This Biz Tip is the second article in an overview of considerations and costs of writing a book that must be considered -- if you hope to make money on the project.
All you need is a box of paper, some printer inks and you are ready to write. Right? That is true so far as it goes. My paper and ink costs for a typical 200-page book are about $500. I edit on paper and make almost constant revisions, which uses a lot of tree products. Also, for safety, I keep an updated hard copy of the manuscript in a separate building.
Technological upgrades
Technology is constantly changing the costs of book production. Although my first magazine materials were produced with typewriters and film cameras, I embraced computers when it came to writing books. Four years ago, I changed to digital photography which saved me $12,000 in film-processing costs, but necessitated that I upgrade my camera and associated software. For each new book, I am spending about $2000 to keep up with evolving print and electronic markets.
Recent purchases for my last two books included a back-up drive for manuscript and photo storage, a new laptop and a reconditioned camera. Future purchases are likely to be enhanced video and audio equipment.
Time trade-offs
Writers write at different rates. I allot three months to write a book. My production rate is four pages of finished manuscript a day. Ninety days per book is about right as it also allows time for revisions, sending the book to editors and making manuscript corrections. Believe me, you do not want to re-write the book in galley.
Book-production time is a terrible existence. My schedule is write, sleep, eat, do other stuff, write, sleep, eat, etc. I take a few breaks for hunts, holidays, and when I had one, for family activities. Considering that most writers have other writing responsibilities, this does not leave time for anything else. Personal relationships often suffer.
Time and energy expended on the book also reduces income that would have been derived from other sources. The trade-off is that you are replacing short-term income with the hope of longer-term gains. These gains may never come or be decades in arriving. I still occasionally sell books that I wrote 30-years ago.
Outside contracting
Every writer needs an editor. Sometimes friends will go over a manuscript for free and other times professional help may be needed. Editing costs may be from $800 to $1500. It may also be necessary to contract for book design (either through the publisher or other sources) which can run another $1000 for a 100-photo book. If your book consists only of text, this cost can be nearly eliminated.
Covers help sell books. Although you may have the design concept, it helps to have someone assist you in putting together the final product. Such assistance usually runs about $500. In addition, some photos may have to be purchased or artwork produced at extra expense.
Promotional costs
Books, of whatever content, will only sell if they are aggressively promoted. There are hundreds of people who, for money, will help you sell books by telling you how to get exposure through radio, TV, corporate sponsors, non-profits, book clubs, box stores, news and magazine publishers, video markets, audio markets and emerging technologies. Even if you thrash these areas by yourself, the time required to promote a book to where returns a profit may be 5-to-12 times longer that the time it took to write it.
Conclusion
Writing a book is only the beginning. It can be a great intellectual ride or a dismal disappointment. Every effort has to be made in producing a book to tap into related money-making activities such as speaking gigs, product promotions and sponsorships. These days, outdoor books, by themselves, are often money-loosing propositions once all the costs are considered. This is the nature of supplying a small, shrinking and evolving market.
Review Hovey's article "Writing a Book: The Possibilities"