One of my readers, Rebecca R., kindly wrote me last week, concerned, regarding the price of my book on Amazon. As she put it, “Amazon is price gouging you.” Yep, pretty much.
As I say a lot, I’m committed to being as transparent as possible in the name of sharing information that will benefit us all as part of We Are $ew Worth It. So here’s what I know about the numbers surrounding my book – a peek behind the green curtain, with some hard math numbers. I would love for anyone else to chime in with more knowledge in the comments.
1. A publishing company spends between $30-50K to produce a book. They edit, photograph, design, print, and distribute it, using a combination of salaried and contract staff. C&T Publications/Stash Books is my publisher.
2. I did not receive an advance to make my book. I have no idea if more established authors in this industry get advances. An advance means you get some money up front, your royalties pay for that until the advanced amount is paid off.
3. The rest of the quilting industry (fabrics, batting, notions, etc.) helps authors by supplying materials and tools in exchange for exposure in the book. In my case, that was about 90% of the materials I used. This was seriously helpful, especially with no advance. Everyone who helped is listed in the back/resources pages. You should read this to see which companies help out the most, so you can support them. Yes, it seems rather incestuous, doesn’t it? But trust me, without this help designers couldn’t make new stuff for you.
4. It took me 8 months to design, write, piece, test, and quilt the projects for my book, and it was pretty much all I did for those 8 months (the pattern side of my business, my bread-and-butter income, was neglected). I had a couple of group sewing days where friends furiously paper-pieced letters for me, and another where a friend showed up to help spray baste everything. I sent out only one quilt to a long arm artist (and as it happened, we didn’t include that project). It was an intense and grueling time.
5. It takes about 12 months from when you deliver the manuscript and quilts before the book gets out into the world. During those 12 months, I have had more deep commitments in the editing, technical editing, design review, and especially the marketing end of it. The author is expected to do the brunt of getting out the marketing word across any and every platform possible. So while I turned everything in a year ago, my time is still being consumed by this. And will be for a while yet.
6. Pricing: My publisher determined the price of my book to be $24.95. It has 144 pages, and a jumbo pullout pattern sheet for the letters. This seems to be good value in comparison to others… I’ve seen 112 page books for this price.
7. My royalties on this book are 8%, which means 8% of the price that the publisher sells the book for after returns and other things that can eat into that number. Most shops that will buy the book will buy it for $12.50, which means I earn $1 per book. I assume (but don’t know) that bigger outfits like Amazon, or chains like Barnes & Noble or Joann’s might get a discount on their wholesale deal. If they do, my royalties for those units go down with that discount, too. If the publisher gives the book out as a complimentary/free copy, I get 8% of free, which is zero. Royalties get paid quarterly, so I’ll see my first check for Quilt Talk probably next January – which will be a full TWO YEARS since I started working on it.
7a. My royalties on an ebook are 15%, with the book priced at $14.99 on C&T’s site. I have no idea what the likes of Amazon or libraries might pay for the right to distribute ebooks. Let’s hope I get $1 apiece for these too.
8. What ever you think about Amazon, they are the juggernaut that drives how the market operates. Their ratings determine my future, as they drive my internet popularity, which is how far up the list I appear when you type my name into a search engine. Few people look beyond the first page of an internet search, so coming up on page one is very important. Your leaving me reviews on Amazon matters mightily to that search rating, not to mention influences other buyers. And I’ll be nudging you about reviews later, because that’s part of my marketing obligation.
9. Obviously, Amazon buys in bulk and spreads profit and loss across millions of products, and so they can afford to discount. I have no idea what they will pay for my book, but I do know that I’ve seen the price of Quilt Talk fluctuate on their site from $18 to $22 (they have algorithms for this based on YOUR buying and browsing history). Add the lure of free shipping (whether you buy more to get to the $35 free ship threshold, or have a Prime account) and it’s easy to see why book sales elsewhere are a struggle.
