Ebook theft

TerriPray · Post by **TerriPray** » Tue January 27th, 2009, 8:56 pm

The all authors are super rich argument... I break down for them, with real numbers, and real average figures.

Now, whilst royalties for print authors can range from 6%-12%, the average seems to be around 8%.

Cover price of $7.99 for an average paperback.
Author's royalty would be aprox 64 cents per book.
On a print run of 5000 that's $3200 IF the entire run sells out, with no returns, and before the agent's cut.
So, after agents fees, and even with minimal returns a small print run of 5000 is lucky to then net the author $2560

Now, even if you double that for a ten thousand print run, which is a decent run for a new author, you're looking at a massive $5120.

Now, yes authors normally earn a higher royalty on hardcover, and often a higher royalty on e-book (in small press and e-press, though I've heard horrible stories of the same royalty rate for ebook and print from large houses) but that's still not going to leave an author rich.

Many of the casual pirates are ones who think we earn $2 or more per book sold. They believe we all sell millions of copies and do as well as Ms Rowling. (would that were true!)
They have no clue that we also have to, in many cases, pay for our own adverts, websites, gas too and from signings, conventions etc, promotional material, hotel fees, computers, internet, etc. Or that writing a book can taken anywhere between a month, to two years of work. Nor that it doesn't end at simply writing the book.

There are re-writes.
Edits.
Second Edits.
Research.
Sleepless nights.
Proofing the arc.
Finals.
And then there is - wait for it- if you're with big press, anything up to a years wait for even the last part of your advance! If you were lucky enough to get one to begin with.

I don't get upset at the fact that big presses pay slow, pay late, and pay when it suits them. It's part of the game. We know this going in. But readers don't know, or don't want to know.

Oh well.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Tue January 27th, 2009, 9:08 pm

Why do we write? Not for the money, that's for sure - though many of us do need even the small amount of money we're paid in order to keep writing. So readers who like an author's books enough to pay the "compliment" of stealing them should realize they may be preventing the author from writing more!

diamondlil · Post by **diamondlil** » Tue January 27th, 2009, 9:58 pm

Someone did a blog post recently talking about how much money an author is left with assuming that they get an advance of $10000. I will try to remember who it was and post the link.

TerriPray · Post by **TerriPray** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 2:32 am

This is one I recommend to new and hopeful authors.

http://brendahiatt.com.hosting.domaindi ... m/id2.html

It goes over the average payouts, and advances for many romance publishers. Loose Id is one of the publishers I'm with and I actually have a new book coming out with them this year. Not historical though.

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Wed January 28th, 2009, 3:06 am

I made less than $100 last year from sales, and I don't have an agent taking a cut. So I must not be in it for the money. I get stories in my head and I feel like sharing them. I love to write. That's pretty much it.

Thanks for the link. I may have to consider switching genres.

Helen_Davis · Post by **Helen_Davis** » Tue February 3rd, 2009, 1:46 pm

[quote=""LoveHistory""]I made less than $100 last year from sales, and I don't have an agent taking a cut. So I must not be in it for the money. I get stories in my head and I feel like sharing them. I love to write. That's pretty much it.

Thanks for the link. I may have to consider switching genres.[/quote]

What genre do you write in?

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Wed February 4th, 2009, 2:49 am

I sort of write in a hybrid genre. It's historical fiction but it's invented history. I made up a country, but I try to keep the basic world as accurate as possible, while allowing myself some leeway for cultural differences.

But the main reason I'm not making much money is that I have a lot of trouble trying to promote my work. I can promote other people's work just fine, but I have a lot of trouble talking up my own writing. Luckily I'm not in a position in life where time and money are abundant either, so things should get better from here.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Wed February 4th, 2009, 7:02 pm

Luckily I'm not in a position in life where time and money are abundant either

LOL! We should all try to cultivate your attitude, and we will all be happier people!

Since I developed my website and have started getting review books, I've realized how important it is for authors to be able to write promotional copy as skillfully as they write novels. I've read several very good novels that are not being served well, IMHO, by their promotional copy. Two were published by very small presses, and the copy was probably written by the author. One was Company of Liars, published by a major NY house, and promoted for its supposed resemblance to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The Canterbury Tales are classics of literature for a good reason, but they are essentially a short story collection, not a coherent novel. Does anyone, other than a few medieval scholars, read Canterbury Tales cover-to-cover anymore? Company of Liars is a genuine novel, with suspense that builds steadily through the course of the book, and I think would appeal to a lot of readers who wouldn't pick it up if they thought its main virtue was that it resembled Canterbury Tales.

In other cases, promotional copy has lured me into expecting a novel would be a lot more exciting than it turned out to be. I'm not in favor of this, either, but for authors, it's a lot better than the reverse!

Writing promotional copy is certainly a different animal from novel-writing, but it's still writing that aims for a particular emotional effect in the reader, and as such, anyone who can write a good novel should be able to learn how to write good promotional copy. (Hint: Adjectives like superlative, stupendous, outstanding, etc. are not the secret.)