All tiers at a glance

Compare picks across every budget — click any tool to see full details.

Category	$0	Under $300	$2,000+
Writing Tools	yWriterFree	Scrivener$60–$96 one-time	Scrivener$60–$96 one-time
Editing	ProWritingAidFree – $36/mo	ProWritingAidFree – $36/mo	Reedsy Editors$500–$5k/word
Formatting	Reedsy Book EditorFree – $11	Atticus$147–$147 one-time	Vellum$200–$250 one-time
Cover Design	CanvaFree – $20/mo	SelfPubBookCovers$55–$279/project	99designs$299–$1k/project
Publishing	Amazon KDPFree	Amazon KDPFree	IngramSparkFree
Marketing	StoryOriginFree – $10/mo	BookFunnel$30–$300/yr	BookBubFree – $4k/project
Est. annual cost	Est. $0/yr	Est. ~$292/yr*	Est. ~$1.1k/yr*

* Estimate mixes billing periods (monthly, one-time, per-project). Monthly costs are annualised; one-time and per-project costs are counted once. Actual spend will vary by usage.

Self-Publish Your Book for $0

Everything you need to publish a professional book without spending a dime

Estimated stack cost

$0year 1

+ variable costs for tools priced per-word, per-project, or per-use

Based on entry-level pricing. One-time purchases counted in year 1 only.

writing tools

yWriterFree

Free scene-based writing software with manuscript organization

Also consider:Campfire Write— world-building & character trackingFree – $13/mosame cost

editing

ProWritingAidFree – $36/mo

Generous free tier catches grammar, style, and readability issues

Also consider:Grammarly— faster in-browser grammar checksFree – $30/mosame cost

formatting

Reedsy Book EditorFree – $11

Completely free professional formatting with ePub and PDF export

Also consider:Kindle Create— Kindle-only authorsFreeDraft2Digital Formatting— formatting bundled with wide distributionFree – $20Calibre— power users who want full format controlFree

cover design

CanvaFree – $20/mo

Free tier includes book cover templates and a drag-and-drop editor

Also consider:Book Brush— book-specific mockups & 3D rendersFree – $21/mosame cost

publishing

Amazon KDPFree

Free to publish with up to 70% royalties on the world's largest bookstore

Also consider:Draft2Digital— wide distribution in one submissionFreesame costBarnes & Noble Press— reaching B&N readers directlyFreesame costKobo Writing Life— international & library reachFreesame cost

marketing

StoryOriginFree – $10/mo

Free tier includes reader magnet delivery and basic ARC management

Also consider:BookSweeps— genre-targeted reader giveawaysFree – $250/project

Comparing (0/4)

The $0 Publishing Stack

You don't need to spend a single dollar to publish a professional book. These free tools cover every step of the process from writing to marketing.

The trade-off: Free tools require more time and effort. Your cover may look less polished than a professional design, and your editing will rely on AI tools rather than human editors. But many successful authors started exactly this way.

Upgrade path: As your books earn money, reinvest in professional cover design and editing first — these have the biggest impact on sales.