How much $$$ did I SPEND to Self-Publish ALL my books? // Indie Author Expenses
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- My self-publishing expenses for 17 books-both individually AND total! This is a comprehensive breakdown of how much I spent on editors, cover design, formatting, ISBN numbers, copyright, and more! And the fun part is that I have documented this over the years so I was able to go back and pull some of those videos from the archives but ALSO am sharing a bunch of book expenses in this video that I've never shared before! (Books included: (1) Evalene's Number, (2) The Confident Corgi, (3) Pearl's Number, (4) The Stolen Kingdom, (5) The Jinni Key, (6) The Cursed Hunter, (7) The Enchanted Crown, (8, 9, 10, 11, 12) The Marketing for Authors nonfiction series, (13) The Collector's Edition of The Stolen Kingdom series, (14, 15) The Secret Gift 1st and 2nd editions, (16) The Secret Shadow, and (17) The Secret Curse (still to be published, but wanted to include it to compare my two fantasy series costs!
How Much I Spent (Individual Videos):
◦ My First 3 Books: • HOW MUCH DOES IT COST ...
◦ My 4 Book Fantasy Series: • SELF PUBLISHING COSTS:...
◦ Secret Gift (1st edition): • I Spent Just $120 to S...
◦ Secret Gift (2nd edition): • How Much Money I Spent...
◦ Collector's Edition: • How much MONEY I made ...
Formatting Tutorial Video: • How to FORMAT YOUR NOV...
Publishing on a Budget: • HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK ...
Check out all my books below!!
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📖 T H E Q U E E N ' S R I S E S E R I E S :
◦ THE SECRET GIFT: books2read.com...
◦ THE SECRET SHADOW: books2read.com...
◦ THE SECRET CURSE: / the-secret-curse
📚 T H E S T O L E N K I N G D O M S E R I E S :
www.bethanyata...
◦ COLLECTOR'S EDITION / BOX SET: amzn.to/34A9wFw
◦ THE SECRET GIFT: books2read.com...
◦ THE STOLEN KINGDOM: books2read.com...
◦ THE JINNI KEY: books2read.com...
◦ THE CURSED HUNTER: books2read.com...
◦ THE ENCHANTED CROWN: books2read.com...
◦ The Stolen Kingdom Audiobook: www.audible.co...
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📖 B E C O M E A P A T R O N :
Where you can receive digital early reader copies of my books, writing & publishing advice, help with your author platform, meet writer friends, and more!
/ bethanyatazadeh
💻 M Y A U T H O R N E W S L E T T E R :
Sign up for FREE exclusives (the first HALF of The Stolen Kingdom + a step-by-step self-publishing guide): www.bethanyata...
❤️ M Y M E R C H :
teespring.com/...
📚 M Y S E L F P U B L I S H I N G C O U R S E :
www.udemy.com/...
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📒 M Y O T H E R W O R K :
◦ EVALENE'S NUMBER: amzn.to/3sZPlKi
◦ PEARL'S NUMBER: amzn.to/3Kyp63Q
◦ MARKETING FOR AUTHORS SERIES: amzn.to/3pTrbPG
◦ THE CONFIDENT CORGI: amzn.to/36aJd9m
◦ Novel Planner Notebook (mug cover): amzn.to/3hYnzYo
◦ Novel Planner Notebook (laptop cover): amzn.to/3KwvW9Z
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❤️ C O M P A N I E S I L O V E & A M A N A F F I L I A T E F O R :
◦ PUBLISH AND THRIVE: heartbreathing...
◦ WRITING STICKERS & the book launch planner (10% off discount code is BETHANY10): stoneridgestic...
◦ EPIDEMIC SOUND (where I get my music! If you'd like to try it for a month, using this link gives me a free month! Thank you in advance!): www.epidemicso...
◦ DRAFT2DIGITAL: www.draft2digi...
💬 L E T ' S C O N N E C T 💬
Website | www.bethanyata...
Instagram | / authorbethanyatazadeh
CZcams | / bethanyatazadeh
Patreon | / bethanyatazadeh
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Thanks for watching!
