The real cost of a book

What publishing actually costs.

No sales pitch — just the receipts. Here's what a book runs when you hire it out, piece by piece, versus what it runs here.

À la carte, the old way

Developmental edit8–12 weeks$4,200–$7,000
Copy edit & proofread3–4 weeks$1,260–$2,100
Cover design2–4 weeks$600–$2,500
Formatting — ebook & print1–2 weeks$300–$900
Audiobook narration4–8 weeks$1,694–$3,011
ISBNs—$125–$295
Launch marketingongoing$1,000–$3,500
Author website2–4 weeks$1,200–$4,500
Total, à la carte$10,379 – $23,806

7–14 months · and you manage every handoff

AuthorOS · Empire

Everything on the left — edited, formatted, covered, distributed, narrated, marketed, a website — handled for you, with free months of AuthorOS on top.

$9,997

10–14 days · three approvals, no handoffs

Begin with Empire

The difference: about $7,100 — and most of a year.

Industry figures reflect typical freelance and service rates for a 70,000-word book. Your mileage will vary — that's rather the point.