Start with your goals, not the platform

Before you compare quotes or download a template, ask what you want from publication. A memoir for family and friends needs a different route from a series you hope to sell through bookshops for a decade. Your budget, your appetite for admin and your long-term plans should drive the decision — not a glossy package or a friend's success story.

Three broad routes dominate: full DIY, assisted self-publishing (you pay a company for editing, design and distribution), and hybrid (a publisher takes a share but asks for a contribution). Each has a place. The trick is to see exactly what you are buying, what you keep, and what it costs over the life of the book.

Editorial costs: what to budget and when to spend

Good editing is the line item most writers underestimate. UK rates vary by genre and experience, but here is a realistic range for an 80,000-word novel.

• Developmental editing: £1,200–£2,500, or £15–£30 per 1,000 words, focusing on structure, pace and character.
• Copyediting: £600–£1,200 for grammar, consistency, timelines and fact-checking.
• Proofreading: £400–£900, always after typesetting or formatting.
• Cover design: £300–£800 for a professional cover; £150–£400 for ebook-only.
• Interior formatting: £150–£500, more if you need complex layout or images.

If your budget is tight, prioritise developmental editing and proofreading. A beautiful cover cannot rescue a book that loses readers on page twenty. Ask for sample edits and check that your editor understands your genre and your intended readership.

Print runs: print-on-demand versus offset

Print-on-demand (POD) means no upfront print bill and no boxes in your spare room. Unit costs are higher: expect £3.50–£5 for a 300-page paperback, plus delivery and possibly a per-title setup fee. Offset (traditional) printing gives a much lower unit cost — often £1.80–£2.80 per copy for 1,000 copies — but you pay £1,800–£2,800 upfront and must store them.

Run the numbers. If you expect to sell fewer than 300 copies in two years, POD almost always wins. If you have an audience that will buy 500 or more copies directly, offset can pay for itself. Consider a short offset run of 500–750 copies as a middle path. Remember that UK VAT does not apply to printed books, but delivery, storage and insurance costs do.

Distribution: getting into shops, libraries and online retailers

Distribution is not the same as availability. Anyone can upload a file, but getting bookshops to order your title requires a wholesale discount, a returns policy and a listing with a UK book data aggregator. Think about each channel separately.

• Online retailers: easiest, but you compete on price and discoverability.
• High street bookshops: expect to offer 50–60% discount and accept returns. Independent shops are often more open to local authors.
• Libraries: register for Public Lending Right (PLR) to earn around 8–9p per loan. You must also send legal deposit copies to the UK's legal deposit libraries if you have an ISBN.
• Ebooks and audio: use an aggregator to reach multiple stores, or go direct for higher royalties on a single platform.

Ask any assisted publisher exactly which shops and wholesalers they supply. “Available worldwide” means little if no buyer can actually order your book at a fair trade discount.

Royalties, pricing and the maths that matters

Royalty rates vary wildly. Ebooks sold through a retailer often pay 35–70% of list price, minus delivery costs for larger files. Print royalties are usually a percentage of net receipts — list price minus print cost and retailer discount — so a £9.99 paperback might earn you £1.50–£2.50 per sale. Assisted publishing packages may pay 10–25% of net, which sounds low but includes their overheads.

Set your price by working backwards. Decide your target royalty per copy, add print cost, add retailer discount, then see what the customer pays. A UK paperback priced under £8.99 is hard to make profitable unless you sell direct. Selling direct — your own website, events, local shops — gives you the best margin, often £5–£7 per copy, but you handle postage, packing and customer service.

Choosing a route that fits your long-term plan

Match the route to the goal, not to the moment. Here is a practical way to compare your options.

• DIY suits writers with tight budgets, technical confidence and a willingness to learn. You keep control and the highest royalties, but you carry every cost and task.
• Assisted self-publishing suits writers who want a single supplier and are willing to pay £2,000–£8,000 for editing, design and distribution. Read contracts carefully: you should keep your rights and your files.
• Hybrid only makes sense if the publisher offers real distribution, editing and marketing that you could not buy separately for the same money. Ask for names of books they have sold into UK shops.

Whichever route you choose, protect your long-term options. Keep your ISBN, your cover files and your manuscript in editable formats. Register for PLR. Join a writers' group or a professional association for advice. And remember that no route replaces the work of writing well — and of telling readers, clearly and warmly, why your book is worth their time.