Practical
How much does it cost to make a life story book?
· 6 min read
Making a life story book costs anywhere from under £50 to several thousand, depending on how much of the work you do yourself. Print on demand for a manuscript you have written and laid out yourself runs roughly £15 to £40 a copy. Guided question-and-answer services typically cost £50 to £250 including a printed hardback. A professional ghostwriter, who interviews and writes the book for you, generally starts in the low thousands.
The four routes, and what each really costs
The cost differences come down to who does the writing, the editing and the layout, which are three separate jobs people tend to bundle together mentally.
- Do it entirely yourself: the price of printing alone, roughly £15 to £40 a copy through print on demand. You write, edit and lay out.
- Guided question service: typically £50 to £250 for the process plus one hardback. Questions, editing and layout are handled; you supply the answers.
- Freelance editor plus self-printing: £400 to £1,500 for editing a 40,000-word manuscript, plus printing. You still write it.
- Ghostwriter: usually £3,000 upwards, often considerably more. They interview you and write the book.
The costs people forget
Most budget surprises come from the same few places.
- Extra copies. One book is rarely enough once siblings and children see it; additional hardbacks are the most commonly underestimated cost.
- Scanning. A large photograph collection either costs time or money, and bureau scanning is priced per image.
- Layout. Placing 60 photographs in a 200-page book is a real design job, and it is the step self-publishers most often underestimate.
- Shipping, which is not always included and can be significant on heavy hardbacks.
- Revisions after printing. Fixing an error means a new print run, so proofing before printing is worth the time.
Where the money makes the most difference
If the budget is limited, spend it on editing and layout rather than on binding. A well-edited, well-laid-out book in a modest binding reads well. A luxuriously bound book with cramped type and photographs in the wrong places does not.
The exception is if the book is intended to be handed down. Sewn binding rather than glued is the single upgrade that most affects how long a book physically survives being read.
What you cannot buy
None of these options supplies the memories. A ghostwriter at several thousand pounds still needs the person to sit down and talk, and the most expensive route fails identically to the cheapest if the interviews never happen.
This is the practical argument for starting cheaply and early rather than waiting until there is budget for something elaborate.
Common questions
- How much does it cost to print a memoir?
- Roughly £15 to £40 a copy through print on demand for a book you have written and laid out yourself. Costs rise with page count, colour photographs and binding quality.
- How much does a ghostwriter cost for a life story?
- Usually from around £3,000 upwards, and often considerably more for a full-length book. They conduct interviews and write the manuscript, but you still have to do the talking.
- What is the cheapest way to make a life story book?
- Write it yourself from a question list, lay it out in a word processor, and use print on demand. That keeps the cost to printing alone, though editing and layout quality are the usual casualties.