10. Stores: I assume the big chains get a break. I know the independent stores don’t. They will pay $12.50 for my book, and hope that you’ll buy it from them (rather than come and look at it and go home and buy it on Amazon). Remember, if you want a quilt store or independent bookseller in your town, you actually have to buy things there. Amazon will survive you not buying the occasional book. The quilt store might not.
11. Book signings: I’m doing several book signings at stores… no one is paying me to get to them. It is not customary for the author to get a cut of the sales action the book signing generates, beyond royalties. Book signings help stores the most, so if you can, it’s good to go to them. Even if you don’t buy my book there, it’s lovely to meet supportive people.
12. Quilt Market: If I want to promote my book at Quilt Market, I have to get myself there, and that costs about $1000-$1200 for plane, hotel, taxis, and food. I’ll be doing a School House Session at Market in October, which is a half-hour event where I pitch the book, tell shop owners how to sell the book, which projects make good workshops and classes (and I’ve already written the class outlines for those), and which products they can tie into sales (rulers, cutters, mats, papers, etc.). My publisher is picking up the cost of this (they have to buy the School House slot from the Market people), but they don’t foot the travel expenses. While I’m there, I’ll also be signing at distributor booths to generate interest. Again, for no payment… basically, if I show up, these people will use me as best they can. Why do it? I hope to get contacts for teaching and speaking gigs out of this.
13. Pre-sales: Amazon is doing pre-sales, so I decided to as well. I chose $20 as my pre-sale price, but still need to charge shipping. This book is heavy, so my shipping options are $4 for media mail (slow to you, and a trip to the post office for me) or $5.60 for Priority Mail ($5.05 if I print at home). Regular old first class is around $7, so Priority it is, and I rounded it down to $5. I’ll be paying $12.50 plus shipping for my book, so let’s call it $13. So if you buy my pre-sale for $25 (which includes the shipping) I’ll make my $1 royalty, plus around $6 (I lose about $1 to Paypal), out of which comes mailing time, printer ink, mailing labels, order management time. I would love to be competitive with Amazon, and offer you the book for $18 including shipping, but at that point I’m making barely $1 in profit (not including the royalty $1) and frankly, it’s not a cost effective use of my time to do all that mailing stuff for break even numbers.
14. Book Plates: I’ve decided to do signed bookplates for those of you that want a signature scribble from me, but won’t see me, or want to support your local quilt and book stores. I thought I would be able to mail them to you for free, but the cost of printing the bookplate, putting it in an envelope I have to purchase, and then putting a stamp on it comes out to about $1. Which is my royalty on the book you purchased elsewhere. So I’m charging for bookplates or again, it’s not cost effective.
So in short:
- If you want to help the author the most – buy directly from the author on her/his site, or at an independent function such as a guild lecture.
- If you want to help your local quilt or book store the most – buy directly from the quilt or book store.
- If you need to save a few $$ (and really, we’re talking the price of a couple of fat quarters or a frothy coffee drink with a tip) – buy from Amazon under one of their free shipping deals.
Thanks for sharing this info, Sam, very interesting and not something I’ve heard before!
My pleasure!
You’ve done it again! Thank you.
Thanks for the prompt!
I really enjoy reading your blog, so thank you for sharing so much with your readers. This piece was fascinating to me and I’ll add that a friend of mine wrote a quilting book and at least initially, Amazon sold it for less than her price from the publisher. It has to be a labor of love.
I doubt that I will retire on the book sales, but having the book should give me access to more speaking and teaching gigs, and if done right, those are financially worthwhile. What I want most, though, is for there to be a way for this NOT to be a labor of love. I wish love paid the rent, but only cold, hard cash does. Few of us don’t need the money, and if it becomes available only to those who can do it for love, then the supply of new books will dry up!
Point taken. I hope it does that for you!
I just learned so much. Thank you for your openness & sharing your knowledge with all of us that work in different industries.
Thanks for reading!
