How do publishing royalties work

Even contracts with the most straightforward royalty structures can have fine print that works only to the advantage of the publisher. The publisher gets to subtract printing, distribution, retail discounts etc. This will vary publisher to publisher, contract to contract. However, you most likely will have no choice on the terms in the contract. You desperately want your book to be published, so you pretty much have to accept the terms that the publisher offers. This is the price the author pays for the credibility and marketing power that traditional publishing houses provide.

An agent does serve an important function besides just shopping your book; A good literary agent can advise you on contract negotiations, keep you from making costly mistakes, and provide important moral support as the negotiation process drags out. I am about to send in my manuscript.

I want to have images but need assistance. Does Balboa offer the service of choosing images for my book. Thanks for your help. Retail is not as uncomplicated as it looks. I was not really aware of these things and came to learn many things. At 42, I'm the young whipper snapper in my local writers' group, and other members have asked me to teach them how to design a blog.

So I'd like to know what turns an agent off about writers' blogs? What makes agents go ga-ga over a writer's blog? Any tips or pointers would be helpful. Sometimes these books have a long shelf life, which may at least somewhat balance it out.

I found that true with my last book, thanks be. Things are a bit clearer now. Thank you! I had a general understanding of this, but you just answered any oustanding questions, except this:. Why would one agent or publisher choose one organization over the other? I realize it's just a picture, but it's good to feel like I know at least the basic mechanics! Now I see more clearly why agents and publishers are so careful in choosing the manuscripts to accept. The writer's work should be so good that 5, to 15, people must decide they want to read that one particular book more than they want to keep the price of it in their pockets.

Am I right in thinking that reaching that goal would make the book marginally successful? The question that will hover in the back of my mind from now on is this: Do I think 15, people will find the book I'm writing interesting and valuable enough to buy?

The answer to that question will certainly play a part in any thoughts I have on its readiness for submission. Thank you for breaking down the publishing world into bite-size pieces for aspiring writers to swallow. ABA paying on the list price. I hadn't realized that before. Thanks for the great explanation, Rachelle. Hives soon to follow. Just send the check. I really don't care how much it's for as long I can get me an Starbucks and something from Ann Taylor.

I especially like the comparison between CBA houses and non. Thanks, Rachelle! I should think knowing the number of sold units it's a BABY, not a unit needed to earn out helps give the author a much more tangible goal.

Just mho. Haven't seen this info as clearly elsewhere! Y'all are asking for generalities, and I guess, assurances. But there aren't any. Look at your break even point. How many units is it? We hope all books sell at least 15, units but that doesn't always happen. With other books, the expectation is much higher. I've always subscribed to the fact money is poison at the bottom of the well for writers, most of us thrive on sheer passion. However, passion is sort of hard to eat for breakfast so the dollar still rules the roost.

Although your examples are generic, it should be possible to change the figures to match an individual situation and get a pretty good approximation of the number of books it takes to earn out an advance.

You've probably covered this in the past, but maybe it's time to talk next about the range of copies sold for first-time authors in CBA. Wish I'd had you for a tutor when I was struggling with algebra. I like Jody's question too… how "normal" is copies for a newbie author in the CBA? I still find the whole process overwhelming, but that's why having an agent is so important. I've heard many people say most first-time authors don't earn out their first novels.

Is this a red flag to future publishers? That's a LOT of books an author must sell to earn out the advance. For a debut author, I'd be curious to know how hard or easy it is to sell 6, books. And what is the biggest factor in helping debut authors reach their earn out level? The author will make a deal with a publisher and enter into a contract. An advance is a non-returnable loan paid by the publisher in anticipation of, and offset against, royalty earnings. The author is then entitled to royalties from sales of the work, which are first used to pay off any advance.

Traditionally the royalty is a percentage of the recommended retail price RRP. This royalty usually drops when retailers demand higher discounts. In other words, the discount demanded by the retailer is deducted before the author gets a percentage of what remains. As the discount grows, the royalty shrinks. The discounts we are talking about here are those demanded by the retailer.