An ebook is a important extension of your brand. It can create awareness, increase authority, and build trust. As the first interaction many people will have with your brand, ebooks can establish the kind of connection that turns readers into loyal customers.
But how much does it cost to make an ebook?
As with any complicated question: it depends. That’s the kind of answer we all love to hate, but it’s true! If you absolutely must know a price range, you can expect to pay between $0-$5,000, as you can see in our comparison table.
But a price range that big is as useful as no answer at all.
But don’t worry! In this article we’ll break down the exact cost factors that go into ebook design pricing as well as all your possible ebook design options. By the end, you’ll have a solid idea of what your ebook design cost will be.
Seeing as how ebook design is literally all we do here at Magnnetic, we daresay we know more about this topic than anybody!
So let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What Goes Into Your Ebook Design Price
Cost Factor #1: Your Size
Whether you’re a one-man band selling ebooks on your website or an international conglomerate will drastically affect the quotes you receive.
While it’s not a practice we follow, there is a reason for it. In creative fields, the expected reach of a piece of work is directly tied to its price.
For example, if you pay to license a photo, there will be a big difference in price between a license for a personal project vs a license for use in a national print magazine.
This model also applies to things like your ebook design pricing, though it’s not a perfect science.
Cost Factor #2: Their Size
This one is obvious. A large agency has a lot more overhead than an independent ebook designer.
Employees, office leases, legal retainers…all must be taken into consideration when an agency prices their services. Meanwhile, you only pay for the cost of a freelancer’s time.
We will discuss the pros and cons of agencies vs freelancers later, but for those who consider ebook design price a major criteria, this cost factor is an important consideration.
Cost Factor #3: Level of Experience
As with all trades, a tradesman’s level of experience directly impacts the cost of services. But in creative fields, the term “experience” is misleading by itself.
Most people naturally equate experience only with length of time. But for designers, experience is a combination of length, background, training, and even reputation.
There really are no discrete levels that can suggest someone with six years of experience is better than someone with only three. You’d need to ask several other questions to make a determination.
The result is wildly different pricing. This cost factor in particular makes it tricky to answer how much does it cost to create an ebook.
But here’s a good rule of thumb: you get what you pay for.
Amazing ebook design that elevates your brand and generates customers takes time and effort. And great ebook designers can use their past experience to breathe life into your ebook. They have a keen understanding of things like typography, hierarchy, color theory, and composition.
So, be careful of simply relying on the lowest cost to guide your choice of ebook designer.
Cost Factor #4: Turnaround Time
If you have a tight deadline and need your ebook designed fast, you’ll often pay a premium. In the design world this is known as a “rush fee”.
The rush fee is directly tied to a designer’s or agency’s reputation. The greater their reputation, the more clients they have to work with, so the higher you’ll pay to jump to the front of the line.
This is the only ebook design cost factor that’s completely under your control. To eliminate the need for rush fees, make sure you leave plenty of time to write your ebook and are generous with the scheduling of your campaigns and launches, so you’re not rushing to get your ebook designed at the last minute.
Cost Factor #5: Revisions
Revisions are impossible to predict.
Sometimes your ebook designer nails the design on the first shot. Everything is perfect and you couldn’t be happier.
Other times…not so much. You go back and forth, revision after revision, wondering if you’ll ever achieve the perfection you envision.
This is why cheaper ebook design pricing options can end up costing you more. Unless stated otherwise from the outset, every revision has a cost, usually tied to the hourly rate of the designer or agency.
Nothing is worse than having to choose between accepting a design you’re unhappy with or spending a lot more than you bargained for. So, you should either be confident in your ebook designer’s portfolio and skillset, or work out an agreement on revisions beforehand.
Your Options For Ebook Design Pricing
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| DIY | $0 |
| Templates | $10–$50 |
| Crowdsourcing | $129–$300+ |
| Freelancers | $30–$60+/hr |
| General Design Agency | $90–$200+/hr |
| Ebook Design Agency | $150–$2000 |
As the table above shows, there are several different ways to design your ebook. Each has its own price bracket, and below we’ll break down the pros and cons of each approach.
DIY
Price: $0
Pros
- The only cost is the cost of your time.
- You have complete control.
- Online software options are user friendly.
Cons
- Can only create basic and/or generic designs.
- Limited design options.
- Time commitment increases significantly based on ebook size.
Templates
Price: $10-$50
Templates keep your ebook design price low while giving you access to many more design options. Sites like Creative Market and Graphic River give you access to tons of templates for every kind of DIY ebook design software.
Pros
- Save time from trying to build from scratch.
- Better design than you could create by yourself.
- Low cost for what is often much better design.
Cons
- Design will be somewhat generic and lack originality.
- Limited by the constraints of your template.
- Brand incompatibility since it’s not designed for your business.
Crowdsourcing
Price: $129-$300+
Crowdsourcing sites like 99designs and DesignCrowd are often overlooked, but can be a great option if you only care about having a well-designed cover. The nature of these platforms doesn’t lend itself to getting an entire ebook of variable length custom designed, but for covers you get to have several designers submit designs and only pay for the one you like.
Pros
- Can choose from several custom-made covers from different designers.
Cons
- Only good for ebook covers.
Freelancers
Price: $30-$60+/hr
Working with an independent designer from a site like Upwork or Freelancer can be a great compromise between price and control. This is best for those who either are already working with a freelancer to outsource ebook writing or those who have a clear vision of how they want their ebook to look and a good process for picking a suitable freelancer.
Pros
- Cheaper than an agency with similar levels of expertise.
- Massive pool of talent allows for finding even the most unique specializations.
- Easy to establish specific terms upfront.
Cons
- Time consuming and difficult to find a perfect freelancer.
- A lot of direction needed and costly revisions for what you don’t like.
- Risk of disappearing (we’ve heard of this happening from some of our clients!).
General Design Agency
Price: $90-$200+/hr
General design agencies are going to have the highest ebook design cost, but it can be worth it to access an agency’s infrastructure. Often you will have a small team working on your project, with each member having a particular area of expertise. They are also able to support you with other design tasks if, for example, you decide you want to create a new logo or do an entire brand overhaul.
Pros
- Access to a team of specialists.
- Cross-functional design opportunities.
- Capable of adapting to your evolving design needs.
Cons
- Longer turnaround times.
- Strict contracts.
- Small contracts like ebook design may make you a lower priority.
Ebook Design Agency
This is a unique category that we alone occupy. We created Magnnetic to be a boutique digital design agency providing professional ebook design services. We sought to solve all the problems present with the other methods when it came to designing your ebook:
Pros
- Highly specialized in branded ebook design.
- Flat fee pricing, so no surprises.
- Narrow project scope guarantees efficiency and quick turnaround times.
- Painless process: simply pay, then submit your text and any brand images.
- Unlimited revisions.
- 100% no-questions-asked money-back guarantee.
Cons
- We don’t help with other design needs.
- Only offer PDF file format.
- No expedited services.
Now You Know Your Ebook Design Price
Using the info above, you should have a good idea of how much it cost to make an ebook that fits your needs. Regardless of whether you’re creating an ebook cookbook, a fitness ebook, or anything in between.
Perhaps the most important thing is to be realistic with what you want and the price it will cost. Fantastic ebook design will cost you, but for something that will represent your brand in one of its first interactions with your prospects and customers, it’s worth it!
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