The road from manuscript to reader.
Six stages. You may need all of them or only one. Here is what each involves in South Africa, what it costs, and how I can help.
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Plan
Find out what your book needs before you spend on it.
- Most first-time authors spend money in the wrong order: a cover before an edit, an edit before the story works. An hour spent finding out what your book needs is the cheapest hour on the road.
How I can help Price P1 Book Readiness Call A 60-minute video call and a one-page written roadmap for your book.
R950 P2 Manuscript Assessment A full read and a 4–6 page report on structure, pace, character and market fit.
from R3,950 -
Write
Finish the draft with someone in your corner.
- A finished draft matters more than a perfect chapter one. If you are stuck halfway, regular deadlines and a reader who knows the craft do more than any course.
How I can help Price W1 Writing Coach Two 45-minute calls a month and line feedback on up to 8,000 words.
R2,450 a month -
Edit
Make every page read the way you meant it.
- Copy-editing fixes the sentences: grammar, consistency, clarity. Proofreading is a final check on the typeset pages, after the design is done.
- South African editors charge by the word. A 70,000-word novel costs between R14,000 and R34,000 to copy-edit at typical rates, which is why I suggest an assessment first if nobody outside your family has read the book critically.
How I can help Price E1 Copy-edit Line-level editing for grammar, consistency and clarity, with tracked changes in Word.
R0.26 a word E2 Proofread A final check on the typeset pages, so nothing slips into print.
R0.15 a word -
Design
A cover that earns a second look and pages set like a real book.
- Readers judge the cover in a thumbnail on a phone screen. It has to work at the size of a postage stamp.
- The interior is where most self-published books give themselves away: wrong margins, loose spacing, widows and orphans. I set interiors the way trade publishers do.
How I can help Price D1 Cover Design Your front cover: two concepts, two rounds of revisions, ready for ebook stores.
R3,450 D2 Print Cover Wrap Spine and back cover laid out to the printer's exact specification.
R950 D3 Interior Typesetting A print-ready PDF of your interior, set the way trade books are set.
from R2,950 D4 Ebook Conversion EPUB and Kindle files, tested on real devices.
R1,100 -
Publish
ISBNs, Amazon, IngramSpark, Takealot and Makro: live, and in your name.
- ISBNs in South Africa are issued free by the ISN Agency at the National Library of South Africa, usually within a week. Each format needs its own: paperback, hardcover and ebook.
- The Legal Deposit Act asks publishers to send copies to the national deposit libraries: none for runs under 20 copies, one copy for 20 to 99, five copies for 100 or more. I handle this for you.
- Amazon KDP and IngramSpark print on demand, one copy at a time. Takealot, Makro and Amazon.co.za need physical stock: I hold it and ship it through my seller accounts.
- Bookshops choose title by title. My own novel is on the shelf at Exclusive Books at the V&A Waterfront, and I can submit yours to Exclusive Books through my company’s supplier account.
How I can help Price U1 ISBN, Imprint and Legal Deposit ISBNs from the National Library of South Africa, in your own imprint's name, with barcodes and legal deposit handled.
R550 U2 Amazon KDP Setup Your ebook and paperback live on Amazon, on an account in your name.
R2,450 U3 IngramSpark Setup Your paperback or hardcover on Ingram's network of retailers and libraries worldwide.
R1,450 U4 Draft2Digital Setup Your ebook in Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play and other stores.
R850 U5 Local Print Run Quotes from three South African printers, a proof check, and delivery to your door.
R1,250 U6 SA Marketplace Listing Your book listed and shipped on Takealot, Makro and Amazon.co.za through my established seller accounts.
R2,450 -
Sell
A website, a launch and the posts that get the book read.
- A book nobody hears about does not sell, however good it is. The first four weeks after release decide most of a self-published book’s life.
- Your own website is the only shop where you keep the whole price and own the list of readers who bought.
How I can help Price M1 Author Website, Starter A one-page site for your book: buy links, mailing-list signup and your own domain.
R6,500 M2 Author Website, Shop Up to five pages, with direct sales through Yoco and an order book you control.
R14,500 M3 Amazon Listing Optimisation A rewritten blurb, keywords, categories, your Author Central page and A+ content.
R2,450 M4 Launch Kit Twelve social graphics, three quote cards, one short video, a launch plan and a press release.
R3,950 M5 Launch Ads Management Four weeks of Facebook and Instagram ads, set up, watched and reported on.
R2,950 M6 Social Media Management Twelve posts a month on Instagram and Facebook, with a monthly report.
R3,450 a month