Every deduction is named
Printing cost, retailer discount, distributor charges, platform fees, tax and currency handling are shown in the order they affect your sale. You can see where the money goes before the royalty reaches your account.
Author Royalty Program: What Each Sale Actually Pays You
See how your retail price, printing cost, platform deductions and distribution terms shape the amount that reaches you from each sale. The review explains the numbers clearly without promising sales or pretending retailer and distributor fees can be removed.
- Every deduction between the retail price and your payment, named
- Estimated author earnings per copy, by format and sales channel
- Royalty percentage compared with the amount you actually receive
- A written record of the settings used for every calculation
What it gives you
Self Publishing Royalty Rates Explained in Real Numbers
A headline royalty rate can look impressive and still tell you very little. What matters is the price it is calculated from, which costs are removed first, and how the result changes between paperback, hardcover, ebook and wholesale sales. We turn those percentages into estimated author earnings per copy so you can compare like with like.
Net vs list royalties are separated
Paperback, hardcover, ebook and wholesale sales can use different royalty bases. We show whether a percentage is based on list price, net receipts or another platform figure, so one strong format does not hide a weak one.
Author earnings per copy come first
The useful comparison is the amount that lands with you after the relevant deductions. We calculate an estimated payment per sale for each format and channel, then show the royalty percentage beside it for context.
The royalty payment schedule is recorded
Your review notes when each platform reports and pays, along with the pricing, print cost and discount settings used. That gives you a dated reference instead of a percentage with no context.
How Do Book Royalties Work? From Retail Price to Your Author Payment
We follow one sale from the listed price through every deduction that applies before money reaches you. Each channel is reviewed separately, so the final figures are easy to compare and the assumptions behind them stay visible.
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Account and Royalty Settings Audit
We begin with the settings that are live now. Retail prices by territory, print specifications, unit costs, wholesale discounts, returnability, distribution channels and platform royalty tiers are recorded exactly as they appear. This matters because old defaults and forgotten distribution options can change author earnings long after the original setup is finished.
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Royalty Percentage and Deduction Mapping
Each platform takes its deductions in a particular order. We map printing cost, retailer or wholesale discount, distributor charges, platform fees, withholding tax where relevant and currency conversion for international sales. Once the sequence is written down, net vs list royalties become much easier to understand and compare.
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Author Earnings per Copy by Format
Paperback, hardcover, ebook and audiobook are reviewed separately because their economics are different. A strong ebook return can sit beside a paperback that earns very little after print and wholesale costs. Each edition receives its own estimated author earnings per copy, rather than being blended into one average that hides the useful detail.
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Price and Royalty Scenarios
If you are considering a new retail price, a different wholesale discount, a change in returnability or another distribution route, we can model the effect before you change the account. This is a calculation, not a sales forecast. It shows what one sale could pay under each setting, not how many copies will sell.
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Findings and Royalty Payment Schedule
You receive the calculations, the settings they use, the date of review and the factors most likely to change the result. We also note the royalty payment schedule where the platform provides one. Print costs, platform terms, currencies and territory rules move over time, so the review is dated rather than presented as permanent.
Ready when you are
Know what each sale is actually paying you.
Bring your current pricing, formats and distribution setup. A publishing consultant will walk through the royalty chain with you, explain where deductions happen and show which settings are affecting the amount you receive per copy.
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or call +1 877 275 5624
Selected work
Author Royalties Explained Through Real Account Reviews
One Channel Was Quietly Reducing the Return
An author saw different per-copy payments from month to month and assumed the reports were inconsistent. The account still had expanded distribution enabled, so some sales carried an extra wholesale deduction. Once direct and expanded distribution were shown separately, the difference made sense and the author could decide whether keeping both routes was worth it.
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Three Editions Compared Without Averaging the Results
A paperback, hardcover and ebook had been judged by one overall royalty figure. When we separated them, the hardcover returned well, the ebook was steady and the paperback left very little after printing and discount. The author kept every format available, but shifted promotion toward the editions that produced stronger author earnings per copy.
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The Higher Percentage That Paid Less
Two publishing routes were being compared only on their advertised royalty percentage. The larger percentage was applied after heavier deductions and produced a smaller payment at the same retail price. Seeing the amount per copy beside the headline rate changed the decision before any account was moved.
