Usually 10% - 15% list price on printed books, and 25% of publisher net on ebooks/audiobooks. This is if one is traditionally published. If you're self-published your % is higher (but so are your costs) AND if you're on Kindle Unlimited as self-pub it's Amazon who dictates the size of the money pot. - ThreadSky

scalzi.com • 26 days ago

Usually 10% - 15% list price on printed books, and 25% of publisher net on ebooks/audiobooks. This is if one is traditionally published. If you're self-published your % is higher (but so are your costs) AND if you're on Kindle Unlimited as self-pub it's Amazon who dictates the size of the money pot.

Reposted from Houston

If only people knew how little authors made per book.

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maul.fyi•26 days ago

Because no one asked, I can confirm this fee structure being pretty much the same in [most parts of] the EU. Also, 25%ish on mixed-media spinoffs such as video course material or amygdala implants.

kaurifish.bsky.social•26 days ago

Yup, someone bought ebooks of all three of my books the other day. KDP says I'll get about $7.
And now we genuflect to our corporate overlords for their overweening generosity.

thubakabra.bsky.social•26 days ago

Nice. Squash my dreams just like that.

(I'm glad I am writing for joy, not for money, lol)

cincat3.bsky.social•26 days ago

I rely on audio books primarily I do audible.

Just found out I can get a library card and do audio books through them.

Just didn't because my local library doesn't have a website found out from a friend who did it.

scalzi.com•26 days ago

Some but not all books on Audible exclusives so it’s worth it to check.

joqatana.bsky.social•26 days ago

I’d rather read an ebook from the library than pay Jeff Bezos to let me read a book that he can delete from my phone whenever he feels like

mdhunt.bsky.social•26 days ago

Made 1.58 on a paperback sale today... WOOHOoo.... I can buy an egg or two.😁

markllama.bsky.social•26 days ago

Thank you for highlighting people to mute.

chiefpad.bsky.social•26 days ago

So, all up I paid you about $40, about the same as I spent on two lunches.

protocol6.lonecoder.com•26 days ago

Any idea whether kindle unlimited is better for authors than borrowing library e-books for free? It's not all or nothing, I use my library for books that aren't on kindle unlimited once I go beyond my book budget.

grcooper.bsky.social•26 days ago

In order to be on KU, you have to be Amazon exclusive (and KU typically provides around half + of royalties). I’m not sure where libraries get their loaner copies - as far as I know, I’ve never received any money via that route (I’ve sold tens of thousands of books, not huge but not bad)

nowhere.bsky.social•26 days ago

Too bad you can't pull a costco and change a few sentences to have an amazon exclusive version

(And if you can, I'm sure they'll shut it down right quick)

scalzi.com•26 days ago

NB: Amazon does deals with traditional publishing houses to get some of their books on KU (ask me how I know), and those are compensated similarly to actual sales and outside the Amazon-specified put of money for Indie authors. Those books (clearly) are not exclusive to KU.

grcooper.bsky.social•26 days ago

Yeah, exclusivity is just for self pub. JK Rowling has been at the top of the KU list every time I’ve checked ;-).

Top earners also get huge bonus checks from KU as well

gwentolios.bsky.social•26 days ago

Personally, i get more from libraries, in part cuz my books are short. KU pays per page (a rate that's always changing/unknown & a fraction of a penny), libraries pay per borrow regardless of how much is read. Indies have to choose one or the other, which is also a thing.

sufficientowls.bsky.social•25 days ago

The library is always better than any Amazon product

pentathlos.bsky.social•26 days ago

The issues are a little different for academic libraries, but the nastiest piece for me is when publishers have ebooks but refuse to sell them to academic libraries at all, preferring that students all "purchase" (except you don't own it, of course🤣) copies individually.
https://youtu.be/tuZUJs72288

kp-tx.bsky.social•26 days ago

There are usually different titles. Very rarely I see something on KU and in a library’s digital collection, but generally Amazon requires exclusivity for titles that are on KU.

clpolk.com•26 days ago

this is a good way to do it! we have a Public Lending Right Program that pays Canadian authors based on their library loans. The payments come annually, and they're good for a couple thousand dollars, which could be just in the nick of time. (winter is kind of a lean time for royalties.)

paintedpigeon.bsky.social•25 days ago

The UK and Ireland (and several other countries) also have this!

whitesided.bsky.social•26 days ago

It would partly depend on if you actually read it, is my understanding. Meaning when you check something out from KU there’s no remuneration to the author unless you hit whatever metrics Amazon sets to say you “read” it. That has changed over time, going from a certain number of page turns to 1/2

protocol6.lonecoder.com•26 days ago

I read about 180 books a year on average and I can count on one hand the number of times I've opened a book and not finished it.

whitesided.bsky.social•26 days ago

getting to the end of the book to who knows what now. So doing the borrow doesn’t help if you don’t spend time reading it.

A lot of library lending, on the other hand, is just checkouts. The library gets to “lend” the ebook a certain number of times before they have to reup the license.

commander42.bsky.social•26 days ago

Here is a pretty good explainer: 📚💙
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC2Y14ipb3U

jlrichey.bsky.social•26 days ago

Still way better than what most musicians make from streaming, but I am in favor of all creative work being remunerated at higher rates that reflect its actual value.

markmcelroy.bsky.social•26 days ago

My first self-published novel earned about $1500 in the first year it’s been out. About $350 came from Kindle Unlimited readers.

beebrookshire.bsky.social•26 days ago

AND you have to actually make back your advance first! If you got an advance. Most non-fiction authors never make that back at all.

damaso.bsky.social•26 days ago

Thanks for sharing!

finthecat4055.bsky.social•26 days ago

Thanks for sharing. When there's a sale price for your ebooks, does that come out of the author's share, or the publisher's, or both? I often feel a little bad buying a book on sale but usually they are books that I probably wouldn't buy at all at full price.

pmcc66.bsky.social•25 days ago

I see https://Bookshop.org has an e-book app. Hopefully, you get a bigger cut of that.

keepof4worlds.bsky.social•26 days ago

I’m actually surprised it’s that high…

jeriwho.bsky.social•25 days ago

My principle of operation is to guarantee at least 50K words to the reader and $2 profit for myself in paperback, which is my largest sales point (school age readers). That's the minimum. You're right. I don't make much. But I still love writing books!

steve98052.bsky.social•25 days ago

My understanding is that nonfiction authors get a lot more than novelists, particularly compared to small format paperback novels. Everyone gets terrible rates on foreign sales, even when not splitting royalties with a translator.

My father got 15% of suggested retail on his hardcover nonfiction.

paddiewhack.bsky.social•26 days ago

And that money pot changes each month. My wife experiences this. Thus far, self-published has worked out very well for her. But expenses are definitely high.

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