Kindle Publishing Company: Services vs DIY Publishing

Okay so here’s the thing about kindle publishing companies versus doing it yourself – I literally just had this conversation with someone in my mastermind group last week and the answer isn’t what most people expect.

What These Companies Actually Do

Most kindle publishing companies fall into a few buckets. You’ve got the full-service ones that basically do everything – formatting, cover design, uploading, keyword research, sometimes even writing if we’re talking ghost writers. Then there’s the coaching/course model where they teach you but you do the work. And honestly there’s a third category that’s just… taking your money and doing the bare minimum.

I tested three different services back in 2019 when I was scaling up my low-content business. Paid anywhere from $500 to $2500 per book setup. The results were all over the place and I’m gonna break down what you actually get versus what you can do yourself.

The Full Service Route

Companies like these usually charge between $300-$5000 depending on the package. What you’re paying for:

• Market research and niche selection
• Keyword optimization
• Cover design (sometimes multiple revisions)
• Interior formatting or creation
• Upload to KDP
• Sometimes ongoing marketing support

The quality varies wildly. I used one company that did phenomenal keyword research – like they found me a niche in planners that was making $800/month consistently for almost two years. But their cover designs looked like they were made in 2010. Another company gave me gorgeous covers but picked niches that were completely saturated.

Here’s what nobody tells you though – most of these companies use the same tools you can access yourself. Helium 10, Publisher Rocket, Book Bolt. They’re not running some proprietary algorithm that you can’t replicate. What you’re really paying for is their time and hopefully their experience knowing which data points matter.

When Full Service Makes Sense

If you’ve got more money than time, honestly it can work. I have a friend who’s a surgeon and he pays a company $1200 per book because he just doesn’t have the hours to learn this stuff. He’s published 30 books through them and profits about $3k monthly after their cuts. For him that math works.

Or if you’re completely new and the learning curve feels overwhelming. But – and this is important – make sure they’re actually teaching you something along the way. The best companies I’ve worked with gave me reports explaining WHY they chose certain keywords or design elements.

DIY Publishing Breakdown

Okay so doing it yourself is obviously cheaper but it takes time to get good at it. My first self-made covers were absolutely terrible. Like I look back at my 2017 books and cringe. But by book 20 or so I had a system down.

The Actual Costs

For low-content books you’re looking at:

• Book Bolt or similar software: $10-30/month
• Canva Pro or Creative Fabrica: $13-20/month
• Publisher Rocket (one-time): $97
• Maybe some fonts or graphics: $20-100

So realistically you can get started for under $50/month if you go minimal. I spent probably $200 in my first month buying way too many resources I didn’t need.

For ebooks it’s different – you might need Vellum ($250) or you can use free tools like Reedsy. Cover design is the bigger expense. If you can’t do it yourself you’re looking at $50-300 for a decent premade or custom cover.

The Learning Curve Nobody Warns You About

This is gonna sound weird but the hardest part isn’t the technical stuff. Uploading to KDP is straightforward. Making interiors in Canva or InDesign gets easier fast. The hard part is knowing what will actually sell.

I wasted three months in 2018 making beautiful gratitude journals that literally sold maybe 5 copies total. The niche was saturated and I didn’t understand search volume versus competition ratio. A publishing company might have steered me away from that immediately.

The flip side – I found a weird niche in logbooks for a specific hobby (not gonna say which because it’s still making me money lol) that no company would’ve suggested because it’s too small for their business model. But it’s been consistent $400-600/month for four years with basically zero maintenance.

Hybrid Approach That Actually Works

Wait I forgot to mention this earlier – there’s a middle ground that I think is the sweet spot for most people.

Use services for specific pieces you suck at. I’m terrible at graphic design even after years of practice. So I buy premade covers from Creative Fabrica or commission custom ones when I need something specific. That’s like $30-80 per book instead of $2000 for full service.

But I do my own keyword research because honestly I’m better at it than most companies I’ve tested. I know my niches. I check the data differently than someone running 50 client accounts.

Tools Worth Paying For

Publisher Rocket is worth every penny of that $97. The ROI on that purchase is insane if you publish more than like 3 books.

