tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post1932303698634857762..comments2023-06-12T17:08:36.320+01:00Comments on How Publishing <i>Really</i> Works: Who Makes The Money When A Book Is Sold?Jane Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03411253302725735470noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-67310436421295846612008-10-12T14:18:00.000+01:002008-10-12T14:18:00.000+01:00Re the paltry amount authors make. I have this arg...Re the paltry amount authors make. I have this argument over and again with writers and non-writers alike. Yes, the author royalties can be quite low and sometimes it seems that the bigger the publisher, the lower the royalties (I had a contract that quoted 3% from a ‘big publisher’, and now have a much nicer 15% from an independent press). However, in considering how much you might make, it is worth taking into account how many books are likely to be sold. You may only get a small amount per book, but royalties of 3% on a book that is placed in supermarkets and high volume chain bookshops will bring you a larger royalties cheque than 40% (or whatever the self-publishers quote) on a book that is only sold to your friends and the occasional internet random person. If an author is self-publishing then they are the publisher and all of those overheads, distribution costs, discounts etc. have to be absorbed by the author.<BR/><BR/>PS hello Jane. Nice blog!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-41810551327096642152008-10-11T08:27:00.000+01:002008-10-11T08:27:00.000+01:00Dot, you forgot about the many fivers you've sent ...Dot, you forgot about the many fivers you've sent my way to get me to say nice things about you. They add up, you know.<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile, to remind you all: when you do read things here that strike you as wrong I do hope you'll shout about them. I hate making mistakes and am grateful for the opportunity to correct them.Jane Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411253302725735470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-56913200545661376852008-10-10T22:10:00.000+01:002008-10-10T22:10:00.000+01:00My expenses so far:Two HB pencils 2x20p = 40pFive ...My expenses so far:<BR/><BR/>Two HB pencils 2x20p = 40p<BR/>Five notepads 5x£1.20 =£5.80<BR/>3,000 cups of FairTrade coffee @ 20p per cup = £600<BR/>Bitter dregs of despair, free with the coffee.<BR/><BR/>Expenditure £606.20DOThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00719312854612984929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-17268863685987471012008-10-10T17:25:00.000+01:002008-10-10T17:25:00.000+01:00Very interesting posting.But I was about to say wh...Very interesting posting.<BR/><BR/>But I was about to say what about the writers... Glad to see you got there before me, Brian.<BR/><BR/>Thank you,<BR/><BR/>AnnieAnnie Wickinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16086872542948192391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-5698233841897387862008-10-10T14:00:00.000+01:002008-10-10T14:00:00.000+01:00Brian, you're right, of course: what was I thinkin...Brian, you're right, of course: what was I thinking?<BR/><BR/>I shall edit my post. Thank you for pointing out my foolishness, and for being so very kind about it, too.Jane Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03411253302725735470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519912440753252776.post-73247082346259372992008-10-10T12:19:00.000+01:002008-10-10T12:19:00.000+01:00'It's clear from this analysis that publishers mak...'It's clear from this analysis that publishers make less money on each book sold than their writers do' - <BR/><BR/>I'm not sure this is strictly true. The publisher, on that analysis, is making £3.70 per book, as against 80p made by the author. Some of this they offset against expenses - but then the author has expenses too, which don't appear in this breakdown.Brian Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.com