Bottom Line Costs You can write, edit, cover, format, and publish a novel for $0 and a buttload of time. However, this is not a realistic option if your goal is to sell books and garner lifelong readers. (You’ll note that there is no inclusion for marketing, which is vital if you want to sell books and turn writing into a career. If, however, your only goal is to write and publish you can do it for free.) Free Option Write You can use Google Docs, or LibreOffice for the actual writing. Edit If you need free edits, your best option will be to find a local writing group and offer manuscript swaps. This will provide a proofreading—with minimal story level, or sentence level feedback—but it is possible to edit a novel for free. Likewise, there are the rare few authors who can edit their own novels without outside feedback. […]