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Summaries of work carried out in house. Titles, authors and retail details are withheld under the confidentiality terms of the engagements.
Author Advantage Royalty Program, With the Numbers Made Clear
The Author Advantage Royalty Program helps you understand what actually reaches you from each book sale. We review the retail price, print cost, distribution deductions, platform charges and current royalty settings so you can see how the final amount is calculated.
Your print and ebook editions are looked at separately because each format can carry different costs and royalty terms. We break the figures down per copy, compare the settings already in place, and point out where pricing or distribution choices are reducing what you receive.
You receive a clear royalty review based on your current setup, with the calculations recorded for reference. The goal is straightforward: you know what each sale can return, what affects that figure, and which decisions remain yours to change.
The bookselling family
Complete Bookselling Support, All in One Place
Bookselling works best when each retail decision supports the next. Pricing, royalties, catalogue listings, returns and outreach are separate services, so you can choose only what your book actually needs.
Explore each option to see what it covers, what it depends on and how it fits your retail plan. Each page explains its scope and limits clearly.
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Bookstore
Essentials -
Set Your Own
Price -
Author Advantage
Royalty Program -
Retail
Focus -
Retail Focus for
Children's Books -
Library
Focus -
Bookseller
Catalog -
Bookseller
Return Program
Our commitment
Why authors trust our author royalty program
Royalties are arithmetic. We show the numbers using your current settings, date the review clearly and separate a per-copy estimate from any claim about future sales.
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01
A named coordinator
One person manages the review, gathers the account details, answers your questions and keeps the calculations moving through to the final handover.
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02
Figures before decisions
If a pricing, discount or distribution choice changes what you earn, you see the estimated effect per copy before the setting is changed rather than after the next royalty statement arrives.
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03
Your accounts and rights stay yours
Your copyright, ISBNs, publishing accounts and distribution accounts remain under your control. We review the settings and calculations; we do not acquire your book or take a share of your royalties.
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04
A fixed written scope
The formats reviewed, platforms included, scenarios modelled, reporting provided and fee are named before work starts. Anything outside that review is listed separately rather than assumed.
Questions
About the Author Advantage Royalty Program
It may identify settings that reduce your payment per copy, and changing those settings can improve the amount received on some sales. It cannot create demand or remove fees charged by retailers, printers and distributors. The purpose is to show the arithmetic clearly enough for you to make an informed choice.
A print sale usually begins with the retail price, then applies the retailer or wholesale discount, printing cost and the platform terms that govern what remains. The exact order varies by channel. That is why the same title can produce different royalties at the same list price depending on where the sale came from.
Sales may be arriving through channels with different deductions. Direct retail, expanded distribution, wholesale orders and international sales do not necessarily pay the same amount. Separating those routes usually explains why one month shows a different average payment from another.
No. A large royalty percentage can apply to a smaller base after more costs have already been removed. A lower percentage on a larger remainder may pay more per copy. Compare the actual author earnings, the distribution reach and the deductions behind the rate before choosing a route.
We need the settings and figures that affect the calculation. You can provide them through account access, statements, screenshots or a screen share, depending on the agreed scope. We do not change pricing, distribution or royalty settings without your instruction.
Yes, when audiobook editions are included in the written scope. Audio payments can depend on distribution route, exclusivity and production arrangements, so we review them separately rather than combining them with print or ebook figures.
Where relevant, the review records withholding tax and currency conversion because both can affect the amount that reaches your account. Treatment differs by territory and platform. The calculation is not tax advice, so questions about your own tax position should go to a qualified adviser.
Review them when an important input changes, such as the retail price, printing cost, edition, distributor or platform terms. The findings include the date and the settings used so you can tell when an older calculation no longer matches the live account.
No. We can estimate what one sale pays under your current settings and compare that with other scenarios. We cannot know how many copies will sell. A royalty review should help you understand the return on a sale, not turn that calculation into a sales promise.
The two services are related but they answer different questions. A pricing service helps choose the retail price. The author royalty program shows what the current price and distribution settings return after costs and deductions. If you already know the price you want, this review tells you what that price is likely to pay per sale.
Talk to a publishing consultant
Understand your royalties before changing the settings
Thirty minutes, no obligation. Bring the formats and platforms you use, and we will explain what each sale is currently returning, where the deductions sit and which figures are worth reviewing before you make a change.