As an indie author getting ready for my first release, I found this post extremely helpful. I used the calculator in a kind of opposite way, by plugging in what I've spent so far on my book (editing, cover etc) to give a realistic idea on how much I have to sell to pay myself back. It's kind of a daunting figure but also a useful "goal" (knowing full well I might not earn my money back on a debut) but it's healthy to be real, imo.
Earning out is, as you say, extremely complicated and involves a lot of math. And it’s going to be different for every author and every deal, thanks to the numerous ways rights and sub rights can work, discounts to retailers, and even special sales to subscription boxes.
And to add another datapoint for earning through -- of the fourteen books I’ve published, I’ve earned through my advance for three of them. My fourth book, my sixth, and my thirteenth.
A number of the "self-publishing hustle" sorts will also spend 9k to make 10k. Netting 1k doesn't sound that great to me, especially since it's possible to net 1k in selfpub without spending 9k to gross 10k.
Where I do think tradpub shorts authors is in the ebook realm. Tradpub ebooks are insanely expensive, especially since I know what those costs are vis a vis paperback. But then again, for me since I do my own interiors (thanks to Vellum) and covers (thanks to Book Brush), I can do it at a lesser cost with matching quality, at least for the interiors. I've done enough work in both programs to reduce my up-front expenses in that area.
Is that correct that the author's royalty % is against the retail (cover) price, not the discounted wholesale price the bookstore buys it at (for dead tree books)?
How many people pay full rate for audiobooks? Or, put differently, what does an author receive from a person who buys the audiobook with 1 Audible credit?
Also, this doesn't take into account when Amazon or one's publisher runs a sale, and the ebook price is $2.99, etc. I'm not an expert, but I'd guess that these numbers are on the optimistic side.
Thanks for this post, Lincoln. I’m working on one myself about royalties from an independent publisher. Different numbers, different base percentages as you can imagine. It should go up in the next week. I will refer back to your post.
As an indie author getting ready for my first release, I found this post extremely helpful. I used the calculator in a kind of opposite way, by plugging in what I've spent so far on my book (editing, cover etc) to give a realistic idea on how much I have to sell to pay myself back. It's kind of a daunting figure but also a useful "goal" (knowing full well I might not earn my money back on a debut) but it's healthy to be real, imo.
Earning out is, as you say, extremely complicated and involves a lot of math. And it’s going to be different for every author and every deal, thanks to the numerous ways rights and sub rights can work, discounts to retailers, and even special sales to subscription boxes.
And to add another datapoint for earning through -- of the fourteen books I’ve published, I’ve earned through my advance for three of them. My fourth book, my sixth, and my thirteenth.
A number of the "self-publishing hustle" sorts will also spend 9k to make 10k. Netting 1k doesn't sound that great to me, especially since it's possible to net 1k in selfpub without spending 9k to gross 10k.
Where I do think tradpub shorts authors is in the ebook realm. Tradpub ebooks are insanely expensive, especially since I know what those costs are vis a vis paperback. But then again, for me since I do my own interiors (thanks to Vellum) and covers (thanks to Book Brush), I can do it at a lesser cost with matching quality, at least for the interiors. I've done enough work in both programs to reduce my up-front expenses in that area.
This calculator is missing a huge piece of the pie though—marketing and PR costs many authors feel pressured to spend on.
Taking a look at the calculator....
Is that correct that the author's royalty % is against the retail (cover) price, not the discounted wholesale price the bookstore buys it at (for dead tree books)?
How many people pay full rate for audiobooks? Or, put differently, what does an author receive from a person who buys the audiobook with 1 Audible credit?
Also, this doesn't take into account when Amazon or one's publisher runs a sale, and the ebook price is $2.99, etc. I'm not an expert, but I'd guess that these numbers are on the optimistic side.
Thanks for this post, Lincoln. I’m working on one myself about royalties from an independent publisher. Different numbers, different base percentages as you can imagine. It should go up in the next week. I will refer back to your post.
I hate math. That’s all. Carry on.