What is a book worth to your business?
Put in your own numbers. The calculator shows every line of the math, when the book pays for itself and how many clients it takes to cover the cost. Leave any line blank if it does not apply to you.
Your result
Fill in the cost and at least one line on the left. The math appears here as you type.
Value over 3 years
This is your arithmetic on your guesses. It is not a forecast or a promise, from Scribe Media or anyone. Real results from Scribe Media authors, each linked to the full story, are on the author results page.
Six lines, added up and compared to the cost
Each line is a plain multiplication. Nothing is weighted, discounted or adjusted behind the scenes, so you can check every number with a phone calculator.
New clients
Clients a year × what one client is worth × years. The biggest line for most consultants, advisors and service firms, and the easiest to overstate. Count only clients who would not have come without the book.
Higher fees
Clients a year paying more × the extra fee × years. For people whose book lets them charge more for the same work. Read how to value a book for how to set this honestly.
Paid speaking
Talks a year × the fee × years. If you already speak and the book raises your fee, put the extra per talk here instead. Speaking fees and books covers both cases.
Copies sold
Copies a year × royalty per copy × years. Usually the smallest line. Royalties explained shows what a copy earns by format and route.
Other value
A yearly dollar figure for anything else you can count, such as a recruiting fee you no longer pay. Leave it blank if you cannot put a number on it. Value beyond money covers what the calculator leaves out.
Payback
Cost ÷ yearly value × 12 gives the months until the book has paid for itself. Cost ÷ client value gives the clients it takes. Break-even math walks through both.
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Common questions
How do you calculate what a book is worth?
Add up what the book is likely to lead to over a set number of years: new clients times what one client is worth to you, higher fees, paid talks, royalties from copies sold and anything else you can put a dollar figure on. Subtract what the book costs. The calculator on this page does exactly that, line by line, with numbers you choose.
Why are there no default numbers?
Because nobody but you knows what a client is worth in your business or how many talks you could book. A calculator that fills in typical numbers would be guessing on your behalf. Every box starts empty, and any example figures are labelled as examples.
Should I use revenue or profit for the value of a client?
Profit is the honest choice: what a client brings in after the cost of serving them. If you use revenue, the result will look larger than the money you actually keep. The calculator works either way, so pick one and say which in your notes.
What if the book brings no new clients?
Then the client lines are zero and the result rests on fees, talks, royalties and other value. Try the calculator with only the lines you are confident in. If the book only pays back when every line goes well, that is worth knowing before you spend.
Is my data saved or sent anywhere?
No. The math runs in your browser. Your numbers stay in this tab and in the page address if you copy a link to them. Nothing is sent unless you choose to send the optional form below.