How much does it cost to self publish a book?
Prices correct as of September 2026
The cost to self publish a book is the first thing everybody asks about, and the hardest question to find a straight answer to. Most publishers will not put a figure on their website at all. You fill in a form, wait for a callback, and are still none the wiser about whether you are looking at hundreds or thousands.
So here are real numbers.
The cost to self publish a book comes in two parts
Designing the book. Professional layout, so the text reads properly on the page, the typeface is set well, the cover is designed, and the print ready files are produced correctly. You pay this once, however many copies you go on to print.
Printing copies. Priced per book, and it depends mainly on how many pages the book has and how many copies you order.
Most confusing quotes are these two bundled together without explanation. Keep them separate and the whole thing gets clearer.
What the printing costs
A typical A5 paperback, text only inside, colour cover:
| Copies | Cost per copy | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | £7.41 | £185.25 |
| 50 | £5.20 | £260.00 |
| 100 | £4.45 | £445.00 |
The price per copy comes down as the run gets longer. That is the printer’s own staggered pricing rather than anything we add, and it is simply how printing works. The more copies going through the press at once, the cheaper each one becomes.
Twenty five copies is absolutely fine, and plenty of our authors want exactly that. If what you are after is a beautiful book for friends and family, a short run is the sensible choice and there is no reason to print more.
A longer run makes more sense if you are planning to sell commercially. At 100 copies each book costs £4.45 rather than £7.41, and that difference becomes your margin when you sell at £8.99. Going from 25 to 100 copies costs only £260 more and gives you four times as many books to sell.
Our minimum run is 25 copies, and we do not add a premium for small orders the way many printers do.
What the design costs
Professional book design and preparation for print is between £300 and £400 for most books, depending on length and whether there are illustrations. It starts at £200 if you already have print ready files.
An ISBN and barcode are included at no extra cost. The ISBN is registered to Honeybee Books, because ISBNs belong to the publisher who buys them. That is how it works everywhere, and it is not something to be wary of.
The thing that is genuinely worth checking, with us or anyone else, is copyright. We never take any share of the copyright in your book. It stays yours, entirely, and always. Not every company works that way, and it is the single most important line in any agreement you are asked to sign. If you take one thing from this page, make it that.
What is not included
Proofreading, illustration, and typing up a handwritten manuscript are all quoted separately. None of them are compulsory, and plenty of books go through without any of them.
There is also print on demand, which lets people order your book online and have it sent straight to them, with no stock for you to hold. That is a subject in itself, so we have written about it separately.
Come and talk to us
Honestly, this is the part we enjoy most. We love hearing about people’s books, and a ten minute phone call will usually tell you more than any amount of reading around.
Give us a ring and tell us what you are working on. We will put together an individual quote for your book, and we can very often find a way to work to whatever budget you have in mind.
We are based in Cornwall and work with authors right across the South West and beyond.