Budget-Friendly Services for Your Book

You've written a story. You've done several rewrites and modifications to get it ready for publication, either through Amazon or traditional. You're ready to make money off your work. You want this book in pristine perfection, so you begin looking into hiring an editor, from searching through Google to seeing posts about them on your Instagram feed. The prices are astoundingly high. Almost US$2000 for your total word count. (If you're living in America. Prices may vary in other countries, but you get the gist)

If you have money saved up in your bank account, and you don't have plans on making big purchases anytime soon, you could probably afford it. Maybe your partner could help with the bill too. What if you're single? Or you're in school? Or living paycheck to paycheck with a part-time job or three? Or you're about to make a big purchase, like a car or an apartment? There is absolutely no way you could afford those services, but you want to publish your book.

In this article, I'll be telling you my experience with this situation, affordable options, and what I used to get my story published-ready.

My Experience

When I was in the middle of my second rewrite of Let Me Be The One, I was looking into possibly hiring an editor. At first, I came across editing and beta reading services. The price-tags were pretty hefty going by my word count. I work a part-time job, living paycheck to paycheck with big purchase plans in the near future. I couldn't afford to spend over hundreds of thousands of dollars to get my book in pristine perfection.

I had actually looked into affordable services on Fiverr, which I'll get into in a moment. The prices were much more reasonable, going as high as US$250. Still up there, but nothing that would break everything. At the same time, I was basically having my book beta-read with a previous book club I was in. She never finished reading the story, though she was close to the end. Others never bothered to continue, saying, "It's not my style, but good luck!" As if that would help me with the content.

Then the pandemic and the furlough came. I was in a position where I needed to make a quick decision. I didn't have the funds to hire an editor and a beta reader. I was stressing out over the quality of my work. I decided that I had to edit the work myself through an online self-editing service and just publish the work as it was. It was released on Amazon in May 2020 as an e-book, then in June as a paperback. Now I'm on the road to turning it into an audiobook.

Freelance and Company Comparisons

Pricing for such services will depend on either the individual or the companies. Some people will do this independently, so you'll have to do a lot of research to make sure they'll deliver what you paid for. It's the same with companies. Their reputation and delivery quality factors into the price of their services.

Here's an example of the services and pricing from someone on Instagram:

In my opinion, you don't need an outline evaluation. If it's for aesthetic reasons to show off on Instagram, go for it. Otherwise, the only person who will see your outline is you yourself. It doesn't have to be grammatically correct and such. Just get your ideas down and organize them.

Here's another screenshot of a couple of services from a company:

As of my writing this article, there are stimulus cheques being sent to people across the US, including me. Yes, you could put your stimulus money towards these services; it's your money. You can do whatever you want with it. For people who are still in school; living paycheck-to-paycheck; and possibly even unemployed during this pandemic, none of these prices are feasible. They'll probably feel helpless and hopeless because these would deter them from publishing their work in the best condition.

If you want an affordable option for these kinds of services, Fiver is the best option. The services go as high as US$200, at least the last time I was on there. You've got to do your research with these people and their reviews as well. If they have great reputations and deliver what you paid for, then go for them

The Free Options

The other option, which is free, is to turn to writing websites that have book clubs, especially those with long-term beta readers. Yes, you'd have to beta read someone else's story, but everyone would benefit from it. Everyone's story will be read from beginning to end. They'll get multiple opinions to choose from. Get an idea if the character and plot developments need massive overhauls or not. Catch grammatical errors through another set of eyes. Wattpad and Inkitt would be where you'd get this type of service, and it's all free. You just have to budget your time.

As for editing, you might have to self-edit your own manuscript. ProWriterAid is the best one to use. There are paid options, but go with the free version as you can upload the entire document on there. It'll analyze your work to see what needs to be worked on, both plot pacing and technical issues. After the issues are fixed, you download the document onto your computer. That is when you can begin the formatting stage if you're going to be self-publishing on Amazon. Make sure you follow the instructions to get your file both e-book and physical copy friendly.

Conclusions

As you've read, I shared my experience when I was planning on publishing my first novel. I showed you the pricing for the services, and I provided two affordable options for beta reads, critiques, and editing: Fiver and free options.

Times are tough. They're even tougher when you're working on your novel while juggling everything, from school to work to parenting. Maybe all three at once. Still, if you feel you need to share your work with the world while earning money on the side, go for it!

One day, the world will read and enjoy the masterpiece that you worked hard on.

Written by ImTheGirl