Book publishing cost is the question every author asks first — and the one most companies dodge. Here's our whole answer: six book publishing packages, one payment each, every price and every feature listed below. No quote calls, no surprises on the invoice.
The first three are spelled out in full. The bigger suites include everything before them, plus what's listed. Not sure which fits? Call us — we'll tell you honestly, even when the answer is the cheaper one.
A finished manuscript in, a real book on Amazon out.
Five stores and a hardcover. The one most of our authors choose.
Built around the artwork, because that's what a picture book is.
Publishing plus a month of real marketing behind it.
More stores, more design options, marketing handled for you.
Everything we do, for one book — audiobook included.
Prices shown are the current 50% promotional prices — the number we agree on goes in your contract before you pay. Priced separately: ghostwriting from $1,600, ongoing marketing from $499/mo plus $500 setup, and a personal ISBN in your own name for $200 (about $300 if bought direct). Our refund policy is public.
Writing a children's book? There's a dedicated six-package ladder for picture books — from $799 with 8 illustrations to the full Legacy Collection.
Call three publishing companies and you'll get three wildly different quotes for the same book. We've had authors arrive holding quotes of $8,500 and up. The work doesn't change — the markup does.
How do we do it at this price? One team in one Georgia office, 1,200+ authors since 2017, and no commissioned sales floor to feed. The full math is in our guide to what publishing a book really costs.
Half to begin, the balance later. Plenty of our authors on fixed incomes go this route — just ask when you call.
We send a secure invoice you can pay by card or bank transfer. No wire-to-a-stranger business, no gift cards — ever. That's a scam tell.
Your contract states the full price before you pay a cent, and it doesn't change mid-project. If any publisher won't do this, keep your wallet closed.
You can read our refund policy before you decide anything. And remember: nothing publishes without your written approval of the final proof.
“I compared five companies over two months. This was the only one where the price on the website, the price on the phone, and the price in the contract were the same number.”
Most authors with a finished manuscript do well with Professional at $1,199 — five stores and a hardcover matter more than most extras. Picture book? It has to be the Children's Book Specialist; the 12 illustrations are the whole point. Just want your book on Amazon? $699 does exactly that. Tell us about your book on a free consultation and you'll get a straight recommendation.
No. The contract states one price and that's what you pay. The only extras exist because some authors want them: a personal ISBN in your name ($200), ghostwriting (from $1,600), and ongoing marketing after your included period (from $499/mo + $500 setup). All optional, all priced here, none sprung on you mid-project.
Yes — start with a 50% deposit and pay the balance as the work progresses. Payment is by card or bank transfer through a secure invoice.
Fair question, and here's the honest list: writing the book for you (that's ghostwriting, from $1,600), marketing beyond what your package includes (marketing plans from $499/mo), and the copies you order for yourself — you buy those at printing cost from Amazon like every author does. That's it.
No, and this is the question we most want you to ask everyone else. Our fee is the one-time package price. Amazon and the other stores keep their standard ~30–40% retail cut plus printing; every remaining dollar goes from the platform straight to your account, every 60–90 days. On a $20 paperback that's typically $7–$12 a copy — yours.
Ready when you are: see what's inside our publishing service, or start with a free consultation.