Author Resource
How you actually get paid when your book sells — across print, ebook, and audio, and why the numbers differ so much from channel to channel.
The basics
Royalties are your share of what a book earns — but ‘your share’ means different things depending on how and where the book sells.
Two numbers decide what lands in your pocket: the royalty rate (your percentage) and the base it’s calculated on. A percentage of the printed cover price behaves very differently from the same percentage of ‘net receipts’ — the money left after a retailer takes its discount.
Knowing which is which is the single most useful thing an author can learn about getting paid.
How it’s calculated
Your percentage is applied to the book’s full retail price. Predictable, because retailer discounts don’t change your base. Common in traditional print terms.
Your percentage is applied to what the publisher or platform actually collects after the retailer’s cut. The same rate pays less — read the contract carefully.
Some arrangements pay a set dollar figure per copy sold. Easy to forecast, but check how production costs are handled.
By format
Every format has a different cost structure, so the economics change with it.
After printing and the retailer’s share, print margins are slim. Print-on-demand removes inventory risk, but the unit cost still comes out of your take.
With no printing cost, ebooks typically return the largest percentage to the author. Your price point and platform choice drive earnings more than anything else.
Audio is the fastest-growing format and can earn well, but production is a real investment and platform terms — especially around exclusivity — vary widely.
The fine print
Where we stand
This is the biggest difference between assisted and traditional publishing. In a traditional deal, the publisher owns the book and pays you a fraction of what it earns. With assisted publishing through Pristine, the retailer pays you — you keep 100% of your royalties, minus only the retailer and production costs everyone pays. We’ll walk you through the real numbers for your book before you commit.
Let's talk about your book
Tell us about your manuscript and where you want it to go. Your first consultation is free — no obligation, just a real plan.