Book Bolt if you’re doing low-content. The research features alone save hours.

Canva Pro isn’t essential but the extra templates and features make production way faster. I probably save 30 minutes per book using Pro versus free.

Atticus just launched for formatting and I’ve been testing it – seems solid for ebooks though I still prefer Vellum on Mac.

Red Flags With Publishing Companies

Okay so funny story – I almost signed with a company in 2020 that promised $10k/month passive income. Thank god I read reviews first. They were basically teaching people to violate Amazon’s TOS by spinning content and uploading dozens of books with slight variations.

Watch out for:

• Guaranteed income promises (nobody can guarantee this)
• Upfront costs over $5k without proven results
• Vague deliverables – get everything in writing
• Revenue sharing deals that take more than 50%
• Companies that won’t show you their own published books
• Anything involving “automated” book creation that sounds sketchy

The revenue sharing thing is tricky. Some companies want 50% of royalties forever. That might sound okay when you’re starting but if a book takes off you’re giving away thousands. I know someone paying $800/month to a company from a book that makes $1800/month. After two years he’s paid them $19,200 for one book setup.

What I’d Do Starting Over Today

If I was starting completely fresh with no experience, I’d probably spend $500-1000 on a good course or coaching program. Not full service publishing, but education. Learn the fundamentals properly instead of piecing it together from YouTube like I did.

Then I’d do everything myself for the first 5-10 books. Make mistakes on my own dime. Figure out what parts I enjoy versus what feels like pulling teeth.

After that, outsource the stuff I hate. For me that’s cover design and formatting. I’m fast at research and content creation so I keep doing those.

Oh and another thing – the timeline matters. DIY is slower initially. My first book took me probably 40 hours because I was learning everything. Now I can pump out a low-content book in 3-4 hours. A company might deliver your first book in a week but you haven’t learned anything.

The Community Factor

One underrated benefit of some publishing companies is the community access. I joined a program in 2021 that was mostly about the Facebook group. Being able to ask questions to people actually making money was huge. Though honestly you can find good free communities too if you look.

My Actual Numbers For Comparison

Books I published with company help (5 books, ~$8000 spent):
– Average monthly income: $450
– Time to create: ~1 week each
– Learning value: minimal

Books I published DIY after learning curve (50 books, ~$2500 spent on tools/covers):
– Average monthly income: $4200
– Time to create: 3-6 hours each
– Learning value: everything I know now

The company books aren’t bad – they’re solid performers. But the ROI is way better on DIY once you know what you’re doing. That initial learning period though… it was rough. Lots of failed books.

Specific Scenarios

You’ve got a full-time job and 5 hours per week: Maybe start with a company for your first few books while learning in parallel. Use that time to take courses and practice.

You’re retired or have flexible time: DIY all the way. Invest the money you’d spend on services into better tools and more book production.

You want to build a real publishing business: gotta learn it yourself eventually. You can’t scale a business you don’t understand.

You just want 5-10 books for passive income and don’t care about the business side: Full service makes sense if the math works out.

The Technical Skill Gap

Real talk – the technical barrier is super low now. KDP’s interface is straightforward. Canva makes design accessible to anyone. YouTube has tutorials for everything.

What’s harder is the strategic stuff. Knowing when to undercut competition on price versus going premium. Understanding seasonal trends. Recognizing when a niche is dying versus temporarily slow.

That strategic knowledge comes from either experience (doing it yourself) or paying someone who has that experience. Most publishing companies sell you on the technical execution but the real value is strategic guidance if they’re any good.

My cat just knocked over my coffee which is perfect timing I guess because I’m basically done explaining this.

The bottom line is neither option is universally better. It depends on your goals, resources, and how much you actually want to learn this business. I’m biased toward DIY because I’m a control freak and like understanding every piece of my business. But I’ve seen people succeed both ways.

Just don’t fall for the passive income myths either way. Whether you DIY or hire a company, you still need to do market research, test different approaches, and actually put in work upfront. The books that make money aren’t accidents – they’re the result of understanding what people want and delivering it better than the competition.