It has been brought to my attention that Dear Author has an interview with Harlequin about their changes to the royalty system. Have a read!
I find it really interesting that an author gets so little for their work!
I understand that authors have to pay the cost for cover artists, marketing and publishing, but still - the publishing company gets heaps, money they wouldn't get without the authors work in the first place!
What is your opinion on it?
I've been hearing a lot of buzz about this interview. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteEdge of Your Seat Romance
Hi Kerrin,
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone go for a low royalty rate of less than 35% with a mainstream/e-book publisher when in reality they can get 70% for a self-pubbed book? The answer SNOB factor, and belief that if a mainstream publisher has picked up their book that in itself confirms their work of a publishable standard. Plus, with Harlequin Mills & Boon paperbacks your book will grace a book shelf in Tesco and will for sure to make it to WHS and other book stores!
What of authors published by mainstream publishers and have lost contracts due to editorial restructuring or that of mergers and conglomerate takeovers of smaller publishers. Are these authors now considered to be unpublishable? Of course not, mere circumstance of fickleness and greed of publishing has placed these authors out in the cold.
Getting back to HM&B, the catch being, where one HM&B book might sell millions worldwide many will only touch the 10,000/20,000 mark. Given the number of books published each month by said publisher, books on book store shelves change frequently and no one mentions the returns policy (remaindered books),those that are returned to the publisher unsold: the ones that go in thousands to paper recycling plants when finally storage space is full to bursting. Every one of those remaindered books happens to be lost income to the author. Remaindered books are the dark secret of the publishing world, the one thing publishers do not like talking about, but it does impact on their finances and inevitable cutbacks!
Ironically, electronic books can remain on bookshelves indefinitely. The downside, the newest/latest are in the limelight the rest somewhere in the archives and who bothers looking beyond ten web pages, unless someone has recommended a particular book?
So really, when push comes to shove, a lot of indie authors are laughing and reaping 70% royalties. Lesser sales but better profit margins. With the right marketing some are coining it big time!
best
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Thanks for that Francine! And i like your little rant - sometimes it nice to just get the frustration out :)
ReplyDeleteI am tending more and more towards self-pubing the e-way. And now with Amazon's createspace i could even print too!
Will have to wait until i've finished my Princess story though - that's the one i'd like to put out there!