Publishing Investment

The Cost of Care, Not a Fee for Permission

Every book carries work you cannot always see: the editing that sharpened it, the design that made it easy to read, the production that turned pages into something durable. The cost of publishing is the cost of that care. It is not a fee for permission to be an author.

That is why we begin with your manuscript and your objectives, then give you a written proposal. Pricing, timelines, scope and deliverables are communicated transparently, before you commit.

What Affects the Cost

• The length of the manuscript, by word count and expected page count
• The kind of editing it needs, from proofreading to developmental work
• Book size and format: paperback, hardback, ebook or a combination
• Illustrations, images, tables and other complex layout
• Colour or black-and-white interiors. Interiors are black and white unless colour is agreed in writing, and colour is quoted separately
• Print quantity, where printed copies are included
• Whether you want distribution and long-term catalogue management, or only a production service

How Payment Works

• The Publishing Fee covers copy editing, page layout, cover design and a set of author copies for your book. It starts from ₹20,000; the exact amount depends on your manuscript and is stated in the agreement’s schedule, in rupees, before you sign.
• It is payable in full before work begins, by bank transfer against an invoice.
• It covers only the scope of work written into the agreement. Anything you add later, such as substantial revisions after typesetting, extra illustrations, indexing, translation or re-typesetting, is charged separately at rates agreed in writing first.
• Taxes are payable in addition where the law requires.
• If the agreement is terminated, the fee is not refunded unless agreed in writing or required by law.
• After publication the author earns a royalty of 5% of the printed price of every copy sold, on print and eBook editions, reported once a year.

What the Standard Scope of Work Can Include

The agreement lists the services selected for your book. The standard list is:

• Editorial review, copyediting and proofreading
• Formatting, interior layout and typesetting
• Cover design
• A set of author copies
• ISBN allocation, metadata preparation and barcode generation
• Print-ready PDF preparation and ebook conversion
• Distribution setup and basic marketing support

Specifications such as trim size, paperback or hardcover, black-and-white or colour interior, cover finish, illustrations and ebook format are recorded for your book in the same schedule.

What a Clear Proposal Shows

• Exactly what is included, and what is not
• Word and page limits, and what happens if the manuscript exceeds them
• The timeline and what we need from you at each stage
• The formats and channels covered
• The rights granted, and whether any royalty arrangement applies
• The payment terms and the refund and cancellation terms