The end of the year: Counting costs

I'm going to have to do this for my accountant anyway, so I figured I'd present the amount I've spent on book production for all of 2011. For your edification and enjoyment (especially if you're prone to schadenfreude):

 

Spent on creating marysisson.com:

 $67.50 for 5 yrs....Cost of domain name

$256.00 for 2 yrs.....Cost of Web host

$323.50.....TOTAL

 

Spent on copy editing Trang:

$280.00

 

Spent on creating e-books:

$0

 

Spent on creating hard copies:

$355.00.....Purchase Adobe Acrobat

 $46.73.....Purchase proofs of Trang (I wound up revising it four times)

 $16.24.....Purchase large-print Trang proof

 $78.00....Fee for improved price/distribution (both editions)

$495.97.....TOTAL

 

Spent on marketing:

$100.00....Advertisement at sci-fi convention

 $22.51....Copies to give reviewers

 $49.00....BookRooster

 $66.91....Copies for GoodReads giveaway

$238.42....TOTAL

GRAND TOTAL: $1,337.89

 

Obviously getting the book copy edited and revising it added to the cost, but I think that was worth it. I also think it was worth it to send hard copies to reviewers, but the advertisement did nothing for me, and it seems to me that I get a lot more bang for the buck by doing a Library Thing giveaway than by paying BookRooster (I haven't done the GoodReads giveaway yet--postage will be added to that cost--so I don't know how that will shake out).