Calculate how many books you need to sell to cover your publishing costs. Factor in editing, cover design, marketing, and your royalty per book.
Include all upfront costs: editing, cover design, formatting, ISBNs, and marketing budget.
Know exactly how many sales you need before your book becomes profitable.
Decide if investing more in editing or marketing is worth it based on sales projections.
Breakeven analysis shows how many books you must sell to recover your initial investment. If you spent $2,000 on publishing costs and earn $4 per book, you need to sell 500 copies to break even.
Most self-published books don't break even in the first year. That's okay - publishing is a long-term business. What matters is understanding your numbers and making informed decisions.
Use this calculator before spending on services. If a $1,000 editing package requires 300 extra sales to break even, consider whether that's realistic for your genre and platform.
Include all one-time costs: editing, proofreading, cover design, formatting, ISBNs, copyright registration, and initial marketing budget. Don't include your time unless you're paying someone else.
Varies widely by genre and marketing. Some books break even in months, others take years or never do. Most self-published books take 12-24 months to break even if they're going to.
That's normal for many authors. Publishing is a long-term investment. Your first books build skills, audience, and a backlist that generates passive income over time.
Calculate your royalty per book to use in breakeven analysis.
Plan total launch costs before calculating breakeven point.
Estimate when your book will become profitable based on sales velocity.