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How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book? [Discussion]

One of the most common questions we’re asked from authors looking into self-publishing is: how much does it cost? The truth is, the costs of self-publishing vary wildly and are highly dependent on which publishing route you take (eBook vs POD vs traditional printing), your personal skills and abilities (can you design your own cover or interior layout?) and a myriad of other factors that are as individual as the author herself.

So, we want to hear from our author friends: how much does it cost to self-publish a book? Tell us:

  • Approximately how much have you spent on all phases of publishing your book (editing, design, publishing, marketing, etc)?
  • What format was your book published in (eBook/print/both)?
  • Where did you spend the most money? Was it worth it?
  • Looking back, where do you wish you spent MORE?
  • What cost more than you originally anticipated? What cost less?
  • Time is money, too — how much total time do you think you’ve spent on your book? Include all phases of publishing, or break it down into phases.
  • Was your investment worth it (in terms of money, time or both)?

To join the discussion, please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions. Also, mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to get varied input! Note: We know that money is a super-personal issue, so, of course, just share whatever insight and information you feel comfortable with.

What do you think?

We LOVE hearing your thoughts via our discussion posts! To keep up with all future installments (in addition to the great content from the rest of the month), subscribe to our RSS feed

More Useful: Facebook or Twitter? [Discussion]

Without a doubt, Facebook and Twitter are king and queen of the social media world. As you dive in, however, it becomes apparent that their audience and use are supremely different!

While the general view is that Facebook is more personal and in-depth, whereas Twitter is more timely and broad, both can be useful in advancing your indie author career. This leads us to ask the question: which is more useful to you? Tell us:

  • Do you use both Twitter and Facebook? Or just one or the other? Or neither? Why?
  • In your view, how are the services similar? How are they different?
  • Does your social media strategy differ between the two services?
  • Do you have separate accounts for personal and “career” (author) use?
  • Does the amount of time you spend on the services differ dramatically?
  • If you could only choose one service (Twitter or Facebook) to continue using, which would it be? Why?
  • What advice would you give to other authors considering one or both services?

Please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions. Also, mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to get varied input!

What do you think?

We LOVE hearing your thoughts via our discussion posts! To keep up with all future installments (in addition to the great content from the rest of the month), subscribe to our RSS feed

Also, if you have any favorite posts about Social Media, be sure to check back on Friday for our Self-Publishing Linkup on that topic!

NaNoWriMo Check-in: Week 4

Phew. You made it! It’s hard to believe that the month of November is already wrapping up, but — here we are! We can’t wait to see how your NaNoWriMo projects turned out. Even though there are a few days left (you still have time to pull an all-nighter or two), we want to check in and see how you’re all doing. Tell us:

  • How was week 4 different from the previous weeks?
  • Do you feel better, the same or worse about your project this week? Why?
  • How many words did you add to your project this week?
  • Have you made any major changes/revisions to your project since last week?
  • What are your feelings on the work you’ve completed so far?
  • How are you feeling about the entire NaNoWriMo experience? Was it worth it? Would you do it again?
  • What did you learn from participating in NaNoWriMo?

We’ve loved the opportunity to peek in on everyone’s progress throughout the month! We hope those of you that have been struggling were able to get back on track (maybe with those Thanksgiving days off here in the US?) Check in by leaving a comment below — for an added bonus, each week we’ll choose one commenter to win Shannon’s eCourseHow NOT to Write a Book!

The winner of the eCourse from Week 3 is Caitlin! Congrats! We’ll send you an e-mail with all the details.

NaNoWriMo Check-in: Week 3

Another week of NaNoWriMo has passed, and by now you’re watching that word count take off (or worried about it becoming stagnant). We’re headed towards the home stretch!  

It’s time for another check-in post so those participating can share their experiences, roadblocks and feelings on how things are going so far. We want to know:

  • How was week 3 different from the previous weeks?
  • Do you feel better, the same or worse about your project this week? Why?
  • How many words did you add to your project this week?
  • Have you made any major changes/revisions to your project since last week?
  • What are your feelings on the work you’ve completed so far?
  • How are you feeling heading into the final week and a half? Are you making any changes in your strategy for next week?

It’s so great to peek in on everyone’s progress throughout the month! We hope those of you that were struggling last week were able to get back on track for this one. Check in by leaving a comment below — for an added bonus, each week we’ll choose one commenter to win Shannon’s eCourseHow NOT to Write a Book!

The winner of the eCourse from Week 2 is Amy! Congrats! We’ll send you an e-mail with all the details.

PS – For those of you not participating in NaNoWriMo, no worries! Our normal weekly posts will stand on their own, and be applicable to all authors, not just those currently in the dregs of wordcount hell (bliss?).

NaNoWriMo Check-in: Week 2

Another week of NaNoWriMo has passed, and by now you’re either elbows-deep into your novel or tearing your hair out at the lack of progress. No worries: you still have plenty of time! 

It’s time for another check-in post so those participating can share their experiences, roadblocks and feelings on how things are going so far. We want to know:

  • How was week 2 different from week 1?
  • Do you feel better, the same or worse about your project this week? Why?
  • How many words did you add to your project this week?
  • Have you made any major changes/revisions to your project since last week?
  • What are your feelings on the work you’ve completed so far?
  • Have you become a NaNoWriMo zombie?
  • How are you feeling heading into week 3? Are you making any changes in your strategy for next week?

We can’t wait to see how things are going! Check in by leaving a comment below. For an added bonus, each week we’ll choose one commenter to win Shannon’s eCourseHow NOT to Write a Book!

The winner of the eCourse from Week 1 is Lars! Congrats! We’ll send you an e-mail with all the details.

PS – For those of you not participating in NaNoWriMo, no worries! Our normal weekly posts will stand on their own, and be applicable to all authors, not just those currently in the dregs of wordcount hell (bliss?).