Our team of Publishing Consultants speaks with hundreds of authors about their books every week – from every background, experience level, and genre you can imagine. If there’s one universal question that’s emerged from our thousands of conversations with authors, it’s this:

“How much does it cost to self-publish a book?”

As a Canadian publishing services provider with 15 years’ experience and industry connections, we decided to put ourselves in your shoes: that of the self-publishing author.

This article assumes that you share our belief in the importance of the four essential publishing services that authors need in order for their book to sell: professional editing, book design, marketing support, and printing & distribution.

We sourced pricing figures from a variety of popular service options for self-publishing writers. These include our pricing rates, quotes from the highest-volume assisted self-publishing companies in North America (reflected in the 2019 Bowker Report), and publicly available design rates from two of the highest-ranking online freelance platforms (Fiverr and UpWork). We’ve condensed pages of data and long hours of research into one comprehensive guide to help you uncover the real cost of self-publishing a book in Canada in 2025.

The cost of self-publishing your book depends on several factors, most notably:

A. the length of your manuscript; 

B. the complexity of your book’s interior layout (i.e. a textbook is more ‘complex’ than a novella);

C. your goals as an author.

While we publish books of all sizes and word counts, we’ve used a 60,000-word manuscript (the average word count of a FriesenPress-published book) as the basis for this study.

Some authors spend nothing and self-publish for free on Amazon. We’ve also spoken with authors who have invested six-figure sums to get their book out into the world.

When self-publishing a book in 2025, authors are investing an average of $6,012 CAD* to produce a market-ready book that’s been professionally edited, designed, given promotional support, printed, and distributed:

1. Professional editing
   We recommend that manuscripts receive a minimum of a content edit (average industry cost: $2,628) prior to publication.
   

2. Book design
   A book’s front & back covers (average industry cost: $342) and interior layout ($333) massively benefit from the trained eye of a professional designer.
   

3. Marketing support
   We believe all authors have the power to develop the marketing mindset needed to build a readership. Success starts with a strategic book marketing & promotion plan (average industry cost: $473), social media coaching from a trained industry expert ($662), and a powerful author website ($624).
   

4. Printing & distribution
   Where will readers be able to find and purchase your book? FriesenPress authors invest an average of $950 toward their first print run of 100 copies. We also advise you to list your book on the print-on-demand platform that makes your print and eBook formats available for purchase at as many booksellers as possible.

(*All pricing figures in this guide are in Canadian dollars and were sourced between December 16-17, 2024.)

Now, let’s break down the numbers in more detail.

The high cost of free publishing

There are plenty of free do-it-yourself (DIY) self-publishing tools and resources that you can use to create a book and list it for sale without any set-up costs. But as a self-publishing author, you’re competing in a market with books made professionally at the highest levels of quality from traditional publishers. If your book doesn’t look and feel like professional-quality work, it’s much more likely to be dismissed by readers – if they even see it at all.

Instead of spending your time attempting to be a DIY jack-of-all-trades, authors are more likely to find success by assembling a publishing team of experts in their respective fields.

Professional editing is one of the greatest investments an author could possibly hope to make toward their craft. Every writer needs at least one professionally trained set of eyes reviewing their work. Professional editors are meticulous specialists who succeed in finding areas that can be improved and correcting errors us non-editors wouldn't have even noticed. You don’t know what you don’t know.

Editing needs to address all the complexities of content, mechanics, format, and structure. As a result, is separated into several levels of edits, called “passes”: substantive, copy, and proofread.

• Substantive editing is the most holistic and time-consuming type of editing as it’s centered on structural and creative feedback. FriesenPress offers two types of substantive editing: developmental and content. With a developmental edit, your editor’s primary focus is to develop a solid and well-written manuscript first–before the technical details can be addressed. Our content edit* is a hybrid of developmental and copy editing; in a single pass, our editors provide valuable insights relating to your manuscript’s content and structure in addition to addressing its technical and mechanical needs. As such, it is our single most recommended editing service.
  

