Budget Reality Check — Does Your Budget Match Your Book?
Last updated: January 2026
Budget Reality Check
What This Tool Measures
Most authors know what they want their book to look like. Fewer know what that costs.
This page measures the gap between your quality expectations and your working budget. It is not a quote. It is a diagnostic. The goal is to help you see, before you commit money, whether your budget supports the book you have in mind — or whether you are heading toward compromises you have not yet considered.
If you have published before, you already know that production quality affects how readers, reviewers, and booksellers respond to your work. This tool helps you pressure-test your numbers before you spend them.
The Full Cost Stack
Book production has more line items than most authors expect. Here is the full picture.
Editing
Editing is not one service. It is three distinct passes, each with a different function.
- Developmental editing — Structure, argument, pacing, narrative arc. $0.03–$0.07 per word. For an 80,000-word manuscript, that is $2,400–$5,600.
- Copyediting — Grammar, consistency, sentence-level clarity, fact-checking. $0.02–$0.04 per word. For 80,000 words: $1,600–$3,200.
- Proofreading — Final pass for typos, formatting errors, punctuation. $0.01–$0.02 per word. For 80,000 words: $800–$1,600.
Rates vary by editor experience, subject complexity, and manuscript condition. Technical nonfiction and heavily footnoted work costs more. Clean manuscripts from experienced writers cost less.
Cover Design
- Simple typographic cover (text only, minimal graphics): $500–$800
- Illustrated or photographic cover with original artwork: $1,000–$1,800
- Complex cover with custom illustration, foil, or embossing preparation: $1,800–$2,500
The cover is the single most visible quality signal your book sends. Readers, bookstore buyers, and reviewers all make snap judgments based on it.
Interior Layout and Typesetting
- Straightforward prose (novel, memoir, essay collection): $500–$900
- Nonfiction with subheads, footnotes, and bibliography: $900–$1,400
- Complex layouts with tables, illustrations, charts, or sidebars: $1,400–$2,000
Layout includes font selection, margins, running heads, chapter openers, and page flow. Poor interior design is less obvious than a bad cover, but readers notice it — especially readers who buy a lot of books.
ISBN
- Single ISBN from Bowker: $125
- Block of 10 ISBNs: $295
You need one ISBN per format. A paperback and a hardcover edition require two separate ISBNs.
Printing
Per-unit costs depend on format, page count, paper stock, and quantity. Below are approximate ranges for a 200-page book on standard stock with a four-color cover.
Softcover (perfect bound), 200 pages:
| Quantity | Approximate Per-Unit Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 | $7.50–$10.00 |
| 250 | $6.00–$8.00 |
| 500 | $4.50–$6.50 |
| 1,000 | $3.25–$4.75 |
| 2,500 | $2.25–$3.50 |
Hardcover (case bound), 200 pages:
| Quantity | Approximate Per-Unit Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 | $14.00–$18.00 |
| 250 | $11.00–$14.00 |
| 500 | $8.00–$10.50 |
| 1,000 | $6.00–$8.00 |
| 2,500 | $4.50–$6.00 |
These ranges reflect standard specifications. Heavier paper, color interiors, larger trim sizes, and specialty finishes add cost. Actual quotes will vary by printer and by the specifics of your project.
Shipping and Freight
Printed books are heavy. Freight from the printer to your location or warehouse typically runs $0.25–$0.75 per book for domestic shipments, depending on quantity and distance. Smaller runs shipped via parcel rather than freight cost more per unit.
Budget $200–$600 for a run of 500 copies. Budget more for hardcovers or larger quantities.
Distribution Setup
If you want your book available through Ingram or a similar wholesale distributor:
- Ingram Content Group setup: typically $50–$100, plus ongoing listing fees
- Distributor partnerships (Baker & Taylor, IPG, etc.): terms vary; some require minimums or upfront fees of $500–$2,000
- Warehouse and fulfillment: ongoing costs that depend on volume
Distribution is not required for direct sales or hand-selling at events, but it is necessary for bookstore and library placement.
The Budget Test
Here is what different budgets realistically cover for an 80,000-word manuscript.
$2,000 Total Budget
This covers a short-run print job at modest quantity — roughly 200–250 softcover copies depending on specifications. It does not cover professional editing, professional cover design, or layout. At this budget, you are printing a manuscript, not producing a book.
