UKC

Do authors get a larger royalty from a hardbacked book than paperback, or is it just the publisher choosing to try and maximise their income by releasing a title in HB first, then doing the paperback some time later?

In reply to Fraser:

Are you asking about academic publishing by any chance? I have no idea how it works in the wider market but it is certainly the other way round in academic publishing. With the contract I have, the % royalty on the hardback is very small, it seems reasonable on the paper back and increases in increments dependent on sales of the PB.

I don't really know the rationale for hardbacks - presumably because most sales go to libraries - because they certainly must cost more to produce. Publishers don't take the risk of publishing in PB unless the HB sells well.

In reply to Stig:

No, I was thinking more about your average novelist really. It was just out of idle curiosity as I'd been discussing it with a friend the other day and I know there are a few writers on here who have been published.

In reply to Fraser:


Typically 10% hardback (rather than 'hardbacked'), 7.5% paperback.



Although I have contempt for publishers generally, they are (or should be) run as businesses, unless stated otherwise. And one of the functions of a business is... maximising income.

Some people value hardbacks; some don't. Some want to read a book when it comes out; others are content to wait until the price is lower.

Consumer choice.

Mick

In reply to Fraser:

Charles Stross had a series of blog posts that covered exactly this sort of thing. You can find them here:

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/04/common-misconceptions-a...

In reply to Mick Ward:
Thanks, that's interesting. I'd sort of assumed they'd get a flat rate as it was their intellectual property which was being sold, irrespective of its format.

I also see in the link davidbeynon posted that there's an escalator whereby the more copies sold, the larger the percentage received by the author:

"There's an escalator on royalties. I get 10% on the first 5000 copies of each book, 12.5% on the next 5000 copies, and 15% on all copies of each book sold thereafter."

In reply to Fraser:

Escalators certainly exist; in fact, I've got one at the moment. However they're rarely ascended!

Re flat rates, The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists allegedly was sold for £25 (worth a lot more, back then). But a seriously bad deal, as it turned out.

Ideally the author and publisher would share in success (or failure). That's the way I've always viewed it. Allegedly Sue Townsend begged her publisher not to issue a first print run of 70,000 for Adrian Mole - normally commercial suicide. I'd have felt exactly the same way.

Here's how stupid publishers are. I'm published in about 30 countries. Although I've earned from overseas deals, my earnings from overseas sales are ZERO. Why? Because my publisher never chased them up - even though the publisher would get 50% of royalties and I would get 50%.

We're talking about significant numbers here. A rival once sold 30,000 copies in one country alone.

If you have dealings with publishers, be careful.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

I don't have any dealings with publishers, don't worry!

Why don't you chase up the earnings from your overseas sales, or isn't it something an author can do?

And also, what about agents? In the link posted earlier, it says they get c.15%, ie. even more than the authors which seems a little unfair though, I admit, I don't know what exactly they do for their wedge.

In reply to Fraser:


Not really. Ancient history now. But thanks for suggesting it.



Agents usually get 10% of the author's takings, i.e. 10% of 10%, i.e. 1%.

In reality, agents filter the dross and offer the best pickings to publishers. Effectively they're doing the publishers' talentspotting for no salary and a derisory percentage. Not a good place to be.

Glad you don't have dealings with publishers. Smaller ones are usually much more honourable - but often financially precarious.

All in all a pity for those of us who love reading and/or writing.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

Aah, now the agent's fee makes more sense, thanks for clarifying.