• The copy edit (sometimes called stylistic or line editing) focuses on correcting errors in grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation and other mechanics of style, internal consistency, cross-referencing, labelling, syntax, abbreviation errors and verification of citations for manuscripts – ensuring that it’s clear, consistent, correct, and complete on a line-by-line basis.
  

• A proofread follows a copy or content edit, is the least expensive form of editing and covers final corrections of erroneous cross-references, missing words, and misspellings. A proofread reviews the style choices made in previous rounds to ensure they have been implemented correctly and is not a replacement for line editing. Since a proofread typically takes place after your book is designed, your editor should also complete a visual check for formatting issues like incorrect word breaks, and to ensure consistency in line spacing, headings, and throughout the overall layout.

*While we recommend that manuscripts receive a content edit at minimum, it is best practice for a copy edit and proofread to follow. This multi-pass approach ensures that your book is structurally sound while also reducing the presence of credibility-diminishing errors upon publication.

Factors influencing the cost of book editing

• Many editors base their pricing on the length of your manuscript as well as the level of editing required.

• Genre can be a determining factor as well – particularly if your subject matter requires the input of an editor in a specific genre.

• Generally speaking, the more experience an editor possesses, the more they can charge.

• Last but not least: professional accreditation is perhaps the most impactful factor influencing the cost of book editing. Editors who are trained and certified by a professional organization like Editors Canada charge more than twice as much as the average costs listed above. FriesenPress’ entire editing team is vetted through a stringent exam based on Editors Canada standards – internationally recognized criteria defining the level of performance expected of a professional editor.

We’re told not to judge a book by its cover, yet in reality that’s exactly what people do. Potential readers will jump to conclusions about the content of your book based on the quality of its exterior. A cheap, amateur cover is going to affect, however unreasonably, the perceived value of your writing. It pays to invest in the support of a professional.

The print version of your book will require design for the front cover, back cover, and spine, which increases costs relative to the eBook, which has no need for the latter two elements. In many cases, designers and assisted self-publishers will bundle print and eBook covers together for a single price, since most authors need both a physical and digital version. Authors who only seek to publish an eBook will almost always spend less.

Interior book design (also called book formatting or typesetting) refers to the layout and crafting of a book's interior pages, a process that ensures your book can be read with ease. An under-appreciated (but essential) art, your designer selects the proper typeface and size for your audience, sets proper margins and line breaks, and holistically oversees the visual structure of your book.

The printed book requires designers to be as precise as possible in order to develop the best experience for readers turning the pages. The eBook doesn’t need nearly the same precision; it simply needs to flow. Since you can’t know which eReading device (or display settings) your reader is using, a well-designed ebook actively minimizes the amount of additional formatting so that it remains as flexible (and therefore accessible) as it can be.

When it comes to book design, a professional’s guiding hand is something no algorithm or template can replicate.

Factors influencing the cost of book design

• The style of your cover, and its complexity, will affect the time spent on the design and therefore the cost.

• Even though print & eBook covers will both be sold online, the digital exclusivity of selling eBooks could influence the approach to the design and therefore the cost.

• Creation of multiple unique cover options, each with a different conceptualization for the design. 

• Additional revision rounds can arise when your vision changes as you see it visually manifest or if your designer’s advice inspires an improved idea or new creative direction.

• A more experienced designer with years in the business and a wide range of skills will typically charge more.

Fact: there are millions of new books released every year. If you’re not getting your potential readers’ attention, the market won’t care how brilliant your book is – because they won’t even know it exists. So many potentially bestselling books fall to the wayside because either the author did nothing to promote their book, or took the wrong direction without the guidance of a book marketing expert. (If freelance book marketing specialists are in short supply, we recommend connecting with a digital marketer or publicist with a minimum of five years’ experience.)

It’s essential that you, the author, are willing to be the face of your book marketing. While hiring an expensive book publicity company can help you to get your foot in the door with local and national media, it is you who will be expected to appear on the radio/television/print interview that comes with media opportunities. People who want to read a book like yours won't care to hear about it from anyone else.

