One of the biggest excuses I hear from writers working on a book but never quite finishing it is the sheer cost of publishing. Why bother finishing their novel, they say, since their only option for publishing it is miraculously making it through the gatekeepers and getting it conventionally published, the only "free" option. Here's the thing: even though it is true that you should never pay an agent or a publisher, conventional publishing is not necessarily completely devoid of costs, and it is definitely not your best financial deal in many cases. And self publishing, while it can indeed be quite expensive, can also be completely free. In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, wriitng coach Karena Akhavein takes you through the real and not-so-real costs of publishing a book.