How much do authors make per book?
Earnings are royalty rate times price times copies, minus costs — and the rate depends entirely on the road you take. A traditionally published author typically earns a single-digit to low-double-digit percentage of a book's price; a self-published author keeps a far larger share per copy and carries every cost.
Work it out yourself, free
The Reckoning →Free: cost every edition of your book and see the break-even copies at a glance.
The arithmetic, honestly
Self-published e-books on the major storefronts commonly earn 70% of list price inside a set price band, and a much lower share outside it — confirm the current band with the storefront itself, as terms change.
Print earns less per copy because printing is deducted first. Audio royalty shares vary by distributor and by whether you granted exclusivity.
Traditional contracts pay a royalty percentage against an advance, which must be earned back before further money arrives.
Where audio changes the sum
Audio commonly carries a higher retail price than the e-book, so each sale is worth more. Owning your audio edition outright means that price is yours to keep rather than to share.
Production here is a one-time cost priced at 7.000000000000001% of word count for audio and 12% for a film book — a fixed number you can set beside your expected royalty per copy and decide for yourself.
Asked and answered
- How many copies do I need to sell to break even on an audiobook?
- Divide your production cost by your royalty per audio sale. The Reckoning does this arithmetic for you from your own word count.
- Is an advance better than self-publishing?
- It is money sooner and rights surrendered. Self-publishing is money later and rights kept. Neither is universally right.
Also asked
Every answer in the hall
- How much does it cost to make an audiobook?
- What is a film book?
- How long is an audiobook by word count?
- Book trailers: how do you make one, what does it cost, and how is it different from a film book?
- How many voices does an audiobook need?
- How do you turn a book into a video?
- Can I narrate my own audiobook?
- How long does it take to make an audiobook?
- How do you make an audiobook?
- Should I use ACX or a professional audiobook producer?
- How much does a film book cost?
- How do I get my audiobook on Audible and Spotify?
- What does audiobook production for indie authors involve?
- How much does an audiobook narrator cost?
- How do I record an audiobook?
- How do I publish an audiobook?
- What do book marketing services actually do?
- How do I self-publish a book?
- How many words are in a novel?
- How do I copyright a book?
- What is BookTok?
- How long does it take to write a book?
- How do I find the best narrator for my audiobook?
- How do I get reviews for my book?
- What should be on my book launch checklist?
- How do I write a book blurb?
- Will AI replace authors?
- Is AI narration good enough for my audiobook?
- Do I have to disclose that I used AI?
- Can I copyright a book written with AI?
- Is AI voice cloning safe for authors?
- How do I market my book?
- What is an author platform and how do I build one?
- How do I grow an email list as an author?
- How do I use video to sell my book?
- How do I promote my book with no money?
- How much does it cost to publish a book?
- How do I get an ISBN?
- How do I write a query letter?
- How many chapters should a book have?
- KDP or IngramSpark — which should I use?
- Do I need an ebook formatting service?
- How much does a book cover cost?
- How should I price my book?
- How many pages is 1,000 words?
- How much does book editing cost?
- Traditional publishing vs self-publishing — which is better?
- How do I find a literary agent?
- How do audiobook royalties work?
- How do Amazon ads work for authors?
- What is a video book?
- How do I make a video book?
- What should an author website include?
- What do audiobook narration services actually include?
- How much does an audiobook cost per finished hour?
- How much does a book trailer cost?
- How do I turn my book into a movie?
- How do I choose an audiobook production company?
- Should I make an audiobook or a video book?
- How long does it take to make a video book?
- How do I make a video of my children's book?
- How do I turn my book into social media content?
- Can I turn my novel into a video game?
- How much does a book-to-game adaptation cost?
- How do I make a film book?
- What are the alternatives to ACX for making an audiobook?
- What is a movie book?
- Film book vs audiobook: which should I make first?
- How do I market an audiobook?
- What file formats does an audiobook need?
- How do I license music for a book trailer or film book?
- Who owns my audiobook when someone else produces it?
- How do I make sure names are pronounced correctly in my audiobook?
- How long does it take to turn a novel into a video game?
- Royalty share or flat fee — how should a narrator be paid?
- What should an audiobook retail sample be?
- How long should a book trailer be?
- How do I make book videos for Reels and TikTok?
- What goes in an author press kit?
- How do you produce an audiobook or film book for a whole series?
- How much does it cost to turn my book into a video?
- What does audiobook narration cost per word?
- Can I sell an audiobook of my own novel?
- Do audiobooks sell better than ebooks?
- What does an audiobook producer actually do?
- How do I make a video for my book for free?
- What writing contests are actually worth entering as an author?
- Are there book contests with no entry fee?
- Are writing contest entry fees worth it?
- How do I win a writing contest?
- How do I spot a writing contest scam?
- Can I win a free audiobook or film book production?
- What comes after audiobooks for authors?
- What are the alternatives to making an audiobook?
- What formats can a book be published in?
- Should I make an audiobook or a film book first?
- Who invented the film book?
Strength and Solidarity LLC — 98 answers kept in this hall