How much does it cost to write a book · 5 min read
How to compare quotes from book publishing services
Six questions to ask of every quote before you sign. Built from watching authors get pitched and burned over seven years.
Most authors get two or three quotes and pick the middle one. That works some of the time. It also masks the questions that actually separate a good engagement from a bad one. Here are the six we’d ask before signing anything.
1. Who specifically is on my project?
Named. With a bibliography or portfolio. The right answer is not “we’ll match you with one of our writers.” The right answer is “Maya leads memoir; here are three books she edited; here is her LinkedIn.” If a studio cannot name the people on your project before you pay, the people on your project will be assigned to whoever has capacity, not whoever fits.
2. What’s the refund policy, in plain language?
A refund policy written eligibility-first (“you can get a refund if X, Y, Z”) is honest. A refund policy written exclusions-first (“you cannot get a refund if A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J”) is designed to deny refunds. Read the first paragraph carefully. The order of information is the tell.
3. Who owns the copyright?
You should. Day one. Written in the contract. If the studio retains any ownership, royalty share, or long-term license, you are not in a clean services-for-fee transaction. You are in a hybrid arrangement, regardless of what the studio calls it.
4. What’s the revision scope?
Defined. In writing. “Unlimited revisions” usually means unlimited until the writer decides they’re done. “Two structural revisions plus unlimited line revisions inside the timeline” is concrete and enforceable. Concrete beats unlimited every time.
5. What’s on the front of the contract that I would not expect?
Two parts to this. First, are there minimum book-purchase clauses (you have to buy 100 copies as part of the deal)? Second, what’s the termination process? Both are common in the less-honest end of this market. Both are absent from clean services contracts.
6. How does the studio treat AI?
Three honest answers. AI for transcription, research, and grammar utility: fine. AI for first-draft prose: not fine; the manuscript will read generic by chapter six. Studio refuses to answer the question: walk away.
A scoring matrix
Put three quotes side by side. Score each on the six questions: 2 if the answer is excellent, 1 if acceptable, 0 if missing or evasive. A 12/12 is rare. An 8/12 or above is workable. A 5/12 or below is a no.
The cost line on each quote is the least informative number on the page. The structure of the answers above tells you more about what working with the studio will actually be like.