How Books Are Bought and Sold
A bit of transparency...and no judgment.
I hope this past week, however you chose to spend it, was enjoyable and restful. Mine was wonderful—college-aged sons home, lots of cooking, baking, football, card games, and happy times together.
One thing I did not do this past weekend was shop. I’ve never been a fan of Black Friday—I’m crowd-avoidant, and I tend to shy away from anything that screams “amazing deal but you must ACT NOW!” I’d rather be outside—which we were during the day on Friday at the CU-Buffs football game—or enjoying world-class entertainment, like that night seeing Wicked. Other than movie tix and popcorn (okay, and beer at the game), I didn’t buy anything on Black Friday.
I also didn’t lower the price of my third psychological suspense novel and first indie-pubbed book, Anyone But Her, for a “Black Friday Deal” on Amazon and other sites—despite many fellow indie-pubbed authors’ claims that doing so is an absolute must.
Book Shopping Options
I’m often asked, “Does it matter to you where I buy your book?” Some data and numbers* might help answer that question.
Like most indie authors, I’ve made Anyone But Her available on Amazon. For every print and ebook copy sold on Amazon, I receive 70% in royalties. For my $5.99 ebook, that means $4.13. For my $17.99 print book, the cost of printing is deducted, leaving a per-copy royalty of $5.54.
I distribute to other ebook retailers via a service called Draft2Digital. They take a cut, so my $5.99 ebook on those sites nets me $3.74 per copy.
Anyone But Her is also available via IngramSpark, the primary distributor of indie-pubbed print books in the U.S. Like its parent company, Ingram, IngramSpark supplies print books to indie bookstores (and for some books, including Anyone But Her, to Barnes & Noble). Again, the sale price is $17.99, but when printing costs and the bookstore’s cut are deducted, I make $1.68 per copy.
Obviously, for Anyone But Her the IngramSpark/bookstore model isn’t ideal from a revenue perspective. But I’m not a fan of Amazon’s enormous market share—not just for books but other products, too. I rarely buy from Amazon, preferring to shop local and small. If something I want is only available online, I try to find it via other retail sites.
So Why Offer the Book on Amazon in the First Place?
If I’m anti-Amazon, why make Anyone But Her available there? Why not force readers to buy elsewhere?
It’s a fair question. The answer is that I’m in business, too. I write because I love it, but I also need to pay my bills. If I cut off Amazon, I’d eliminate about half of my profits. Indie publishing costs money upfront, and if I want to keep writing and publishing, I need to make my books widely available to recoup my costs and generate positive cash flow.
Traditionally Published Books Work Differently
A note on trad-pubbed books (including the audiobook of Anyone But Her, which is trad-pubbed):
This model is different. All revenue goes to the publisher, who pays the author royalties (usually about $1 - 2 per copy). But royalties are only paid after the author “earns out” their advance—an amount the author was paid up front and doesn’t have to return no matter how many copies sell, but against which that $1 - 2 per copy is calculated until every penny has been earned. Advances generally run from four figures into (rarely) six figures—so depending on the advance and sales, “earn out” might happen quickly, take years, or never occur.
A Bit of Good News
Now that early sales reports are in for Anyone But Her, I’ve learned that over 90% of my print sales to-date are via IngramSpark, with just under 10% via Amazon. Also, about 75% of copies sold were print, with the other 25% being ebook (mostly Amazon).
This tells me that my fan base consists of many indie bookstore loyalists. I suspect The Bookseller might have something to do with that. I didn’t write a book featuring an indie bookstore owner for no reason—I did it because I love the indies and wanted to write about that world (albeit that world of old, before there was online competition).
What About Direct Sales?
Glad you asked! When I have the opportunity to sell print copies directly to readers—like I will at my event at Denver Public Library’s Sam Gary branch tomorrow, Wednesday 12/04—I do so.
In the direct sale model, I pay about $7 for a copy of Anyone But Her and sell it for the same retail price as bookstores and online retailers charge. I also need to file and pay sales tax, as well as purchase and store inventory up front. I net about $9 per book on a direct sale copy.
Some authors direct-sell books via their websites. I don’t have this set up yet, but I’m considering it…stay tuned.
So Where Does This Leave You, Book Shopper?
My honest answer? Wherever you want to be.
Do I love it when you come to my events and buy directly from me? Of course! That’s not because of sales…it’s because I enjoy interacting with readers. Tomorrow’s DPL event is my last public event of 2024, and I’d love to see you there!
Do I love it when you support your local indie, even if I make about 1/3 the amount per indie-bookstore-sold print book as I do via Amazon print sales? Yes, I do. The more people who purchase Anyone But Her via an indie, the more it won’t matter.
That being said, I get it about Amazon. We all have budgets. We all have to do what works for us.
If you’re reading books, recommending books, reviewing books, and supporting authors, then you have my appreciation and gratitude.
A Holiday Shopping Book Guide
I was honored to be asked by independent newspaper The Colorado Sun for a couple of gift book recommendations in the mystery category. My picks are Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett and The Ballad of Rocky Ruiz by Manuel Ramos. Descriptions of these books, as well as recos from other local authors in additional categories, are here.
For other gift ideas, here are a few recent favorites of mine:
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman. A dual-timeline story about a 1920s female pharmacist and the love of her life—who shows up at her new retirement community sixty years after their romance goes sour.
The Annalee Spain mystery series by Patricia Raybon. I guess I’m on a 1920s kick, because I’m currently reading the second book in this series, Double the Lies, set in 1924. I love this plucky heroine who copes with everything from finding murderers to learning on-the-fly (pun intended) how to land a cascading biplane.
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Especially great on audio. In a world that makes me increasingly anxious, Kimmerer’s wise words and soothing voice are a welcome balm.
What are you reading? What books are you gifting? Let me know!
What If We Step(ped) Out?
I’ve already mentioned my DPL event tomorrow night, Wednesday 12/04. Recent events include a fantastic evening at Douglas County Libraries on 11/15, a wonderful talk about historical fiction at the Denver Woman’s Press Club on 11/19, and a couple of fun book club meetings discussing Anyone But Her.
As always, if your book club is reading Anyone But Her or any of my books, I’m happy to discuss the possibility of an in-person or Zoom chat with your group. More info is here.
What If Creativity is Back? (Sort of.)
A few weeks ago, I mentioned how challenging I was finding it, post-election, to write. I’m not gonna lie—it’s still hard. But I’m taking it word by word, chapter by chapter, and making my way through the second draft of my work-in-progress.
It’s not easy, but I keep writing because I can’t imagine not writing.
Recently on social media, a reader commented to me, “Looking forward to [novel] #4.” Knowing you’re out there, readers—knowing you’re reading and are ready for more—I think I speak for all authors, and all creatives, when I say that’s what keeps us going.
I’m grateful for you.
Wow, I had no idea about all the buying choices and how you are paid as an author. Very interesting! I just finished The Glass Forest, Cynthia, wow it was incredible. I am looking forward to reading Anyone But Her! You are a talented writer, wish you all the best. Hang in there during this trying time in America! You are not alone in this.
This is a refreshing -- and yes, transparent -- look at book selling! A must-read for authors but also interesting for readers! Thanks, Cynthia!