Publishing · pricing
BookBaby pricing
BookBaby publishes 3 tiers. Below is each one, what it adds over the tier beneath it, and where the ladder stops being worth climbing for most people.
As of 1 September 2026, BookBaby pricing is on request across 3 published tiers. Figures are the vendor's list prices as recorded on this page's last check; the vendor's site is the final word.
- Entry price
- On request
- Model
- One-time purchase per project
- Tiers
- 3
- Free tier
- Not on record
BookBaby plans, side by side
Every published tier in ascending order of price, with the number of features each one lists. An absence here means the record does not itemise it, not that the tier lacks it.
| Plan | Price | Features listed | Step up from the tier below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ebook Publishing | $299/one-time | 3 | Entry tier |
| Print on Demand | $399/one-time | 3 | +$100/one-time, 3 more features |
| Print plus Ebook Bundle | $2190/one-time | 4 | +$1791/one-time, 4 more features |
What each tier adds
The set difference between each tier's feature list and the one beneath it. Where a tier lists nothing new, the vendor has either stopped repeating the inherited list or the tier raises limits rather than adding capability, the record does not distinguish the two, so this page does not either.
Ebook Publishing
$299/one-timeThe entry tier. It covers ebook conversion and formatting, distribution to major ebook retailers, 100 percent royalties from most retailers.
Print on Demand
$399/one-timeOver Ebook Publishing, this tier adds:
- Paperback print on demand setup
- No inventory purchase required
- Amazon and BookBaby Bookshop listing
Print plus Ebook Bundle
$2190/one-timeOver Print on Demand, this tier adds:
- Basic cover design
- Ebook conversion and print on demand
- A run of printed copies included
- Two ISBNs
What the product covers
The full BookBaby feature record, grouped as the catalogue groups it. This is the product as a whole; the record does not map every feature onto a specific tier.
Other
- Ebook conversion
- Print on demand
- ISBN assignment
- BookBaby Bookshop
- Editing and cover design add-ons
- Distribution to major retailers
People bring BookBaby in for a first-time author who wants a single vendor to handle conversion, printing and distribution without learning the formats themselves, an author who wants a direct storefront (bookbaby bookshop) alongside amazon and apple books listings, a non-fiction author producing a small print run for events or clients rather than ongoing retail sales, an author who has a finished manuscript and wants isbns assigned and registered under a known publisher of record. If that is not the job you are buying for, the alternatives to BookBaby are worth a look before you commit to a tier.
How that compares in Publishing
Too few publishing tools in this directory publish a starting price to quote a meaningful median, so the table below is a like-for-like list rather than a ranking.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Rated | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BookBaby (this page) | On request | One-time purchase per project | - | |
| Everand | $11.99/month | Per user per month, unlimited | - | vs BookBaby |
| Kobo | Free | Free store and app; hardware sold separately; optional subscription | - | vs BookBaby |
| Scrivener | On request | One-time purchase | - | vs BookBaby |
| PublishDrive | Free | Flat-fee subscription, no commission on paid plans | - | vs BookBaby |
| Kindle | Free | Free app, revenue from book purchases and optional subscription | - | vs BookBaby |
| Wattpad | Free | Free with ads; paid ad-free subscription and optional in-app coin purchases | - | vs BookBaby |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry, they are not reviews hosted on Softwr. How each figure is used is set out on the BookBaby badges page.
Before you pay for BookBaby
Three things this page cannot tell you, and all three change the bill. The record carries a price and a billing period but not the unit - per-seat and flat-rate pricing are indistinguishable in this data, so a five-person team may be looking at five times the figure above. It carries no annual rate, so any discount for paying yearly is not something this page can quote. And it carries no trial length.
What it can tell you is the shape of the ladder: 3 tiers between $299/one-time and $2190/one-time, with the jump itemised above. With no free tier on record, the cheapest way to answer the rest is to compare BookBaby against the tools that do have one before committing.
BookBaby runs on web, and is published by BookBaby of Pennsauken, New Jersey, United States. The full record is on the BookBaby review, and the rest of the category is under best publishing tools.
BookBaby pricing questions
- How much does BookBaby cost?
- BookBaby publishes 3 tiers, from $299/one-time for Ebook Publishing up to $2190/one-time for Print plus Ebook Bundle. The cheapest paid tier is $299/one-time.
- Does BookBaby have a free plan?
- Not on the record we hold: BookBaby is listed as One-time purchase per project. Whether a free trial is offered is not something this record captures, so check the vendor's site.
- What is the difference between Ebook Publishing and Print on Demand on BookBaby?
- Print on Demand costs $399/one-time against $299/one-time, and adds paperback print on demand setup, no inventory purchase required, amazon and bookbaby bookshop listing.
- Is the Print plus Ebook Bundle plan on BookBaby worth it?
- That depends entirely on whether you need what it adds, which on the published record is basic cover design, ebook conversion and print on demand, a run of printed copies included, two isbns. It costs $2190/one-time against $299/one-time for Ebook Publishing. Softwr has not used either tier, so this page can tell you what changes, not whether it is worth the difference to you.
- Which publishing tools can I use without paying?
- 6 of the 8 publishing tools listed alongside BookBaby have a free tier: Kobo, PublishDrive, Kindle, Wattpad, Webtoon.
- What am I actually paying for with BookBaby?
- The record lists 6 features across 1 area: other. In practice it is brought in for a first-time author who wants a single vendor to handle conversion, printing and distribution without learning the formats themselves, an author who wants a direct storefront (bookbaby bookshop) alongside amazon and apple books listings, a non-fiction author producing a small print run for events or clients rather than ongoing retail sales.
- Does BookBaby charge per user?
- The record carries a price and a billing period for each of its 3 tiers, but not the unit that price is charged in. Per-seat and flat-rate billing look identical in this data, so check the vendor's page before budgeting for a team.
- Are these BookBaby prices current?
- They are what the catalogue entry holds, refreshed when the entry is. Vendors change pricing without notice and nobody at Softwr re-verifies each tier by hand, so treat this as a structured summary and the vendor's own pricing page as the authority.
- What should I compare BookBaby against before paying?
- The closest publishing tools in this directory are Everand, Kobo, Scrivener, PublishDrive. Each has a side-by-side comparison with BookBaby covering price, platforms and features.