How to make sure more of your book money goes to authors

How to make sure more of your book money goes to authors

Lately, I’ve been receiving a lot of emails and DMs from readers who want to make sure more of their money goes to authors in the sapphic community.

They’re asking me questions such as:

How can readers best support our authors?Do authors want us to boycott Amazon? (Short answer: No!)Is it better for authors if I buy paperbacks from a local bookstore instead of Amazon?Do authors earn the same amount if I read in Kindle Unlimited as they do when I buy the ebook?Which format (ebook, paperback, or audiobook) earns authors the most?Do authors get paid when I borrow books from the library or the Libby app?What’s the best place to get books if I’d like to make sure more of my money goes to the author?

The goal of this blog post is to answer these questions.

I’m not trying to tell readers where to buy their books or what format to read. I appreciate every single reader who enjoys my books, no matter where or in what format they get my books (as long as we’re talking about legally acquired books, not piracy, of course).

The authors in our community are blessed with avid readers—some Sapphic Book Bingo participants read 600 sapphic books last year! I can imagine it would be impossible for most to afford that if not for libraries, the occasional book sale, or subscription services like Kindle Unlimited. Even though authors earn less per KU read than per ebook or paperback purchase, the KU payouts add up and make up anywhere from 50% to 75% of most indie authors’ income.

Realistically, most readers make use of several different ways to read—for example, I primarily buy ebooks and audiobooks because I have low vision and limited space on my bookshelf, but I buy physical copies of my favorite books. I sometimes also read books via Kindle Unlimited to try new authors or a book that isn’t usually in my comfort zone.

This blog post explores how these different reading options influence authors’ earnings per sale and the percentage of your money that goes to the author.

Note:If you’re short on time and want to find out the answers to the questions above without having to read the entire detailed post, feel free to skip ahead to the summary at the end of the post.

You can also scroll down and take a look at the two tables that give you an overview of what authors typically earn per copy sold and how much of your money goes to authors.

Why there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to what earns an author the most money

The only correct answer to the question of how to best support an author financially is: it depends.

The platform and format that generate the most per-sale income for an author can vary widely, based on numerous factors, including:

Publishing path: The most profitable option for an indie author can be entirely different from that of a traditionally published author. Even among traditionally published writers, those with a small LGBTQ press often differ considerably from authors with a large mainstream publisher when it comes to what format earns them most. Publishing contract: Publishing contracts for traditionally published authors vary significantly, with different royalty rates and payout structures, meaning one author’s highest-earning format might not be the same as another’s. Pricing strategy: The price an author sets for their ebooks and physical books also affects what format earns them most money. Length of the book: Book length influences author earnings too. For example, longer books make more per KU read, but they also cost more to print compared to shorter books.

If you want to know how to best support your favorite authors, you might want to reach out to them and ask. Many writers will be happy to share which formats and platforms benefit them the most.

But, of course, you can’t ask every author for their preference, so this blog post is meant to explain the general trends—what typically earns authors the most.

Side note: The numbers behind my calculations

The numbers in this blog post don’t reflect my own earnings or those of any specific author, nor do the royalty rates represent the exact royalty rates of my own publisher or any particular sapphic publishing house. They are one possible example of what an author’s income might look like. Keep in mind that actual earnings vary widely from one author to another.

I’m basing my calculations on an 80,000-word book since that’s the average length of a novel, especially in the romance genre. That translates to roughly 300 paperback pages (depending on the trim size) or around 420 KENP (pages read in Kindle Unlimited).

I’m assuming an ebook price of $5.99 and a paperback price of $14.99 for indie authors since that’s the average price of an indie book in the top 100 lesbian fiction bestseller charts on Amazon right now. Small sapphic presses typically price their ebooks at $9.99 and their paperbacks at $18.99, so I’m using those numbers to calculate earnings for traditionally published authors.

If an author prices their books differently or writes stories that are longer or shorter than average, their per-book income will deviate from my calculations, but this blog post will still give you a general idea.

The best way to financially support indie authors

An indie author is a writer who publishes their work independently, without going through a publishing house. They essentially function as their own publisher, handling all aspects of the publishing process themselves, usually by hiring professionals such as editors and cover artists.

