The Time, the Money, and the Truth about Writing a Book

Online authors share their journey. You know the one:

I had an idea.
I wrote every morning.
The book poured out of me.
And then … magic.

This is not that post.

This is the one where we talk honestly about time, money, and why writing a book is one of the scariest, and most meaningful, things you can invest in.

Because writing a book is expensive. And not just financially.

So far, my time investment looks like this:

• 57 hours writing 93,000 words
• 51 hours editing
• 24 hours marketing

My drafting time is on the low side. Some of the content came from my existing blogs, which saved me time on the drafting side, as I already had the content written.

Real writing speed

My writing speed worked out to 1,630 words per hour. This is not a realistic benchmark. I already had some of the content written, and I have years of writing and editing experience. Most writing coaches and publishing resources estimate that drafting new content typically falls somewhere between 500 and 1,000 words per hour, depending on the writer, genre, and level of complexity.

At that pace, writing a 93,000-word book would usually take 93–186 hours—and that’s before editing enters the picture.

Many authors don’t realize until they’re in it:

You will often spend as much time—if not more—editing your book than writing it.

And that’s not a failure. That’s how books are made.

Self-editing is where you grow the most as a writer. It’s also where you save the most money.

That’s the heart behind my guides: I want authors to self-edit confidently, not blindly or fearfully, and to walk into professional editing prepared instead of overwhelmed.

With that said, my self-editing time is also very much on the low side.

My self-editing process is incomplete, and I used AI to help me edit (you can see my blog about how I used it here), so I could preserve my editing brain for client work.

I’ve only completed:

• A content and organization pass on both guides
• A writing pass on my nonfiction guide

I have not yet:

• Done the writing pass on the fiction guide
• Done the technical pass on either book

That’s not because those steps aren’t important. They are.

But I was on a crunch to get the manuscripts to my editor. And I plan on doing more self-editing after I get the manuscript back from my editor.

This is backwards for most authors. Don’t follow my lead here.

I can do this only because I’m an editor. I know what “good enough to send to an editor” looks like. I also know how to revise effectively after professional feedback.

Most authors need more self-editing before handing a manuscript off, not less.

That reality is actually one of the biggest reasons I wrote these books in the first place.

Real editing speed
If I had completed all my self-editing passes, and not used AI as and editing partner, a fair estimate for self-editing a 93,000-word manuscript would be 120–250 hours—because editing a book thoroughly often takes as long as writing it … and sometimes longer.

Because finishing the manuscript is not the finish line.

So far, I’ve spent 24 hours on marketing-related work, including:

• Creating the free gift
• Writing the free-gift email sequence
• Setting up and emailing my launch team
• Preparing the ARC
• Creating my podcast one-sheet
• Building my media kit
• Selecting titles
• Looking for comp covers I like and don’t like
• Creating my books’ landing page

And I’m not done.

Marketing isn’t something you “do at the end.” It’s a parallel track that demands real time, energy, and planning—especially if you’re publishing independently.

Now let’s talk about the part that makes most writers uncomfortable.

If I value my time at $25/hour—not my client rate, but a realistic pocketed hourly rate after expenses, taxes, and nonbillables—then:

• 132 total hours × $25/hr = $3,300

Add in my estimated publishing and marketing costs:

• $8,000 (editing, design, setup, marketing, etc.)

That puts my total investment at: $11,300 before a single sale

Now let’s do the math no one wants to do.

• At $5.99 for the ebook → I need 1,887 purchases to break even
• At $14.99 for the paperback → I need 753 purchases

And guess what? I plan on giving the book away for free to several people. It’s part of my marketing strategy.

If you’re an indie author, you already feel the gut punch coming.

Because most authors sell fewer than 250 copies over the lifetime of a book.

On paper, this does not look like a smart investment.

This is from my hear.

I’m doing this because:

• I believe in what I’m creating
• I believe in authors who want to learn, not just outsource
• I believe clarity is worth investing in
• I believe writing tools should empower, not intimidate
• I’m backing my own voice.
• I’m willing to do hard things without a guaranteed payoff
• I’m finally putting real skin in the game

And I’m okay with the fact that the return on this investment may not be immediate—or even purely financial.

Some returns look like:

• Better writers
• More confident self-editors
• Fewer authors feeling lost in revision
• A body of work that reflects what I care about

That matters to me.

And, yes, I do hope for an ROI in terms of

• More clients
• More newsletter subscribers
• Speaking offers

But those outcomes can’t be the only reason to do the work.

If you’re a budding author, I don’t share these numbers to scare you.

I share them so you can make informed decisions, set realistic expectations, and stop feeling like you’re “doing it wrong” when the process feels heavy.

Writing a book is an act of commitment—to your ideas, your growth, and your willingness to keep going even when the math doesn’t look friendly.

And sometimes, that commitment comes before the results.

To get notified whenever I publish a new blog, learn useful writing and publishing tips from other professionals, get discounts on my resources, see what I’m reading and recommending, and learn when I have editing openings, sign up for my newsletter.

I’d love to hear from you. Comment below using any of these prompts to guide you:

• What questions do you have?
• What’s one writing goal you’re pursuing—even if the math doesn’t make sense yet?
• What is one thing you did professionally or personally today that you’re proud of?
• What’s one writing goal you’re pursuing—even if the math doesn’t make sense yet?
• What part of the writing process surprised you the most—the time, the money, or the emotional weight of it?
• Have you ever committed to a project knowing the ROI might not be immediate (or financial at all)? What kept you going?
• What is one thing you did professionally or personally today that you’re proud of?