In the previous chapter of this guide, we discussed how to self-publish a children’s book, covering everything from getting your book edited, illustrated, and formatted. But how much will it cost you in total?
Based on average quotes from the Reedsy marketplace, self-published authors can spend between $2,387 and $4,400 on professional editing, illustrations, cover design, and formatting.
To help you better understand these costs (plus how much you'll be looking at to print and distribute your books), let's dive a little deeper in the average costs of self-publishing a children's book.
An editor’s quote for any given book is hugely influenced by the time they need to put into the project — which is usually determined by word count.
As a rule of thumb, picture books tend to have fewer than 1,000 words, making them one of the most affordable books to have edited.
For a 1,000-word picture book manuscript, editors on Reedsy charge an average of:
It’s fairly common for authors to hire the same editor to provide both services since this might reduce the time spent on each stage and thus result in a healthy discount, compared to hiring two separate editors
Editors will treat middle grade (MG) and young adult (YA) novels pretty much the same way they would a book for adults. They tend to come in at around 30,000 to 60,000 words, on average, and though their readers may be younger, the books still require a lot of attention to story structure, character development, pacing, and precise use of language. In addition, there’s nothing more cringe-worthy to a teenager than adults trying to be “hip” — so an editor might also need to spend some time ensuring the manuscript is written in an age-appropriate register.
The average cost of editing a 30,000-word middle-grade book is:
The average cost of editing a 60,000-word young adult novel is:
Picture Books
(1,000 words)
MG
(30k words)
YA
(60k words)
Copy Editing
$231
$671
$1,254
Developmental Editing
$374
$913
$1,742
Check out our editing costs calculator for more average rates across all genres and services (including proofreading). Bear in mind that Reedsy professionals have years of experience at the highest level. While finding cheaper options is possible, you may be gambling on the quality of service you'll receive.
Now that we have a better idea of what it costs to perfect your content, let’s see what you might pay to make your book look like a million bucks.
While children have no shortage of imagination, beautiful artwork can make their reading experience more engaging and highly memorable.
Unless you can draw to a professional publishing standard, the best way to translate your story into a visual narrative is to hire an illustrator. If you’re in the market for one, on Reedsy, you’ll find plenty of amazing children's book illustrators to work with.
Over the past three years, the average children's book illustrator on Reedsy has charged between $1,540 and $4,950 for a 24-page picture book.
Their exact quotes will vary depending on:
A picture book illustrator’s quote normally includes everything from draft concepts, typography, interior design, and the book cover design. But if you’re looking to work with a dedicated cover designer, their quotes will be roughly in line with the cost of a middle-grade or young adult title, which we’ll look at right now.
By the time your reader picks up middle grade and young adult books, they’re probably less reliant on illustrations — but that doesn’t mean they don’t care what your book looks like. Ultimately, authors writing books for these age groups will need a quality cover design to draw readers in.
According to quotes from the Reedsy marketplace, 60% of children’s book covers from experienced designers cost under $750. As we detail in our main guide to self-publishing costs, the final quote you receive will depend on factors like:
If you are seeking a cover design for a picture book, your designer can adapt an existing illustration from your book, reducing their need to research or create images for your project. This, in turn, can reduce your costs.
In addition to the cover design, you may also be looking to hire a professional to take care of your typesetting and interior design.
Properly formatting your interior design is critical for a great reading experience, especially when dealing with print editions. Professional illustrators or cover designers may do this for you as part of their service for picture books. If they have the right experience with interior design, then this is an option we’d recommend, as hiring a dedicated interior designer can cost between $250 and $750.
That said, you might be able to format your own book for free.
If your book is mainly text-based (like a children’s novel or a collection of short stories), you can write and format your book with a free tool like the Reedsy Book Editor. It’s an easy-to-use software that allows you to turn your manuscript into a flawless, export-ready ePUB file for ebooks or PDF for print editions. All you need to do is to get those words flowing.
To try the Reedsy Book Editor, sign up below and start using it today.
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Once your book is finished, you may want to (understandably) hold it in your hands 一 as well as to sell physical copies to the general public. So, let’s look more closely at print and distribution options.
While some parents enjoy reading books to their kids on a tablet, most still prefer buying the physical version — if only to limit “screen time.” Print editions are also a must if you plan to distribute your book to libraries, schools, or if you want aunts, uncles, and grandparents to buy it as a present for their young ones.
There are two options to print your book:
Let’s have a quick look at the financial implications of both.