❤️ Bethany
Note: some of these links are affiliate links and will support me with a little extra income at no extra cost to you. :)
#Authortube #NovelWriting #SelfPublishing
publishing has to be the most stressful yet at the same time satisfying feelings.
it might break ya bank, but in the end it’s all worth it. your work is out there in the world.
yeah, that audiobook cost is...
i get that it makes the book more accessible, and there's the claim of audio being on the rise in popularity, but 2k was such a terrifying investment (i write really chonky books lol) especially not knowing if it'll pay off.
Tried a kickstarter to get some help on the cost, but i don't think we're gonna make the goal ^_^;; i'm not good at marketing or even hyping/bragging about myself.
I'll gush all day long about my cover artist, my narrator, my editor, but i always forget to say something "By the way, i'm also kind of cool. And i wrote these books." LOL
100% agree, audiobooks are wildly expensive. I’m thinking personally I might try the royalty share in the future, and that would help with the costs!
Publishing is no joke! $$$$$$$$$$
Your numbers aren't bad. I spent way more money for my books. Thank you for showing that an indie author can lower publishing costs.
One of my strengths is DE. So that is one expense I am getting rid of going forward as well as formatting costs.
Other than the covers for my free short stories I give out to my newsletter subscribers, I don't think I'll be designing my own covers. 😅
I'm looking to network with other indie authors to exchange services. ❤ Thank you for including all of this in your video.
Haha yay thanks for watching the whole video! So glad it was helpful and encouraging to see, and you've got this! It takes time to learn what we need to spend money on so never feel like money is wasted, it's part of how we learn what we need! :)
What a treasure trove of useful information. Thanks Bethany! You're such a credit to this community.
Glad it was helpful!
Publishing is NO joke! $$$$$$$$$$
Also, I didn't realize how many years of watching your videos have gone by. I remember your older videos with the Number Series! Seeing how many books you've published in that time and realizing how little progress I've made in the grand scheme of things feels like a callout 😂
Regardless, it's so cool to see how much progress you have made with YOUR author journey. You can really tell you've learned and grown so much. I feel so lucky and privileged to have authors like you in the community to look up to! Thank you for sharing your experiences!
Haha yay thanks for watching the whole video! So glad it was helpful and encouraging to see. Nobody has the same publishing journey, so never compare, because that'll just distract you from all the things you HAVE accomplished - you've got this!! :D
There are so many lessons to learn along the way, right? It's nice to have a more streamlined process! Very nice
Publishing is no joke!! $$$$$$$$$$
Thank you for this. I'm releasing my debut in October, and I'm really trying not to overspend, and praying that I make my $$ back, because as we all know, Publishing is NO JOKE!!
So true! Thanks for watching and that’s very smart to be cautious about spending, you’re already starting off on the right foot!
❤❤❤ This is perfect! Needed this so bad!! I love budget breakdowns haha Such great advice :) I’m aiming to stay within budget - let’s see how well I do it 😅
Publishing is NO JOKE 💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰
Woohoo! So happy to hear it was helpful! :D You've got this!!
Publishing really is no joke! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Editing is by far my biggest expense, and I just recovered the first book in my current trilogy before I put out book 2. I LOVE them, but they are the most I've ever spent. It's always interesting to find out others precesses and where/ how they spend to publish. Thanks for sharing!
Haha yay thanks for watching the whole video! So glad it was helpful and encouraging to see, and that's so exciting to get new covers, woohoo! They can definitely be expensive but they're one of your best marketing tools, so usually worth it. You've got this!
I NEEDED this!
Yayyy! Perfect timing!
Very helpful and insightful. As always, thanks for a great video!
Yay thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!
Publishing is no joke! 💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰
I listened to this while mowing and doing some yard work, certainly helped pass the time!
🥰❤️ yayyy so glad you enjoyed it!
Publishing is no joke! $$$$$$$$$$
Thank you for sharing your expertise and experiences, Bethany! I have written my debut novel and am teetering on what to do next- self publish or seek trad publishing. I am fearful of the business side of self-publishing, but your videos always show you doing the hard work with such grace. You and I have the same degree, so I have the skills to edit, but when it comes to the idea of self-publishing for the first time, I feel like all my skills have gone out the window. Did you ever feel this way? 😅 Thanks again!
This was such an awesome, detailed video. Thank you for sharing. In the future, would you do an overview video for the marketing side? Even though you've made some mistakes, it feels like you'd have a lot of wisdom to share at a comprehensive level on marketing. You don't have to do the "did you make your money back" for that video. But just know what worked, didn't work, what you'd do again or do differently, what you wouldn't do, etc would be so valuable. Please consider it!
