Generally speaking, the direct cost of publishing a book by a publishing house needs to be controlled below 45% of the pricing (based on printing 5000 copies), especially the first edition. Of course, the lower the cost ratio, the better. However, unlike other goods, the pricing of books can be set at will with the wishes of merchants. As long as the cost of books consists of several parts: author's remuneration, typesetting, publishing, paper, printing, warehousing, management fees, etc. You can calculate how much to print and how much to sell, so that the publishing house can break even a little profit. Generally speaking, if the print run is less than 3000 copies, it is difficult for publishers to make ends meet. If you print 5000 copies (provided that all of them are sold), you can break even or make a small profit.