Free, and should stay free
- Publishing on Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play. None charge a listing fee; they take a share of each sale as the royalty split.
- A KDP ISBN for print editions.
- Converting the manuscript to EPUB and PDF, designing the cover on a KDP template, a hosted book page, and launch images and video, with these tools during the beta.
- Your own time, which is the real cost of everything below.
Worth paying for
- Editing. A copy edit or proofread by someone who is not you catches what you cannot see. It is the single spend most likely to change reviews.
- Cover artwork, if you want an illustration or a photo shoot rather than stock. A designed cover on a licensed stock image is a reasonable middle path.
- Your own ISBNs, if you want bookshop and library orders or are building an imprint. See Do you need an ISBN?
- A printed proof of the paperback before you approve it.
Usually skip
- Paid "publishing packages" that bundle the free steps above with a markup.
- Follower or review services. The stores remove bought reviews, and bought followers do not buy books.
- A full author website before the first book is out. A single book page does the job.
- Advertising before you have a few honest reviews. Ads send people to a page; reviews are what convince them there.
Royalties are not a cost
Each store keeps a percentage of the price and pays you the rest. The percentages depend on the price band, the format, and the distribution options you choose, and they change; read the current terms on each store before pricing. The thing to remember is that this share only exists when a book sells. Nothing is owed up front.
What these tools charge
Nothing during the beta. The planned pricing afterwards is a flat yearly license, with no royalties and no per-book fees: publish one book or ten and the price does not move. See the price list.