POD services — which print one copy at a time, based on actual purchases — are the preferred option for authors who are publishing children’s novels, as the cost-per-unit is relatively low, averaging around $7 per book, usually deducted from royalty payments. This solution is also extremely convenient if you don’t want to pay in advance for a bulk order that might not sell, or don’t want to deal with storing and distributing the books yourself.
On the other hand, POD services are not as convenient for picture book authors. For instance, to print a 24-page picture book, you can expect to pay around $12 per copy 一 depending on factors like book format, page size, page count, and print options (black & white vs. colors). On top of that, you’ll have to add shipping costs, inflating the bill further, depending on whether you choose regular or express delivery.
There are several POD services you can choose to use. However, here's a quick look at the costs you can expect from two of the most popular printers of picture books.
Service
Trim size
Printing cost per copy
Domestic shipping
Lulu
7.5”x7.5” (19x19 cm)
$10.28
From $3.99
Blurb
8”x10” (20x25 cm)
$15.99
From $4.94
Note: These costs are based on 24-page full-color hardbacks.
When you look at the numbers, you quickly realize that you’re almost guaranteed to make a loss, since you can’t really price your indie book double what well-known authors charge 一 which is between $5 to $10.
However, don’t despair 一 while POD for picture books doesn’t make sense financially, you could still use it to gauge interest in your book by doing a small print run of around 50-100 copies and getting it into people's hands. If you've already sparked the interest of potential buyers, then you should probably consider offset printing for the following batch. Even though you’ll pay a salty bill upfront, your average cost-per-copy will be much lower, granting you a higher profit.
The cost to offset print a picture book is much lower than POD services, although it comes with a higher risk and upfront expense 一 in case your book doesn’t perform as well as you hoped. With services like PrintNinja or IAPC, you can expect to pay around $4.30 per copy for an order of 1,000 hardcover picture books 一 60% less than what you’d pay with POD.
The price drop, however, is not as significant for middle grade or young adult novels, since black and white paperbacks (with a color cover) are around $4.90 per copy 一 only a few dollars less than POD services.
Remember that offset printing costs depend on how you customize your book (e.g. binding options, paper quality, cover types). It also matters if you’ll receive your copies from overseas or not. In fact, these prices do not include shipping and storage costs, which can add an extra $500 to $1,500 per order 一 depending on your location.
Overall, printing your self-published children’s book can significantly bump up your final costs. If you’re just getting started and you don’t know how many copies you’ll be able to sell, it’s wise to use POD services first to gather some data and test your book’s market. However, if you already know your book has buyers waiting to part with their money for it, offset printing is a better option as it will lower your overall costs.
We hope this guide has helped you better understand what budget you should set aside if you want to publish your work and inspire the next generations with your storytelling.
For the next part of our guide, we'll talk about how to use a children's book template to visualize your story page-by-page before adding illustrations.
Here are sample prices to give you an idea of the cost of printing a book. The costs below are for book printing in China. Applicable taxes and shipping are extra.
Our minimum offset printing quantity is 3,000 copies.
We usually print books in China to save you about 40% without sacrificing high quality. For a quicker printing turnaround (about 4 weeks instead of 8 weeks), we also print books in Canada and the US.
Prices are per book, in US dollars, and are for illustrative purposes only. Our Canadian clients will be quoted and billed in Canadian dollars.
Cost of Printing a Book-sample prices
3,000
5,000
8,000
Softcover
2.42
1.87
1.66
Softcover w/ flaps
2.57
2.02
1.81
Integral (flexi)
2.65
2.11
1.92
Hardcover
2.78
2.24
2.04
Hardcover with concealed wire
3.27
2.71
2.49
Prices are per book, in US dollars, and are for illustrative purposes only. Our Canadian clients will be quoted and billed in Canadian dollars.
Cost of Printing a Book-Sample Prices
3,000
5,000
8,000
Softcover – 24 pages
0.79
0.56
0.47
Softcover – 32 pages
0.83
0.61
0.51
Hardcover – 24 pages
1.01
0.86
0.76
Hardcover – 32 pages
1.07
0.90
0.82
Color dustjacket for hardcover
0.21
0.16
0.14
Cost of Printing a Book-Sample Prices
3,000
4,000
5,000
6 spreads / 12 pages + cover
1.48
1.29
1.20
10 spreads / 20 pages + cover
1.98
1.79
1.62
15 spreads / 30 pages + cover
2.12
1.91
1.79
Note that we can print virtually any
size or number of spreads/pages
Looking for more detailed info about the cost to print a book? We would be happy to prepare a custom book printing quote for you.
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