Indie authors bear all the costs, but in return, they keep the full share of what retailers and bookstores pay them, rather than splitting it with a publisher.

The biggest book-related expenses indie authors have to cover include:

Editing: Editing costs vary widely based on the type of editing, the length of the manuscript, the number of passes needed, and the experience of the editor and the author. Most sapphic indie authors pay between $500 and $2,000 for editing a novel-length manuscript, but it can be more than that for extensive content editing.Cover design: Indie authors typically pay anywhere from $150 to $500 for a cover, but some covers with detailed custom illustrations can cost more than that.Formatting for e-book and print: Most indies format their ebooks and physical books themselves, using a software such as Vellum, which currently costs $250. Other indies pay someone to format their book, with costs ranging from $50 to $150 per book.Audiobook narration: For a top-tier narrator, authors can expect to pay up to $400 per finished hour of audio. Since 10,000 words typically equate to about one hour of narration, the audiobook version of a 80,000-word novel would run around 8 hours, resulting in a total cost of up to $3,200.

For traditionally published authors, it’s the publisher who has to cover these costs.

As I mentioned above, the most lucrative platform and format can vary from author to author, but the majority of indie authors generally earn the most per sale in the order below.

1. Direct purchase from the author’s own webstore

There are a lot of different e-commerce platforms authors can use to sell their books directly to readers via their own webstore.

For this example, I’ll be using something very basic: An author using Payhip to sell their ebooks to readers. On its free plan, authors pay a 5% transaction fee for each sale, plus Paypal fees, which vary by country. For the US, it’s currently 3.49% of the sales price plus a fixed fee of $0.49 per transaction.

For a $5.99 ebook, an indie author would get around $4.99.

Of course, this calculation doesn’t factor in the time and upfront costs of setting up and maintaining a webstore. Plus, it’s worth noting that most authors don’t have their own webstore at all.

I’m working on a list of authors who sell ebooks, audiobooks, and/or paperbacks via their own webstore. Feel free to subscribe to my blog if you want to make sure you don’t miss it.

2. Ebook bought at full price via Amazon (or other retailers such as Apple Books, Kobo, or Barnes & Noble)

Amazon pays authors 70% of the list price, minus VAT, minus a digital delivery fee that depends on the file size ($0.06 on average, according to Amazon).

For sales in a country that doesn’t apply VAT to ebooks, indie authors would get $4.13 for a $5.99 ebook.

However, Amazon pays 70% only for ebooks priced between $2.99 and $9.99. For ebooks priced lower or higher, they only pay 35%.

3. Paperback bought through Amazon

Amazon pays authors 60% of the list price minus the printing costs. Printing costs go up with the length of the book. A 300-page novel costs $4.60 to print via Amazon.

Prices for a 300-page novel vary widely—from as low as $9.99 to $17.99 for books from indie authors.

Let’s say an author prices their paperback at $14.99, which is the average price for a 300-page novel right now. In that case, the author would earn $4.39 per copy.

If the author sets the price at $12.99 to keep it affordable for readers, they would earn $3.19 per paperback.

As you can see, the answer to “what format earns authors most?” really is: it depends.

While physical copies can be more lucrative for authors in terms of what they earn for each copy sold, when you compare what readers spend to what authors earn, ebooks come out on top. Amazon makes way more off a paperback than the author does, while authors earn more than Amazon from each ebook sold. For the price of a single paperback, readers could buy two or three ebooks, ultimately putting more money in authors’ pockets.

4. Audiobook purchase through Audible

Audiobook royalties are very complicated. What authors get per audiobook sale depends on whether they produced the audiobook themselves vs. sold a license to an audiobook publisher; whether they paid the narrator out of pocket vs. did a royalty share; whether they are exclusive with Audible or sell their audiobook on other platforms too, etc.

If an indie author retains their audio rights and pays the narrator up-front instead of sharing the royalties, they get 40% of the sales price if they are exclusive with Audible and 25% if they aren’t (meaning they also sell their audiobooks on platforms such as Kobo, Spotify, Libro.fm, etc.).

