“It pays to be as frugal with your money as it is with your word count”

In these austere times it’s important to remember that sending off a final draft manuscript to an agent or publisher, or marketing a self-published book, costs real money because the whole process can be, and is, a very costly exercise.

Recouping legitimate costs for publishing, printing, binding, stationery and postage can be horrendous, as is supplying free books to agents, publishers, local media, book stores and supermarket chains. It all adds up and can only be recouped from book sales or a publishing deal.

So be careful who you send a manuscript to and don’t be in too much of a hurry to give your book away for free because remember – it’s all coming out of your royalties.

Next time I’ll be looking at the true cost of giving away copies of your own book for free.