Nicole asked Karen Witemeyer:

What usually helps an author out more, buying a hardcopy of the book or the e-book?

Karen Witemeyer Hi, Nicole.

I love the spirit behind your question - wanting to help out the author. Thank you for that! What a blessing it is to hear that side from a reader. :-)

Except for special library or book club editions, my books don't usually come out in hardcover. The majority of of print copies for me are in trade paperback. My royalty rate is actually slightly higher for e-book, meaning I get a slightly higher percentage of the profit, but e-books are also usually priced lower and are the version that goes on sale the most dramatically. So getting 25% of a lower-priced item versus getting 18-20% of a slightly higher priced item end up working out to close to the same.

So my advice to you is to get whatever version you prefer, but if you want to help out the author, don't wait for the dramatic sale, pay full price. And why not help out your local bookstore in the process and buy from them instead of online? If they don't have the book you are looking for, ask if they can order it. Sometimes this prompts them to get a few extra copies to have on their shelves for other customers, which helps out the authors, too.

Thanks for your question and for your heart for authors!

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