This is incredible! I will definitely referring back to this!
Awesome! So glad it was helpful! :D
Publishing is no joke! $$$$$$$$$$
Great overview and great to hear about some lessons earned over the years. Glad to hear I’m not the ONLY author who made mistakes early on! 😁
Thank you so much! All of make mistakes early on, you’re definitely not alone!
Self-publishing does require a lot of strategy. It isn't simply about cutting corners, rather about prioritizing the most important costs first (which are cover design and editing) while everything else follows. For instance, if you already have a strong social media presence, then there is no great need to get in touch with a social media marketer immediately. There are also other soft skills that are needed, such as networking, negotiations, and deadline organization.
Oh right, Publishing is NO joke! $$$$$$$$$$
Hey, Bethany! This was such a great video of you compiling your other videos with this one. I've definitely learnt so much, and have had to save every video in a separate folder in my saved Bethany folder.
This is a question, not about publishing, but about craft books. What craft books do you read, and what have helped you learn structure? I know you use Save the Cat! Writes a novel, but wondered if you could suggest any others.
Glad you enjoyed it! Besides Save the Cat, one of my faves is Bird by Bird, and otherwise I prefer reading as much fiction in my genre as possible to learn that way!
Thank you for sharing...You have a sparkling persona and a can-do attitude. Have you tried traditional publishing at all?
While this whole thing makes me want to cry because....money....This is a great video so I know not only what is to come when I put out my books to the world but also knowing what I can do myself. I am going to get more books on formatting, I'm waiting to learn Cover Design (while Canva is good, it's not great), and so many other things I can do on my own.
Can money just not be a thing for a while? I've got stuff to do!!!!
Haha if it helps, this was over the span of like six or seven years, so really it's a lot less if you look at the per-book cost! That helps me at least haha. You've got this!
Publishing is no joke 💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲🤣🤣😆😆🤣🤣
This was an enlightening video. It's true, we learn so much about our own journeys the more we publish but there's hardly ever anything I'd change about it. ❤❤❤
Haha yay! Thanks for watching and so glad you enjoyed it!
Love your videos ❤
Publishing is NO joke! $$$$$ I am not looking forward to that part of the process. :) Thanks for the video.
Haha yay thanks for watching the whole video! So glad it was helpful and encouraging, you've got this!
Publishing is no joke! 💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵
Haha yay! Thanks for watching!
And here I was think that I would have to spend over $5k for my first book due to seeing the price of editors alone
I think you easily could spend that much! But Facebook groups seem to be a pretty decent way to find cheaper editors. 😊
@@makennazornes Will definitely research that, thank you!
Unfortunately you're right that it'd be very easy to spend that much! Editors charge a LOT! They're by far the biggest expense for almost all my books, as you prob noticed. That said, there are definitely ways to get quality for a lower price. I hadn't heard of the Facebook groups, but I found my first editor in a Goodreads group and had a good experience, so you could try there or try to find a college student getting an English degree who needs work like this in their portfolio for example - things like that could help!
@@BethanyAtazadeh Thank you so much for the helpful suggestions!
Thanks!
No problem!
I wrote a book last night. Does all this work with spanish books?
I'm a marketing pro and have a new indie-author client, I'd love a video JUST on what did and didn't help you make sales on previous books. With your experience, it would be so helpful! But I just don't have time or interest in watching ALL of your book videos separately since it will be mostly repeat content after watching this one :(
Thank you! Transparency is so vital to this industry so we can each budget better. It can make or break an author's ability to have a return on their investment.
Do you happen to have a downloadable template for the spreadsheet you made for all your costs? Also: publishing is no joke! $$$$$$$$$$
Publishing is no joke $$$$$$$$$$ 😂 I just wish I was better at marketing. Just like getting readers to buy my books. I've spent a lot of money but haven't made it back I don't think. You're so lucky you have! I just wish I had the money cuz right now I can barely afford editing and I use get covers for covers so thats cheap but I paid hundreds of dollars for the covers for my main series and I'm not sure they're good. 😮 but I released books 1 2 and 3 like 4 or 5 times already so I'm trying to be done with the earlier books to focus on the rest of the books in the series. But I did a pre order campaign for my upcoming book Rogue using your pre order incentive advice and I got 7 pre orders which is fantastic for me and several were from me directly
Haha so true! And no worries, no author does marketing the same way, so the first step would be to not get down on yourself about "not being good at it" and instead keep searching for a specific marketing strategy you personally enjoy and feel good at. OR keep writing more books, make sure your back matter is strong leading through to all your other books, and they can start selling themselves over time!
