Printing Press
Like I’ve said before, every publishing project comes with its own set of variables and hurdles to cross. If I can be of service in completing your project, please consider sending me an email at Donnie(dot)Light(at)gmail.com with the nature of your project and to as any questions.
Let me also state here, that you will NOT pay twice for the same work! For instance, if I design a print book cover for you, there is no charge for an ebook cover, as the print cover can be converted to an ebook cover at no additional charge. Another example would be formatting a book for print – no charge to also provide a Word file for use on Smashwords – it’s the same work with a couple of tweaks.
As far as estimated prices for my services, they are outlined below for reference. Actual prices may vary, based on details of the project.
Ebook Conversion Services – I have a basic formula that is both fair and reasonable for almost any ebook conversion. This package includes a version specifically formatted for Amazon’s Kindle, and another version specifically formatted for the B&N Nook device. I will also provide you with files in both Mobi (Kindle) and ePub format that you can distribute as you see fit to any other vendor. These price guidelines assume you have a clean, edited document, in Word format (any version) or an RTF (Rich Text Format) file. A good PDF will also usually work well. The formula is as follows, with examples;
$30 + $1 per thousand words of manuscript.
For a 70K word novel, the charge would be $30 + $70 = $100
A 25K word novella would cost $30 + $25 = $55
A 10K word short story would be $30 + $10 = $40
These ebooks can also contain a small number of images, like author photo, or illustration. More than 2-3 images will affect the price and require a quote.
Fiction or Non-fiction books that contain a large number of graphics or photos will need a custom quote. Use the above figures as a general guideline.
Smashwords Formatting – If you plan to distribute your ebook through Smashwords and are having a hard time getting the Word document to pass the “autovetter” process, I can format your Word document. If you have a manuscript in a format other than Word, I can usually convert it and format it for the same price as the print book layout below. (it’s basically the same kind of work)
Print Book Layout/Formatting – Prefer to work with a clean, edited Word file, but RTF works equally well. PDF can work in most cases, but requires a bit more work. Pricing guidelines are as follows:
$20 + .30 cents per thousand words.
For a 70K word novel, the charge would be $20 + $21 = $41
A 25K word novella would cost $20 + $7.50 = $27.50
A 10K word short story would be $20 + $3 = $23
Book Cover Pricing – Here is where pricing gets to be hard to calculate, because you can get really creative or a cover can be very basic. Here are some general guidelines.
Ebook cover only from stock photo or image – I charge as little as $40 if all that is needed is title and text treatment on a stock photo. If I need to search and find the proper photo, there is an additional charge (but I’m pretty good at it). If you find the perfect image for your project, I’ll be happy to crop it and apply the cover text for the basic $40 charge.
Print Book cover – there is a little more work involved here, as the image must match the physical book format and includes art for the spine and back cover. Again, finding the right image, whether it’s a stock photo or illustration is the real key and takes time. If you find the image, then a basic cost to prepare the print-ready file would be in the neighborhood of $75-$100. If I go out and find the image, then there is a small additional charge. Of course, if you need an ebook cover for the same project, no additional cost.
Custom Photographic Images – If your project requires special photographic effects, like blending multiple images or putting a werewolf’s head on a human body, then a quote would be required. This kind of work can be expensive, but sometimes it’s not as much as one would think. It all depends on the images and the idea. Send me an email with your idea and I can give you an estimate.
When I begin work on a project, my goal is to provide my client with quality deliverable – Print Ready files, and files ready to upload to the vendor of choice. All the client needs to do is upload and answer the required questions about their project. I’m happy when the client is happy. If any errors are discovered in my work, I will fix it at my cost. If any adjustments need to be made, even if it’s not an error, I’m happy to oblige.
~Donnie
Donnie(dot)Light(at)gmail.com