However, few readers buy audiobooks at full price; most either have a monthly subscription or they buy during sales, which makes author royalties fluctuate even more widely.

For many indie authors, what they get from the sale of a novel-length audiobook averages out to about $4.

5. Ebook read in Kindle Unlimited (KU)

Kindle Unlimited (Amazon’s subscription service for ebooks) pays authors per page read. That means that if you just borrow the book but never get around to reading it, authors don’t get paid. Amazon also doesn’t pay authors for rereads of the same book in KU.

How much authors get per page read varies from month to month and from country to country. Right now, authors get about $0.004 per page read in KU if the reader is in the US.

Note: KU pages are not the same as paperback pages. On average, an 80,000-word novel (about 300 pages) translates to about 420 KENP (Kindle Edition Normalized Pages) in KU.

If a reader in the US reads the entire book from beginning to end, an indie author would be paid $1.68.

6. Paperback bought from an indie bookstore

Indie bookstores typically order their copies through Ingram, a printing and distribution service that many indie authors and small publishing houses use.

Most bookstores are only willing to stock books if they receive a 40-55% discount, which means authors make considerably less per copy sold.

For a 300-page, $14.99 paperback sold at a 55% discount via an indie bookstore, the author would make $1.12.

By the way, this isn’t a criticism of indie bookstores. They have rent, employee wages, and other costs to cover, so they can’t operate without discounts, but it means less money for authors.

7. Ebook read in Kobo Plus

Kobo Plus is an ebook & audiobook subscription service similar to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited, but it doesn’t require exclusivity, meaning authors are free to sell their ebooks elsewhere too.

In general, a read in Kobo Plus pays less than a KU read. For a 80,000-word novel, if the reader reads at the same pace as a narrator would read an audiobook, the author would currently make $0.78.

8. Borrowing from a library

First of all: Yes, authors do get paid by libraries.

For physical books, libraries purchase a copy. Authors only get a one-time payment similar to a regular sale of the book, but at a higher library price.

For digital books (ebooks and audiobooks), some library platforms—Libby/Overdrive, for example—follow the same model and buy a license. That means the library can only loan the ebook/audiobook to one user at a time. The author gets a one-time payment rather than getting paid each time a reader borrows the book.

Other library platforms such as Hoopla pay authors per borrow. How much authors earn per checkout depends on the length of the audiobook. For the 80k novel I used as an example (= an 8-hour audiobook), an indie author would currently get $0.74 through Hoopla.

While having their books in libraries might not be the most lucrative option for authors, it still helps by introducing their work to new readers who might not have discovered it otherwise. Most authors I know love having their books in libraries!

Comparison: Indie author earnings per sale and what percentage of your money goes to the author

This table is best viewed on a desktop computer or laptop. If you’re on a mobile device, swipe left/right on the table to navigate between columns.

Platform & format Indie author earnings per read Percentage of your money that goes to the author Direct purchase via author’s webstore $4.99 for a $5.99 ebook 83 % Ebook via Amazon $4.13 for a $5.99 ebook 69 % Paperback via Amazon $4.39 for a $14.99 paperback 29 % Audiobook via Audible $4 Kindle Unlimited $1.68 Paperback via indie bookstore $1.12 7 % Kobo Plus $0.78 Library (Hoopla) $0.74 The best way to financially support authors published with small sapphic or LGBTQ presses

Small lesbian and sapphic publishing houses such as Bella Books, Bold Strokes Books, Bywater Books, and Ylva Publishing have played a vital role in the history of sapphic fiction publishing. For a longer list of sapphic & LGBTQ publishers, check out this blog post on where to find sapphic books.

Unlike the Big Five and other mainstream publishers, these small presses are usually owned by LGBTQ individuals and focus exclusively on sapphic books. They operate on a smaller budget and typically publish 10-100 titles annually.

The publisher covers the costs of editing, cover design, and formatting, and they also take on the financial risk if the book doesn’t earn back those expenses. In fact, I recently came across a statistic stating that only about 35% of published books ever turn a profit.

In return for the publishing rights, the publisher pays authors a percentage of their revenue as royalties. 

