How We Price Book Services — Stage by Stage, No Hidden Bundles

Why We Abandoned Package Pricing

For years, the book services industry has sold bundles: the "Author Starter," the "Premium Publishing Package," the "Complete Solution." They sound convenient. But they routinely charge authors for stages they don't need while cutting corners on the stages they do.

A first-time novelist with a clean manuscript doesn't need developmental editing — but most packages include it anyway. A seasoned academic needs heavy typesetting and indexing — but the "standard" package gives them a templated interior.

"I'd paid €2,400 for a package elsewhere. When I looked at what I actually received, three of the six included services were irrelevant to my book. With VPL, I spent €1,650 and every cent went to work I genuinely needed." — Aoife K., Cork, published 2024

Stage-based pricing means you build your own scope. We consult with you, assess the manuscript, and recommend — but you decide what to commission. No upsells disguised as "upgrades."