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Originally Posted by Elfwreck
I suspect there's no "typesetting" for ebooks; they don't arrange how much fits on a page for .mobi or .epub, and there's no kerning/leading/orphan control.
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There is a typesetting cost for ebooks, even if the book will only be released as an ebook. Granted there is less of a cost for fiction than for a book replete with illustrations and tables, but there is still a typesetting cost.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
I want to know what they're basing the rest of that number on--how many books are assumed in the print run, that it's $.50 each for the copyediting & layout of a book?
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That's the problem with the numbers. If editing costs $1,000 and only 1 ebook is sold, then the cost for that ebook is $1,000. If 1,000 copies are sold, then the cost is $1 per ebook. So I don't understand how they get the $.50 figure or why that figure is different between ebooks and pbooks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
But copyediting isn't a per-unit cost, and it's not a percent-of-sale cost like the author's cut. And neither is marketing. I'd like to know what they're basing those numbers on. Ebooks don't cost $.50 each to edit; they have an up-front editing cost that's hoping to be spread out over expected sales--which numbers they aren't telling us.
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Absolutely correct. When I edit a book, I am not told whether it will be a pbook, an ebook, or both. It doesn't matter to the editing process and my fee is the same regardless.
However, my fee can change significantly depending on the type and extent of coding that is expected as part of the editing process. Some coding is more difficult and less automated than other types; some forms are simply more time-consuming; and some command a higher price because they are not a common skillset for editors.
At least for editing, these figures have to be taken with a shipload of salt.