Calculating Print Costs in Book Publishing

Welcome back to the Bound to Writing Book Marketing Planner Series Episode Print Costs. That’s a mouthful! But that is what I’m here to talk to you all about today. Because after you do you book research, it’s time to figure out costs.

In a previous post, I discussed the KDP Print Cost Changes that happened back in June. Well we’re going back to that discussion today. But lucky for us, we aren’t looking to change our prices. Though, you’re more than welcome to calculate multiple prices to see which royalty amount works best for you. Today, we’re just going to be discussing how much it will cost to have your book printed.

What information do you need and how do you go about getting this information? Well that’s exactly what I’ll be explaning to you today. If you’re looking for a complete guide to book marketing, check out the Book Marketing Planner available on Amazon (paperback) and the Bound to Writing Shop (digital download). This 35 page guide doubles as a workbook to aid you through the marketing process from before to after publishing your book.

What Information Do I Need?

You will first want to look at the publisher in which you intend to publish. If you’re still unsure, pick your top 2 or 3 publishers. Now you’ll want to gather some key pieces of information.

Fixed Cost
Per Page Cost
Your Page Count

What Is Fixed Cost?

The fixed cost of printing is the cost you will be charged no matter the length of your book.

What is Per Page Cost?

The per page cost of printing is the cost you will be charged per page depending on the length of your book.

What is Your Page Count?

You’ll want to find the total number of pages of your physical copy file, formatted to the trim you’ll be publishing your book.

How Do I Get This Information?

Go to your chosen publisher and find their publishing information or search the “Publisher Name Print Costs.” There you should be able to find the information you need for the information mentioned above.

How to Calculate Print Cost?

Now that you have all of the information needed, let’s do some math. It’s simple, I promise!

Follow this formula:

Fixed Cost + (Page Count * Per Page Cost) = Print Cost

You’ll want to multiply your page count and per page cost together. Then you’ll add that number to the fixed cost. That total number will be the print cost associated with your book. See? Simple.

Now What?

Now that you have the print cost and you’ve already done your book research, you will be able to confidently set a price for your book. If you’re ready for this step, head on over to my post about pricing, Pricing Your Upcoming Release.

If you need a more structured guide, don’t forget to purchase yourself a copy of the Book Marketing Planner which has this information and more in an easy to follow workbook format. Available on Amazon (paperback) and on the Bound to Writing Shop (digital download).

I hope you can now feel confident in doing the research you need to be best prepared before publishing your book.

Until next time, Happy Marketing!