If JK Rowling were starting her career as a writer today, she wouldn’t have to wait for the approval of a publishing company. Instead, she could use commercial self-publishing and sell her novels on her own. If you prefer to avoid working with traditional publishers, there is a book sale without a publisher.
The path to traditional book publishing usually looks like this:
In addition, there is an alternative method. It allows authors to independently control the process of publishing and selling their works. After all, the book is sold without a publisher.
There is no single and clearly established amount that all authors receive. The same transfer agreement can lead to different earnings. For example, one author will be paid a million, while another may only receive a thousand.
The main income of the authors begins to come after the publication of the book and is calculated on the basis of the royalty system. For each sold copy of the book, the author receives a percentage of the selling price set by the publisher. Therefore, novice authors are often offered 5-8% of the selling price. With the accumulation of experience and successful sales, this percentage can increase. Famous authors can negotiate more favorable terms.
The selling price is the price at which the publishing house sells books from its inventory. However, it differs from the price at which books are sold in stores. The selling price depends on various factors. For example, such as publishing markup, circulation volume, materials used, and other variables. For example, if the book is sold in stores for 500 hryvnias, and the selling price is 200 hryvnias, the author will receive a percentage of the last amount.
Let’s consider an example. Let’s say you’ve written a short fantasy novel and plan to print 3,000 copies. With a sale price of 150 hryvnias and a royalty of 5%, your income will be 22,500 hryvnias.
Writers can earn money from their works. However, bypassing traditional publishing houses and retaining full rights to their creative works. One of the ways to achieve this goal is to sell e-books. These are files available for reading in mobile applications or special programs on personal computers.
Some platforms also allow you to sell audiobooks. The author can independently record an audio version of his work. However, it is possible to invite a professional announcer for this purpose. Other services operate on the principle of “stamps on demand”. This allows customers to order paper copies of the book. However, the main way of earning without the participation of publishing houses is related to the sale of e-books.
The author himself determines the price of his work, but platforms often charge a fee for using their infrastructure. Of course, it is important for authors who sell their books independently to be aware of their tax obligations and pay income tax. However, a professional deduction of 20% of the tax base is available.
There are two types of licenses that determine what rights are transferred by the author:
Selling a book without a publisher is possible on various platforms. Of course, they offer a variety of ways to generate income:
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