The topic of cost for different types of content quickly comes up in every industry, but it is especially relevant in the children’s book market. How much should you pay a children’s book author/illustrator, in particular? It would be best to think of cost in terms of investment, since this is what it ultimately comes down to – you’re either putting in the effort to make the book successful or you’re not. You’re either spending money to make money or you’re spending money to save money. It’s a common scenario, and it’s something that every business owner, publisher, and/or marketing person needs to consider when deciding how much to spend on a particular project.
The Cost Of Good Content
The cost of good content, whether written, filmed, or performed, is always a key consideration. If you have an in-house team that can produce top-notch content for your projects, the cost is minimal. It might be cheaper to hire freelance writers, but you will likely end up paying more in the long run because good content, especially when written for an international audience, can be more expensive to hire. International SEO, for example, can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per month.
The Cost Of Bad Content
On the other hand, when someone decides to take on a project involving writing for children, it is often not in the best interest of the business to spend large amounts of money on content that does not meet the desired standards. When this happens, the results can be disastrous, since the individual(s) in charge of the project will likely have a financial stake in the content as well. For example, if a publisher decides to take on the book project of an unproven, untrained writer/illustrator and spends heavily on content that does not meet the desired standard, it is the publisher’s responsibility to edit and resubmit the content, which could involve heavy lifting and a lot of money.
The Cost Of No Content
When someone decides not to invest in content for a particular project, whether it’s due to lack of funds or the belief that the content will not be needed, this can be disastrous. The project will most likely fail to achieve its full potential, since there’s no content to drive targeted traffic, convert this traffic into paying customers, or retain these customers once the content is gone.
Whether you are deciding how much to spend on the content for your children’s book or any other type of content, you need to have a clear idea of what you are paying for and what you are getting. Ensure that the amount you are paying is in alignment with what you believe the content will bring to the table. Otherwise, it’s best to avoid these situations altogether and be honest with yourself about what you can and cannot afford.