going.

Till next week, Happy writing. Theresa