You want to get your message out, but publishing a book can be expensive. Should you go into debt to do it?

It is, of course, your choice, but my advice is: No.

Many publishing companies (partnership publishing, pay-to-publish, hybrid publishers) now offer financing to “help” authors get their books published.

Sometimes this is a loan provided by a third-party company. As an alternative, most publishing companies accept credit card payments. And you may think you can borrow this money now and pay it back with royalties when your book sells.

But what if your book doesn’t sell enough copies to cover the cost of publishing?

One of the first things I recommend to any aspiring author is to prepare a business plan for their book. A big part of that plan is to figure out what it’s going to cost to publish the book and calculate the revenue the book can realistically be expected to generate.

This is one of the not-so-fun parts of writing and publishing.

“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? (Luke 14:28, NLT)

Let’s say it’s going to cost $5,000 (a conservative estimate) for you to have your manuscript edited, your cover designed, your interior designed and produced, and for all the other essential details that have to happen to get your book published. The publisher explains that you’ll earn $3 a copy on retail sales. That means you’re going to have to sell more than 1,600 copies to break even on the publishing costs without factoring in marketing, advertising, and other expenses. Maybe you’ll earn $5 a copy. That still means you need to sell 1,000 books to break even.

According to Steven Piersanti, senior editor with Berrett-Koehler Publishers:

The average book published today is selling less than 300 print copies over its lifetime in the US retail channels. Even if e-book sales, audio sales, sales outside of the US, and sales outside of retail channels are added in, the average new book published today is selling much less than 1,000 copies over its lifetime in all formats and all markets.

Will your book beat the average? It could happen, but should you risk going into debt on that chance?

Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. (Romans 13:8, NLT)

Let’s be clear on this: If you have the money and want to spend more on publishing your book than you can expect to earn from it, that’s fine. It’s your choice. I have worked with many clients over the years who tell me that they know their book is not likely to generate a profit, but they believe in their message and they can afford the cost. They say things like, “If it helps just one person, it’s worth it.”

My business clients see the cost of their books as a marketing expense for their companies. The revenue from book sales is incidental compared to the benefit the company receives from the owner being a published author.

But if you don’t have the disposable cash to pay for the cost of publishing, think long and hard about taking a loan or using a credit card to fund your book. And remember that pesky detail of interest. If you borrow money to publish your book, you’ll end up paying back more than the actual cost of publishing.

Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7, NLT)

What’s the alternative to going into debt to publish your book? One way is to figure out how to do as much of the production process as possible yourself. Another is to try to raise money through crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter. You can always try the traditional publishing route, even though it can take much longer than self-publishing. You can look for other ways to share your message, such as blogging and online videos.

The Bible clearly tells us what God thinks about debt. It also clearly tells us to pray about what we want to do, turn it over to God and be patient..

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14, NLT)

Don’t let fulfilling your dream of publishing a book turn into a burden of debt that you may not be able to repay.