Great reading! It’s a reminder that success in this industry requires hardwork and a huge commitment. I’m a longarmer and teach patchwork at lqs but I also have a day job so I can contribute to my family’s budget. I started writing patterns as well, but I found that I just didn’t love it enough. When it’s so hard to earn every dollar and when you need those dollars to pay the bills but you also have the overwhelming desire to work in this industry, well, I think you have to really love what you’re doing 🙂 good luck with the book sales and thanks for again highlighting to people what independent artist/quilters/authors are up against.
My fave part of all of this is designing the patterns = I love the figuring out bit. And I LOVE teaching people. I do LOVE what I do, but man, we need to change the perception that if you love it, then the love is enough. I know people who love programming or nursing or accounting, and they’re being paid adequately with no argument!
Sam, thank you for that explanation. Very thorough! I think I understand the system for this now. I will certainly keep this information in mind when purchasing books about quilting. I buy them often, look forward to seeing your book. I am subscribed to your newsletter.
Mary in Boston
Thank you!
When I sent my note, I knew I wasn’t pointing out anything you didn’t already know. You had to commit to the book with time, energy and ultimately your signature on a contract. This is the first time someone has bothered to put the numbers out there in such an easy to see format, and I thank you for that. Yes, Amazon is the book-selling juggernaut. They offer some advantages, too. I hope your published work gets you where you want to go. I know that every time someone thinks they will make quilts to make money I just shake my head. When they say they will write patterns to make money I think they will do more, but not by much. Now I see that publishing isn’t much better. The entire thing sickens me. People being paid with fabric and little else is a sad state of affairs. As you say, we are worth so much more.
Thank you for putting it out there to educate and inform. I can point my friends at this so they understand that a missed latte is better for them than a book from Amazon.
Yes, I even did the math like Jayne from Firefly: “Let me do the math, 8% of nothin’ is, let me carry the zero, uh nothin’.”
Yes – Amazon has reach that no one can beat, and I’m happy that people can buy my book from them as there’e just no way for me to push it out that far without help. It also gives them an unhealthy amount of power that they can use to drive down the portion that gets back to the creators (see the current issues of Amazon vs Hachette publishing). They might think they are pushing against the publishers, but it’s the authors who will lose in the end (nothing ever stacks up to benefit the little guys and gals). So we play as best we can, eh?
AND YAY!!!! You’re a Firefly fan! SHINY!
This BANG ON. Pretty much sums up my experience. And interestingly, I just finished writing an article on writing a quilt book and this is the sum of most people’s experiences as far as I interviewed.
One tip/thing. I order my books and keep boxes at home for when I travel to guild events. As long as they are not being held in a store they not only let you sell books, they want you to do it. I charge a discount from the retail price since I can buy them at wholesale. So even after having paid for shipping to me I am still making some $, and the guild members are happy with their discount.
Cheryl – thanks so much for chiming in! And I appreciate your tips too.
Thanks for this post, I often wonder about other peoples experiences writing a book and if they were similar to mine. I knew nothing about book selling and chain stores, independent stores, amazon and pricing a few years ago. I think once you do you become a big advocate for independent stores.
Truly. I’m buying my books in stores more than ever these days.
For those of us who live in Australia postage and exchange rates are a real issue. Amazon doesn’t do free shipping for us and so despite their cheaper prices once you add $14 US to the mix it become $32 US – roughly $35 AUD. That’s why I buy my books from the Book Depository where your book is priced at $27.81 AUD with free shipping. I imagine that in the LQS here your book will be sold for around $40AUD or more. That said, having written a book myself years ago, I know how much work goes into it and how little financial benefit comes out of it. Good luck with yours. It looks like a lovely book.
I’m so glad you’ve given me some AUD options! I have Aussie readers that have contacted me about getting the book from me and it makes my guts turn to think that they’ll have to pay $25 in shipping from here. I’ll be sure to pass on the information!
Thanks, Sam. This is great information. I certainly didn’t start my project as a means to make money, as I already understood the royalties likely would give a wage of a few pennies per hour. But it would be nice to think there will be some return. Your explanation shows, also, what I’ve known about musicians. If you CAN buy from the musician directly, you should. If you CAN buy from the author or the independent shop, you should.
