Author royalties (book royalties) are the money you receive when a copy sells — after the store’s share and, for print, manufacturing cost. They are not the cover price, and they are not the package fee you paid to produce the book.
What are book royalties in one sentence
At AuthorShelf: net to you = reported channel earnings − print manufacturing cost for units sold. We do not take a percentage of book sales. That is the difference between royalties for authors and a vanity-press split.
Author royalties per book / royalty payments
- eBook: retailer commission; the rest is typically yours (no print cost).
- Print / POD: channel earnings minus the true print cost of that copy.
- Amazon self publishing royalties: KDP has its own Kindle and paperback rates. AuthorShelf does not add a third cut on top.
After Title Live, royalty imports show in the Author Portal. Model scenarios on the royalty calculator · how to price a book.
AuthorHouse royalties: always read their formula in writing. Ours is public: 100% of net to you.
Common questions
What are book royalties?
Book royalties are what you earn per sale after the retailer share and, for print, manufacturing cost. AuthorShelf does not take a percentage of book sales. Net = channel earnings minus print cost for units sold.
When do royalty payments show up?
After Title Live, royalty imports appear in the Author Portal under Royalties / Published Titles as channel data arrives.