We believe all authors have the power to develop the marketing mindset needed to build a readership, and it starts with identifying the right opportunities for you and your book. Here are the fundamental marketing & promotion services we recommend to all first-time authors:

• Although there are unique approaches specific to book marketing, it’s still much like promoting any other product. Marketing takes time, energy, and good planning. A book marketing & promotion plan of action that outlines your goals, unique selling proposition, target audience, competitors, and selling platforms is instrumental for navigating the environment and maximizing your book’s success.
  

• Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads offer authors a powerful platform for building your author brand and connecting with your readers. Social media coaching is typically delivered in hour-long one-on-one sessions with a trained expert who will help you develop your strengths as an online book marketer. A good social media marketing coach will help you set up your social media presence and execute a successful online promotion plan.
  

• In today’s digital world, the need for a professionally designed author website can’t be overstated. Many potential readers search for books and purchase them online, so a website that’s equipped to sell directly or provide links to retail outlets is important. Beyond book sales, a professional website gives you the opportunity to solidify your brand, connect with readers, promote upcoming events, and establish an image of professionalism.

Why it pays to buy Canadian

American freelancers and assisted self-publishing companies cost slightly more, on an average service-by-service basis, than Canadian options – and that’s before the exchange rate. Once you factor in the currency exchange, partnering with a Canadian company is a North American author’s best bet.

By now, you’ve got a professionally edited and designed book with the promotional power needed to get it in front of readers. But where will readers buy it? Thankfully, today’s author has a number of advantageous options for getting their books into readers’ hands.

Book printing

Authors can leverage the immediacy of direct-to-reader sales and save on a per-copy basis by commissioning a print run with a professional book manufacturer.

A print run facilitated by a book manufacturer like Friesens is typically reserved for high volumes of 1000 copies or more. While you’ll pay to ship your books from the printer and store them yourself until purchase, the volumetric discounts you receive when ordering in bulk can be significant and will equate to higher profits if you're selling your book directly. We advise authors budget $950 for their first book order.

Print & eBook distribution

With the recent advent of print-on-demand (POD) technology, independent authors no longer need to worry about managing shipping logistics or the storage of their books. Instead, books are printed and shipped as they are ordered by customers.

But when it’s time to distribute your eBook, there are a few routes for your consideration. First (and most taxing), you can spend the arduous amount of time required to deal with each of your online retail channels directly. If you don’t want to waste time repeating the same processes over and over with each outlet, you can utilize services that leverage their partnerships to get you into multiple retailers at once.

Ebook-only distributing agents promising readers cheap (or free) eBooks are one such option, but they don’t always operate through major channels. Retailers like Amazon, Chapters Indigo, or Apple Books provide you with the most exposure and the highest return on investment.

A third path is partnering with a publishing services company, like FriesenPress, which not only ensures your book is available where it can effectively sell in the market (i.e. Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, etc.), but also manages all these distribution channels in one place, so you can easily track your sales and royalties earned. A great bonus is if your partner has its own direct-to-reader retail channel!

With the purchase of any Publishing Path, FriesenPress authors gain the advantages of print-on-demand and can access Friesens’ elite printing facilities for runs of 50 copies and up.

If you’re like most of us, you turn to a mechanic you trust to work on your car. Sure, you could learn the ins and outs of vehicle maintenance and try to fix your car yourself, but that’s not a pursuit that most of us have the time, energy, or inclination to undertake. Nor do we want to deal with the consequences of making a rookie mistake.

Self-publishing a book is no different. Up to this point, we’ve been speaking almost exclusively about the financial cost of self-publishing. But another cost to consider is your time.

Think about how long it took you to write your manuscript. Months? Years? Now, how much additional time are you able to devote to independently researching, finding, and managing a team of freelancers you can trust to help you publish your book?

As a self-publishing author, you’re fortunate in that you don’t need to accomplish everything all by yourself. Ultimately, the greatest benefit of deferring to the skills of a professional team like ours at FriesenPress is that it allows you to focus less on time-consuming project management and focus more on what’s most important: publishing a great book and sharing it with the world.