What it costs to publish a chapbook
If a small press publishes you, it costs you nothing beyond a reading fee, often 10 to 25 dollars. If you self-publish, expect roughly 1 to 4 dollars a copy to print, less at higher volumes.
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Contest / reading fee (press route) | $0 to $25 |
| Photocopy short run, per copy | $1 to $2 |
| Risograph short run, per copy | $2 to $4 |
| Digital print-on-demand, per copy | $2 to $5 |
| ISBN (optional, US) | $0 to $125 |
Read the ranges, not a single number
Per-copy cost falls sharply with volume and rises with colour and paper. A two-colour riso run of 100 is a different economy from five copies on a home printer.
The press route
When a small press takes your manuscript through a contest, the press pays for printing. Your only cost is the reading fee, and often a few contributor copies are included. This is the cheapest way to be published, if you are accepted.
The self-publish route
Here you pay for the print run. The dominant costs are quantity, colour and binding, not the words. A modest saddle-stitched run is inexpensive; see printing and binding and self-publishing a chapbook.
Do you need an ISBN?
No. A chapbook does not require an ISBN, and most do without one. You only need it if you want the book stocked by shops or listed in trade catalogues.