Typically, books published by a publishing house are priced higher than books published by indie authors. Most small sapphic presses price their ebooks at $9.99 and their paperbacks at around $18.99.

As with indie authors, the platform & format that earns small-press authors most can vary considerably from author to author—sometimes even within the same publishing house—depending on the author’s publishing contract.

In general, authors publishing with a small LGBTQ publisher earn the most per sale in the order listed below:

1. Direct purchase from the publisher’s webstore

Most small publishing houses also sell books through their own webstore. Since not all small LGBTQ presses sell paperbacks through their store, I’ll focus on ebooks here.

I’m working on a list of sapphic publishers’ webstores that I’ll post soon. Feel free to subscribe to my blog if you want to make sure you don’t miss it.

How much small-press authors earn per sale depends on the terms of their publishing contract, which stipulates their royalty rate and the basis for their royalties (sales price vs. publisher’s net revenue).

Some publishers pay their authors more for sales via the publisher’s webstore, while other small-press authors get the same for each copy sold, regardless of where the reader buys.

If the author gets 30% of sales price for an ebook sold via the publisher’s webstore, that would be $3 for a $9.99 ebook.

If the author gets 25% of net, that would be $2.25 for a $9.99 ebook (assuming the publisher pays about $1 for Paypal or credit card fees, etc.).

If the publisher pays the same for sales made through their webstore as for a sale through Amazon, authors might prefer a sale via Amazon for new releases since it boosts the book’s visibility on Amazon. With 300 million users worldwide, Amazon can generate sales at a scale even the most dedicated publisher can’t match. For older books, however, authors may recommend buying through their publisher’s webstore to support their publisher.

Personally, I’m in that camp as well—Amazon for new releases, my publisher’s webstore for backlist books.

2. Ebook bought at full price via Amazon (or other retailers such as Apple Books, Kobo, or Barnes & Noble)

Let’s say the author’s contract stipulates that they get 25% of sales price for ebook sales via Amazon and other retailers. That would mean they get $2.50 for a $9.99 ebook.

If their publisher pays them 25% of net revenue (= 25% of what the publisher gets from Amazon), the author would receive $1.75.

3. Paperback bought through Amazon

A common royalty rate for paperback copies is 10% of the sales price. Some publishers pay a tiered royalty structure—for example, an author could receive a lower royalty rate for the first set number of sales, e.g., 5% for the first 500 copies, then a higher royalty rate for any sales after that number is met.

Small sapphic presses often price their paperbacks at around $18.99, which means the author would get about $1.90 per paperback if royalties are based on 10% of the sales price.

4. Paperback bought from an indie bookstore

If readers buy paperbacks from bookstores, the author might either get the same as they would from a sale through Amazon if their royalties are based on sales price, e.g., $1.90—or considerably less if their royalties are based on the publisher’s net income, e.g., $0.29 if they get 10% of the publisher’s net revenue.

5. Audiobook purchase

Audiobook earnings for small-press authors can vary widely. Some authors get a one-time payment and no additional royalties for audiobooks; others receive royalties for each audio sale.

If the author receives 25% of the publisher’s net revenue, they would be paid an average of $1 per audiobook sale if the publisher is exclusive with Audible.

Some LGBTQ presses don’t produce their own audiobooks; they instead sell a license to an audio publisher. If the author gets 50% of what the audio publisher pays, the author would get between $0.20 and $0.70 per audiobook.

6. Ebook read in Kindle Unlimited (KU)

If the publishing house puts some of their books into Kindle Unlimited, authors will be paid a certain percentage of what Amazon pays the publisher.

How much depends on the conditions of their publishing contract. If they get 25% of the publisher’s net revenue, that would mean the author is paid $0.42 per KU read for an 80,000-word novel.

7. Ebook read in Kobo Plus

I’m not sure if any sapphic publisher has their ebooks in Kobo Plus right now, but if they had and paid authors 25% of their net revenue, authors would earn $0.20 for an 80,000-word novel.

Comparison: Small-press author earnings per sale and what percentage of your money goes to the author

This table is best viewed on a desktop computer or laptop. If you’re on a mobile device, swipe left/right on the table to navigate between columns.