If you have already paid for editing and design separately, $2,000 can be a reasonable printing-only budget. If you have not, this budget will produce a book that looks and reads like it was self-produced on a tight budget. Reviewers and booksellers will notice.
$5,000 Total Budget
Options open up. You can afford:
- Professional copyediting (not developmental)
- A competent cover design
- Basic interior layout
- A short print run of 250–500 softcover copies
You will still need to make trade-offs. You may need to choose between developmental editing and a larger print run. You will likely need to handle distribution yourself.
$10,000 Total Budget
This supports a professional-grade production:
- Full copyediting and proofreading
- Professional cover design with original elements
- Quality interior layout
- 500–1,000 softcover copies (or a smaller hardcover run)
- ISBN and basic distribution setup
At this level, the finished product can stand alongside traditionally published books on a shelf. You may still skip developmental editing or opt for a smaller quantity to stay within budget.
$15,000+ Total Budget
Full-service production becomes possible:
- Developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading
- Professional cover design
- Detailed interior layout
- 1,000+ copies in your chosen format
- ISBN registration
- Distribution setup through Ingram or a similar channel
- Shipping and initial warehouse costs
This is the range where you stop making compromises and start making choices.
Disappointment Risk Matrix
This is the core diagnostic. Where do you fall?
| Your Expectations | Your Budget | Disappointment Risk |
|---|---|---|
| High — want the book to compete with major-press titles on shelves | Under $5,000 | High. The math does not work. You will cut corners that show. |
| High | $10,000–$15,000+ | Low. Your budget supports your expectations. |
| Moderate — want a clean, respectable book for direct sales and events | Under $5,000 | Moderate. Possible with careful choices, but tight. |
| Moderate | $5,000–$10,000 | Low. Achievable with good planning. |
| Flexible — open to phasing or adjusting scope | Any | Manageable. Flexibility is the strongest budget tool you have. |
High expectations paired with a low budget is the most common source of disappointment in short-run publishing. The problem is not desire. The problem is arithmetic.
Three Things You Cannot Skip
Regardless of your budget, protect these three line items. They have the largest impact on how your book is received.
1. Professional Copyediting
Typos, grammar errors, and inconsistencies damage credibility faster than any other flaw. Readers who find errors in the first chapter often stop reading. Reviewers mention them. Bookstore buyers pass.
A developmental edit is valuable but optional for experienced writers. A copyedit is not optional.
2. Professional Cover Design
A cover designed by someone who does not design book covers will look like it. Genre conventions, type hierarchy, image resolution, spine width calculations, bleed specifications — these are specialized skills. A bad cover does not just fail to attract readers. It actively repels them.
3. Appropriate Paper Weight for Your Genre
Paper choice affects how a book feels in the reader’s hands. A literary novel printed on bright white 60# stock feels cheap. A technical manual on uncoated cream stock feels wrong. Paper weight and finish signal genre and quality before the reader turns a single page.
These three investments protect the rest of your spending. Without them, money spent on printing is money spent reproducing a flawed product.
What to Do If Your Budget Falls Short
If the numbers above put your target out of reach, you have real options. None of them require abandoning the project.
Phase the Project
Split production into stages. Pay for editing now. Pay for design in three months. Print when the production files are complete. Many editors and designers will hold files until you are ready. Phasing adds time, not cost.
Reduce Your Initial Quantity
Print 250 copies instead of 1,000. Use the first run to test the market, gather reviews, and build direct sales. Order a second run when you have revenue to fund it. Per-unit cost is higher at lower quantities, but total outlay is lower.
Simplify the Format
Choose softcover instead of hardcover. Use a standard trim size (6” x 9” is the most cost-efficient). Choose a four-color cover with a black-and-white interior. Avoid dust jackets, French flaps, and specialty finishes on your first run.
Each of these decisions saves real money without compromising the reading experience.
Negotiate Payment Terms
Some editors and designers accept payment plans. Some printers offer net-30 or net-60 terms for established customers. Ask. The worst answer is no.
What This List Does Not Include
It does not include “just use print-on-demand.” POD serves a purpose, but it is a different product category with different cost structures, quality limitations, and margin constraints. If you are reading this page, you likely care about print quality, unit economics, or bookstore distribution — areas where short-run offset printing and POD diverge.
Ready to check your numbers against a real quote? Contact Origin Books with your manuscript details and target budget. We will tell you what is achievable — and what is not — before you spend anything.