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Subject:Re: Book Writing From:Elna Tymes <etymes -at- LTS -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 23 Feb 1999 14:45:57 -0800
Danny -
> To determine what "advance against royalties" you should receive, ask
> the publisher how many copies will be published in the first printing,
> then multiply it by the royalty. A first printing of 5000 copies at a 5%
> royalty on a $20 retail, for example, should be *about* $5,000.
The problem with your formula is that it doesn't specify where the percentage
is determined. I've written over 30 published books, and the *standard*
royalty percentage from technical book publishers is 15%. However, that's
calculated on the price a retailer pays the publishing house, not the retail
price of the book. Then you have to subtract whatever your agent charges - and
I don't mind paying an agent to find publishers, negotiate a contract, and
manage the whole thing - and whatever advance the publisher paid you.
The NET royalty to you, the author, generally works out to about $1/book.Again,
this is for the technical book market, not for romance novels or science
fiction or any other category.
