Quote:
Originally Posted by maggie*
There is something I don't understand here... How do you pay 10% to the author and advances from the same book?
And I'm yet to see "special promotions" in ebooks from the publisher...
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Simple.
Author receives $40000 as an advance.
The cover price is $20 with author receiving 10% = $2 per book. (*)
Until at least 20000 books are sold the author does not receive any royalties. From the 20001st book the author receives her/his first two bucks, and from that point on she/he receives 2 bucks per each sold book (**).
A lot of authors never get to that phase. They never "earn out their advance". At the moment the "shelf life" of a book is ridiculously short in modern bookshops. Often the unsold books are returned to the publisher for a full refund after a few months to make space for the newest fad.
Please note, that from that 40000 advance the author has to pay his agent and a few other things.
(*) Those numbers are quite generous. You have to be an established author to get such a good deal.
(**) Some authors learn at that point that there is lots of small print in their contract and even more copies must be sold before they start receiving additional money