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Incidentally, not all writers actually get to hold copyright in their work.
I have contributed to a number of textbooks, encyclopedias and done some very occasional journalism. In these cases I was paid a single lump sum, which included the surrender of the copyright to the publisher. My most profitable piece was a book chapter, which took two weeks to write. I was paid £1200. This worked out at £900 after the taxman had taken his share.
Oddly enough, my partner has yet to make that much on one of his books, even though they take much longer to write, and need trips to foreign archives, for which he pays. (He's a historian.)
So don't assume that all writers get royalties. A lot of the US pulp writers were also paid single lump sums.
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