@@BethanyAtazadeh that's good! I know I'm really enjoying CZcams and video content like on titkok and stuff so I may see if that works for marketing as well. I also use newsletters and book funnel
I’ve published six books, five children, one adult. The cost has been £2000. Per book. This covers everything. But so far I’ve only recovered £200. Total disaster monetary wise it but the thrill that I get when I see my work on booksellers sites. Is priceless. The real problem is Marketing. It’s a really tough world. 99% of all books never make any profit. It’s always going to be a labour of love. I’ve really enjoyed my trip. I’m still writing. I’ve got a new series of children’s books coming out soon. The first in the series is at the publishers now. Never give up. You never know your next piece of work could be the one. Good luck everyone😊🇬🇧
@@alandavies3727 awww thanks for sharing your story and experience. It's still really encouraging When authors like us choose not to give up even though it doesn't pay well
Hey! Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge and insights over the years!
I find myself curious about your time investment overall! How much time do you find yourself investing into your already published books and your upcoming releases?
I don't mean the writing itself or the craft videos. But the promotions (creating ads, social media posts), events (getting bookbub deals, new releases, youtube events), and maintenance (new covers, etc).
This is something I don't think is often talked about.
Hmmm great question, but I honestly have no idea! I wish I'd tracked my time over the years, but I couldn't even begin to guess besides to say a LOT haha... At least as much time as I spent on writing.
I just started watching your videos, great information and helpful to someone getting ready to self publish for the first time. I plan to buy my isbn and use KDP select this first time. I am considering paying for marketing with Amazon or thru Reedsy. My son is setting up my website (he is a professional coded). Any advice? And do you recommend setting up an imprint so it doesn’t look like it is self published? Thank you. Marla
So glad you enjoyed it! I think you need to do what's best for YOU. Nothing wrong with being self-published, but if it bothers you for people to see that, you can def do an imprint. I have an LLC anyway, so making that my imprint was a good decision for me personally.
K, but *really*, publishing is no joke. I’m getting set to publish a ten book series and getting a little lost thinking about the entire checklist 😅
Haha so true!! And that’s a lot at once but you’ve got this! 🙌🏻
Hey Bethnay, thanks for all of these amazing content
I remember you advised a coaching program of someone else (who is not available, btw). I was wondering if you have any coaching program for writers who want to publish their first book or are not successful in their marketing?
Bethany or anyone who would be gracious enough to share their wisdom, as a debut author, is it better to release my children's book first to gain some following or jump right into releasing my YA fantasy novel first? Might be a silly question, but I am struggling to make a decision. Thank you in advance :)
From personal experience, since I publish YA Fantasy and also did one children's book, I wish I hadn't published them under the same author name, it confused both the algorithms and my readers. It doesn't matter which one you do first I don't think, but it does help a lot to publish under a different author name and treat them as two separate debuts.
Hi Bethany, you mentioned something about copyrighting your books and that it cost you $50. Can you elaborate more on how you do this? I would also like to copyright my books, just to guard against theft. There are so many horror stories going around about people having their work stolen.
"Publishing is no joke. Pretend this is a million $$$$$$$" I have a 24 book children's series and illustrations cost all the money. I try not to think about it. lol Appreciate the video, Bethany. Did I miss the link for Mandi Lynn's course? Thanks!
Haha yes! Glad you enjoyed it! And Mandi's course goes live late August I believe, I'll try to remember to share/link it when it does!
Publishing is no joke $$$$$$$$$$
Publishing is no joke! 💵 💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵
Hehehe YES!!!
Publishing is no joke! $$$$$$$$$$
Like really, it isn’t. It’s intense but worth it :-)
Haha yes!! Thanks for watching! :)
I'm nodding along, completely unphased by the publishing costs, they honestly seemed pretty reasonable... and then you're like, "it cost 30,000 to have a baby."
WHAT. Is that normal??
p.s. I'm not American.