That said, I AM working on my book. Making progress toward submitting the proposal. I know you jumped over that part (if I understood correctly.) But whew… just that is a lot of work!
I didn’t jump the proposal part, but as I was approached I didn’t have to send it in cold! The good part about the proposal is that really helps you clarify your outline – gives you a roadmap to work to. Best of luck with it – it’s a great idea and I hope it finds a good home!
Thanks. I wondered, do you have any sense for how these terms (with C&T) differ from what other publishers provide? I expect the basic framework is the same, but more specifically the royalty rate and how it’s calculated. And … perhaps “dumb” question, do they just tell you what’s typical for them as a publisher if you call and ask? Or do you have to commit by proposing before you can find out anything?
Sam, this is a great insight into the process!
Melanie’s question is interesting too. My first quilting book is coming out April 2015 with the AQS. I can tell you that the royalty percentage with them is 5%, with no room for negotiation (first time, unproven author) BUT that 5% is on the list price, no matter what they sell the book for. So, as far as I understand it, for a $24.95 list price, I’ll make $1.25 per book, even if it is sold on Amazon for half price.
It will take quite a few sales to recoup my expenses though, as I did not have any suppliers. I wasn’t even a blogger when I started.
I honestly don’t know. I’m a big fan of the ask.. so either I would find an author who works with the publisher you’re interested in and ask them, or ask the publishing house itself what the customary royalty amount offered is. I also don’t know if established authors can negotiate the percentage up… I didn’t try to (and in hindsight, I probably should have because it doesn’t hurt to ask, right?)
I have a friend who recently completed a biography of a photographer, and he is sharing 12% with a co-author. I also assume that, because his book is more niche and the quilting industry is so vast that I will probably earn more than him by far.
Interesting information about where our book-buying dollars go! It is amazing that the person who does the initial creating earns such a small amount in royalties! You “birthed” it, seems like you should get a larger piece of the financial pie. Sure hope the book gets you more speaking and teaching engagements! I’ll be looking for your book at my LQS.
Yay! Thank you!
Excellent description of a process that many of us don’t have a clue about… even those of us in the industry! Sam, I love your forthright and factual writings!!
My pleasure!
Hi Sam, I’m interested to know who is carting home loads of cash from this industry! I do love it because of the people are kind and open, and most importantly, candid. I have gotten so much support from people (like you!) I’ve spent a hot second with and am richer because of that. To live off of that alone, I can’t imagine. Our wealth comes from our community, and if we can all find a way for the creatives to get a bigger piece of that pie, that would be amazing too! I’m so proud of you for you new book – hope to see you at Quiltcon! – are you going?
I have no idea who’s making all the big $$, but I know it’s not you and me. If we as consumers make it a $4Billion dollar pie, shouldn’t we be getting to have a slice rather than crumbs?
Thank you for explaining publishing from an outsider’s point of view! I am quilter on the weekends but a book editor during the week, and my professional skills are about as undervalued as the professional quilters’. I work as hard as I can to make an author’s book the best it can be. Quilters love quilts, and we love books. It is difficult to charge a fair price for your expertise and time when you also love what you do.
I really appreciated that you put all of this information out there. I’m working on my own book and was curious about the breakdown after it’s been published. One thing I will say is that even as a first time author you should be getting an advance (on the order of $2-$5K from what I’ve seen). That is something that is very negotiable in your contract. Too late for this book, but I thought I’d put that out there in case there are other first time writers reading this. 🙂 Royalties are another place where you have a lot of negotiation room. 10%-15% is what I’ve seen. Of course every publisher is different!
One would never realize all there is to publishing a book and trying to make a profit. Good Luck. I hope to get the book soon.
Thanks for the valuable information you shared. You mention that you had your original manuscript and the publisher “worked with you” to the finished project. We’re the changes a good thing or did they just turn everything tipsy turvy to make it their own version instead? Knowing how well you write I can’t imagine that it really needed that much work. I see how well your patterns are written and are easy to follow it makes the construction a joy. All patterns should be as clear!