A reality check for authors about to publish their first book.

The First-Book Publishing Cost & P&L Check (2026) is a short, practical worksheet designed to stop the three most common money leaks before they happen: underbudgeting production, misallocating spend, and expecting unrealistic early returns.​

Inside, you’ll get:

• Typical 2026 cost bands for editing, cover design, formatting, admin/legal, launch ads, tools, and review copies.​
• A simple P&L structure that shows what actually matters: revenue, platform cuts, fixed costs, variable costs, and net profit.​
• One realistic first-book example with filled numbers, so you can see how the math behaves in the real world.​
• A blank worksheet to run your own numbers before you spend money.​
• Quick-rule warnings for common bad assumptions, including zero editing, ultra-low cover budgets, undercapitalized launches, and month-one profit fantasies.​

This is for you if:

• You’re publishing your first book in 2026.
• You want a sane budget before paying for services.
• You want to understand whether your current plan is financially defensible.​