It will cost you money to publish a book. But it costs far less than it used to, thanks to new technology and tools having become accessible to anyone. Still, it costs money, time, and energy. You will know best which of those you have the most of – and what you need more of for your project. If a publisher takes care of most things connected to the book’s publication, your own work is fairly straightforward. Their professional advice on language, structure, design, printing, distribution, marketing, and sales will probably make it easy for you and lift the quality of the finished product. But it can also feel as though you feed the manuscript into a big machine that spits out a very different product at the other end two years later. And what do you get in return for calling yourself an author? A very small percentage of every copy sold. If you publish the book yourself, you keep a much bigger slice of the pie when you sell a copy. But then you also have to do a fair bit of the work yourself. As well as taking all the profit in the project, you also carry the financial risk. There is no guarantee you will sell as many books as you would like. You need to work out what you can afford to put on the table, what you can afford to lose, and trust that – over time – you will get back what you have invested in the work. Budget: Set up a simple budget in which you list all conceivable expenses and incomes. Typical expenses include the retailer’s percentage of sales, printing costs, design, language services, postage, advertising, storage, and hiring a venue for a book launch. If you are a group of friends or professionals, perhaps you can each chip in to make the book a reality? You can also ask local businesses whether they would like to contribute, and look into grants from cultural funds. Consider pre-sales and crowdfunding, so that you bring in money from customers before the book is finished – money that can cover the expenses. And then we hope book sales generate income. Work out how many books you need to sell to break even – and, in time, to make a profit. Remember to deduct commissions and discounts for the shops.

Today, I'm doing my taxes 😣 Not much to show, I'm afraid. Are you doing anything interesting?

When you're starting a book project, you might very well discover that you can't do it all by yourself. Perhaps you're the writer who has also taken on typesetting. Or you're a designer who is looking into project planning and finances. Or, you're a happy enthusiast who sees a great book project taking form, but you're not that good with words or design – yet you've taken on other parts of the project. You might see now that more people should be involved. When it comes to language, it's always good to have someone who can review the texts, suggest changes, and proofread along the way. For the design and typesetting, it might be time to bring in a designer. And who will ensure that the finished book reaches the shelves? Who will keep an eye on the finances of the project? Here are examples of some roles that can be filled in a book project: - Writer/Author - Editor - Copy editor - Proofreader - Photographer - Illustrator - Designer - Marketer - Social media manager - Ad manager - Sales manager - Distributor - Finance manager - Press contact - Project manager These roles don't always need to be part of a project, and some of them can be filled by the same person. But it can be good to think through who should do what. You'll share the load, produce better ideas and get better results. What sort of expertise have you been missing in your own projects?

Sketching out some beer labels. Fun, but I always remind myself that I'm no illustrator :-) What are you working on?

What are you working on? I'm spending some days this week typesetting a report / guide around academic writing. As usual, I move fast. Trying not to overthink things, just deliver.