4 ms·

Might as well send the author the money directly, instead of spending it all on publishers and middlemen that you’re specifically trying to avoid. When you do,

by latexr 1y ago

Might as well send the author the money directly, instead of spending it all on publishers and middlemen that you’re specifically trying to avoid. When you do, include a note on how their chosen method of sale is most hostile to legitimate consumers and recommend some DRM-free book stores.

WithinReason 1y ago
Here is a breakdown of how much money the author gets (from Fabien Sanglard): https://fabiensanglard.net/gebbdoom/ https://fabiensanglard.net/gebbdoom/ When I upload the PDF on Amazon, a minimal price is automatically calculated. In the case of the DOOM, Amazon sets the minimal price at $51.35. There is a slider which authors can use in order to add their "share" on top of Amazon price. I have added $3.88 which Amazon also takes a cut on. The result is $1.59 royalty and $0.77 profit per book sold.
- prism56 1y ago
  The hell...
- harshreality 1y ago
  Isn't he talking about the print copy?
  - tpxl 1y ago
    Print copy: 57% of the price Amazon: 40% of the price Author: 3% of the price (half of which goes to taxes)
    - harshreality 1y ago
      He doesn't have to get 3%. He could raise the price so he gets more. Color printed books are expensive, but I think he chose the premium color print option rather than the standard color print option. You can try it out: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/royalty-calculator https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/royalty-calculator { pages: 432, dimensions: 7.5"x9.25" } Roughly $18 for basic color and $36 for premium color (which probably also means heavier, higher quality paper). Amazon takes 40%. Barnes and Noble Press takes 45% for self-published books, and their printing costs are within a couple dollars. Compare to typical retailer+distributor costs of >50% while authors get <15%. The economics of retail print publishing and logistics don't seem to work out at higher author royalty rates. Authors who don't want to give up 40% of list price always have the option to handle printing, shipping, and accounting themselves, selling on ebay or from their own website.

by latexr 1y ago

WithinReason 1y ago

Here is a breakdown of how much money the author gets (from Fabien Sanglard): https://fabiensanglard.net/gebbdoom/ https://fabiensanglard.net/gebbdoom/ When I upload the PDF on Amazon, a minimal price is automatically calculated. In the case of the DOOM, Amazon sets the minimal price at $51.35. There is a slider which authors can use in order to add their "share" on top of Amazon price. I have added $3.88 which Amazon also takes a cut on. The result is $1.59 royalty and $0.77 profit per book sold.

prism56 1y ago
The hell...
harshreality 1y ago
Isn't he talking about the print copy?
- tpxl 1y ago
  Print copy: 57% of the price Amazon: 40% of the price Author: 3% of the price (half of which goes to taxes)
  - harshreality 1y ago
    He doesn't have to get 3%. He could raise the price so he gets more. Color printed books are expensive, but I think he chose the premium color print option rather than the standard color print option. You can try it out: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/royalty-calculator https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/royalty-calculator { pages: 432, dimensions: 7.5"x9.25" } Roughly $18 for basic color and $36 for premium color (which probably also means heavier, higher quality paper). Amazon takes 40%. Barnes and Noble Press takes 45% for self-published books, and their printing costs are within a couple dollars. Compare to typical retailer+distributor costs of >50% while authors get <15%. The economics of retail print publishing and logistics don't seem to work out at higher author royalty rates. Authors who don't want to give up 40% of list price always have the option to handle printing, shipping, and accounting themselves, selling on ebay or from their own website.