The answer to the most-asked question about my books
I get asked a lot of questions about my books: Where did you get the idea? How long did it take you to write it? Are you a character in your book? How do you manage such a huge project? (Short answer: with a lot of help.) What does the book mean?
But there's one question I get more than any other, once people have decided they're interested in one of more of my books: Where can I buy it that gives you the best royalty?
Thank you for caring enough to ask! Now I'll do my best to answer. Please note that I'm only speaking for myself, though I suspect the information below applies to many of my fellow authors as well.
Until I published my first book, I didn't realize how little an author makes on any given project: typically, less than a dollar per book if they're conventionally published; maybe two or three dollars per book for self-published titles. Yes, that's on books that cost $15 to $20 or more. And no, ordinary authors don't typically get advances anymore. I got advances on my first two books, but then the economy tanked and I was out of luck, like most everyone else.
A lot of people seem to think that authors get half the cover price; that might be because retail markup on a lot of consumer goods doubles the wholesale price. But that's not the case at all with books, in either paperback or e-book form.
So back to the question: Where can I buy your book that gives you the best royalty?
The simple answer: anywhere that isn't Amazon.
The more complex answer is: It depends. Any retailer that offers a discount off the cover price is probably passing that discount on to the publisher, who passes it on to the author. So paying the full cover price anywhere, for paperback or e-book, will give the author a better royalty.
And yes, I know books are !@#$% expensive these days. I've made a point of keeping the prices on my self-published titles reasonable, but I have no control over the prices on my conventionally-published books and Tarot deck.
So it's kind of complicated. But my answer is still, generally, "anywhere that isn't Amazon." Here's where you can find my books and Tarot decks from other online retailers:
Paperback and e-book:
Paperback only:
E-Book only:
I'd also like to shout out a big THANK YOU to all my readers who take the time to post reviews online and/or recommend my books to their friends. I appreciate each and every one of you!!
So there you go... a sort-of-answer to the question. LOL Now get reading!