Right?! It’s crazy how expensive it is. It was actually almost $60k without insurance, but because we are self pay they applied a ton of discounts. With health insurance it can vary but usually it’s covered quite a bit. I know some moms who paid less than $100 and others who paid a few thousand. Mine was without insurance.
Wow. Gives me hope.
Who did you use for editing ?
Hey @Bethany. I was watching your "How (and Why) to Start Your Own Publishing Company" video, but couldn't leave a comment as comments are turned off. I wanted to find out if its possible to register a nonprofit organization as a publishing company, instead of an LLC.
I have no idea, you'd have to do some research on that, sorry! I'm not an expert on businesses.
Hi Bethany, are you exclusive with Amazon for your audiobook? I hear Findaway Voices and now new service Storyfair audiobooks pay higher royalties.
Unfortunately I am exclusive :( I wish I wasn't but I can't do Findaway Voices sadly.
hi hon i am from Australia could you let us know how much you have made is it worth it thank you your awesome x
Publishing is no joke! $$$$$$$$$$
Question: I contacted KDP and they say they charge $599 to "publish" on top of the cost per book print. I don't see this in your video. I'm confused and would appreciate any help you can offer. (Looks like this charge is for cover alignment and formatting/typesetting.
For sure!
Hmm I don't think you're reading that right, they don't charge authors anything. They DO however take a percentage of the profit, so you'll see that royalty split very clearly on your dashboard plus they also take the cost of printing the book out of your profits, which I'm guessing is what you're seeing. There should be zero charge for cover or formatting, that's not their job, they just print and ship.
Thank you! You are right! I found out when I googled “kdp amazon” a company that calls themselves “amazonkdpprosinc” came up (Amazon logo and everything) and it was them posing as the real Amazon KDP. They pretended to be Amazon and said there was an upfront fee. I felt suspicious and did not pay anything or get started. Hope this helps others so they don’t have the same issue and get scammed!
How do you copywrite a book? Is their a video for it?
Publishing is no joke $$$$$$$$$$
Yes!! Thanks for watching! :)
Can you explain why we need a copyright? I'm confused.
You don't actually! You can file your book with the copyright office to have legal proof that you are the copyright owner, but it's not necessary.
Thanks. Wow! After reading, we automatically own the copyrights to our books but are not safeguarded against infringement without registration.@@BethanyAtazadeh
Publishing is no joke... Like... Not even a bit. $$$$$$$$$$
Haha yes!! Thanks for watching! :)
Do you use your own imprint in your books?
Publishing is no joke! $$$$$$$$$$
💯!
This comment is a request.
Totally unrelated to your video.
I have been watching your videos and am in awe on how many books you have published. Not being a strong avid reader myself and struggling to publish my first book, this comment is to ask for your recommendations on certain plots for fantasy, magic school trope (for writing, as I'm working on my debut series)
I have build a magic world and it's a coming of age, young adult fantasy series and I would honestly love your opinions and suggestions.
So basically, I feel stuck in my story despite working on it for 3 years and since you have read many stories, your suggestion would be of high value to me.
It's a magic school story, with learning magic to saving it, to possessing more magic than others, there's politics, there's a social evil character trying to win over the world.
I need some plot points. Some suggestions.
Well, take it this way.
You have written many books and you have your favourite themes.
Well I'm interested in adding those themes in my novels.
As many themes as you like, all are appreciated.
If in the future, I do end up using those themes or anything that you wish to see in novels, I will mention your name in the acknowledgements of my book.
- to be author of HEDS Series (hope soon, so you can see your name in the acknowledgements, do contact me if you find your name and want to give even more suggestions or talk to me regarding my novels)
You mentioned you have audiobooks?😊
Just the one! The Stolen Kingdom is in audio
@@BethanyAtazadeh you have plans on adding any more of your books onto there? I think I found you already and I think I followed you. I am using my husband's account so you won't see this name LOL but I would like to know in case so I can keep an eye out. Also, baby is it a series where I have to follow in chronological order?
Publishing is NO joke! 10$ 😂😂😂😂
Haha yes!! Thanks for watching!
Blushing is no joke $$$$$$$$$$
For sure haha!
publishing is no joke $$$$$$$$$$
So true! Thanks for watching! :)
Publishing is no joke $$$$$$$$$$ 😂
Publishing is no joke $$$$$$$$$$
Amen haha!
Publishing is no joke $$$$$$$$$$
Yes!! Thanks for watching! :)