Platform & format Small-press author earnings per read Percentage of your money that goes to the author Direct purchase via publisher’s webstore $2.25 to $3 for a $9.99 ebook 23-30 % Ebook via Amazon $1.75 to $2.50 for a $9.99 ebook 18-25 % Paperback via Amazon $1.90 for a $18.99 paperback 10 % Paperback via indie bookstore $0.29 to $1.90 for a $18.99 paperback 2-10 % Audiobook $0.20 to $1 Kindle Unlimited $0.42 Kobo Plus $0.20 Final thoughts on how best to support sapphic authors

What format and platform earns authors most royalties varies considerably and can be different for every author.

For me personally, I earn most from an ebook sale (any platform), followed by a paperback sale, then a KU read. I make least money from an audiobook sale.

However, I am grateful for any reader who reads my books, no matter where they buy or borrow the book and in what format.

You’re supporting authors, and that’s what matters.

TL;DR—Key takeaways for supporting authors

The best way to support authors financially when buying books varies depending on factors such as the author’s publishing path (are they an indie or published with a small sapphic press), their pricing strategy, and the book’s length.

For indie authors, direct purchases from their own webstore (if they have one) usually give them the highest earnings per book. Depending on the author, the second-most lucrative option can be either an ebook or a paperback copy bought via Amazon.

When it comes to paperbacks, sales through Amazon tend to be more profitable for most authors than copies sold through bookstores.

While libraries and subscription services such as Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus offer lower payouts per read, the income they generate adds up. For many indie authors, the majority of their income comes from KU.

For authors published with small sapphic or LGBTQ presses, buying directly from the publisher’s website tends to provide the most financial support. However, ebook sales through Amazon can be just as beneficial since they boosts visibility and lead to more sales.

Paperbacks and, in particular, audiobooks usually earn small-press authors less per book, yet are still very much appreciated.

Ultimately, if you want to support your favorite authors, don’t hesitate to ask them what would be most beneficial to them.

Sign up for Jae's newsletter

Sign up for Jae’s monthly reader newsletter to be the first to find out about new releases, free books, special offers, giveaways, and other exciting news.

You’ll also get a short story as a welcome gift.

Email Subscribe Sign up for Jae's blog

You’ll get blog posts into your inbox three to four times a month.

I’ll be posting mostly book recommendations for the Sapphic Book Bingo.

Email Subscribe Other posts you might like Other posts
you might like .elementor-22412 .elementor-element.elementor-element-3e2ccf3{--display:flex;--flex-direction:column;--container-widget-width:100%;--container-widget-height:initial;--container-widget-flex-grow:0;--container-widget-align-self:initial;--flex-wrap-mobile:wrap;--gap:clamp(0.75rem, 0.6721rem 0.328vw, 1rem) clamp(0.75rem, 0.6721rem 0.328vw, 1rem);--row-gap:clamp(0.75rem, 0.6721rem 0.328vw, 1rem);--column-gap:clamp(0.75rem, 0.6721rem 0.328vw, 1rem);--margin-top:0px;--margin-bottom:0px;--margin-left:0px;--margin-right:0px;--padding-top:0px;--padding-bottom:0px;--padding-left:0px;--padding-right:0px;}.elementor-22412 .elementor-element.elementor-element-3f7b805 > .elementor-widget-container{margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;padding:0rem 0rem 0rem 0rem;}.elementor-22412 .elementor-element.elementor-element-3f7b805 img{width:100%;max-width:100%;height:100%;}@media(max-width:767px){.elementor-22412 .elementor-element.elementor-element-3e2ccf3{--width:100%;--padding-top:0rem;--padding-bottom:0rem;--padding-left:0rem;--padding-right:0rem;}.elementor-22412 .elementor-element.elementor-element-3f7b805 > .elementor-widget-container{padding:0rem 0rem 0rem 0rem;}.elementor-22412 .elementor-element.elementor-element-3f7b805 img{width:100%;max-width:100%;height:100%;}}

The post How to make sure more of your book money goes to authors appeared first on Jae.