As part of an ongoing series on the acquisitions process, I am going to talk a little bit about the money. I stress that every publisher works differently in this regard but there are a few things that are true of all of us:
When most people see that there is a book selling for $25 they think that the author is getting a big chunk of that. The reality is that the money an author sees is depends on a lot of factors:
- The percentage of royalty of that net receipt you negotiate
- The retail price of the book
- The discount the publisher offers to booksellers
- How many copies the publisher sells
So, one of the biggest factors to consider when selecting a prospective publisher is how much money you will receive for how much work. In plain English, this means that working with a publisher who sells a 256 page book for $25 is not the same as working with a publisher who will charge $25 for a 100 page book. Same money, less work. That is why working for a premium publisher, like C&T, makes a lot of sense.
Next week, I’ll offer advice on how to use a book as part of a business plan to start making a career out of your craft….
Related Posts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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3 Comments
Good point! Nobody writes one of these books to become rich – sigh…
Nevertheless, I’d do it again (if I could figure out what my next best-seller is) And I have to say how terrific C&T is to work with.
Thanks for the great posts, I have been finding this series very interesting and informative.
For those of us who have thought of writing a book you have given us a lot to think about.
Kathie
Thank you for writing this series. It has been very timely and I appreciate it.
R