Ink-ome and Beyond: How Authors Actually Make a Living
It's not as simple as you might think!
Many authors hope to make an income from their books—after so much time and effort, it's natural to want to share their books with the world and see some return on investment! However, the way authors use their books to make an income isn't a straightforward path, and it can look different depending on the author's goals and strategies.
Of course, there are some authors who aren't too concerned with making money from their books. That's totally fine, too! Everyone's story deserves to be heard, and writing a book to make people feel less alone, share a legacy with your loved ones, or boost your business are all wonderful reasons to write your book! We want to be clear that your success as an author does not inherently equate to how many books you’ve sold.
Today, though, we're going to talk a bit about what it looks like to make money from a book—and why that process isn't as prescriptive as many aspiring authors might think.
Books can make authors money; however, in many cases, books are not most authors' sole source of income.
It's entirely reasonable to want to make money from the book you've dedicated hours and hours toward writing, revising, and marketing. While there are definitely exceptions, the reality is that it's rare for an author to sustain themselves exclusively from their books.
Why is this the case? There are a couple of reasons. First, if you're publishing a book without an established following, it takes time to build an audience. People who know you will want to support you and purchase your book, but it takes time to reach people outside of your immediate circle. As people leave more reviews, and as you network or hold author events, you'll begin to build an audience of interested readers. Slow and consistent growth will translate into more books sold over time—but it's a marathon, not a sprint.
If you publish more books, your audience will also continue to grow. However, it's important to remember that books are (usually) one-time purchases. So, whether authors are publishing traditionally, with an indie or hybrid publisher, or self-publishing, they would need to consistently sell large quantities of books to make a good income.
What does the math say?
If you thought, Eww, math, don’t worry, you’re not alone. I'm not necessarily a numbers person, and I know many of us writers aren't; however, it's important to have an idea of what these numbers look like and how they play out in the real world.
Authors who publish traditionally make an average of 5% to 10% royalties on hardcover books and 5% to 7.5% royalties on paperback books. Self-published authors will make more in royalties, often keeping between 35% to 70% of the (after the cost of printing the book and providing wholesale discounts to retailers). Some traditionally published authors will receive larger advances, but they must "pay out" those advances (i.e., if an author gets paid $10,000 as an advance, they must net $10,000 in book sales before receiving additional royalties).
One tool we often use to let our authors know how much they could make from their books is IngramSpark's compensation calculator. Retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., require a wholesale discount of 55% to place books on their sites. So, as an example, if an author were publishing a 6"x9" 250-page paperback (using fifty-pound paper, which is thinner than seventy-pound paper), they'd make $2.94 per book if they priced their book at $17.99. With the same dimensions as a hardcover book (case laminate), an author would make $2.70 if they priced their book at $25.99.
Many successful authors use their books as tools to bring in income rather than relying purely on sales.
I've always said that your book is your best business card, and it's really true—your book gives people insight into what matters to you, and if you're writing a memoir or self-development book, people can learn how you view the world and solve problems.
Many authors use their books as tools to
Get paid speaking gigs (at schools, corporate events, conferences, etc.);
Bring clients into their new or existing business;
Share their expertise as paid consultants who are available for hire; and
Create content online, integrating their book into their content (blogs, YouTube, TikTok, Patreon, Substack, etc.)
Essentially, most authors find a happy medium when they use their books to complement other streams of revenue and simultaneously promote the sale of their book at any events or when providing their services online and offline.
Ultimately, success does not have to be all about the numbers! However, we want authors to balance big goals with realistic expectations, and we think that starts with talking about how books can and do make authors money.
We’re building a community dedicated to helping writers share their stories with the world. Want to join us? Subscribe for free to join our community of writers bringing their stories to life, or access our free ebooks, writing templates, and more when you become a paid subscriber!
If you are writing a book and want a hand, let us know! Our team—Kim, Emily, and Jean—would love to help you with creating your book. If you'd like to talk about your idea or want advice, we are here for you. Even if we don't work together, I'm happy to share what I know. Book a 30-minute complimentary consultation by clicking here:
https://www.kwepub.com/consultation
We look forward to hearing about your incredible book project.
Write on!
Kim Eley
KWE Publishing
“So often, a visit to a bookshop has cheered me, and reminded me that there are good things in the world.”
– Vincent van Gogh
My Appearance on Transcending Trauma With Shari Leigh Roberts!
Recently, I had the opportunity to be on the podcast Transcending Trauma: The Spiritual Odyssey, which is hosted by the amazing Shari Leigh Roberts! I got to know Shari as one of our authors, and we’ve developed a wonderful friendship from there. On her podcast, we had a fantastic conversation about trauma, healing, and so much more.
You can listen to Transcending Trauma: The Spiritual Odyssey wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts! You can also listen to a short clip from the interview below!
Important Info for Authors: KDP Royalty Changes
Recently, KDP announced that they will be changing their royalty rates for certain books. While this change won’t affect all authors, it will affect authors with low-priced books. KDP has emailed its clients who will be affected by some of these changes, so keep an eye out on your inbox! KDP shares:
For the first time since starting print operations almost two decades ago, starting June 10, 2025, we are changing the royalty rate for books priced below certain list prices (e.g. less than 9.99 USD) from 60% to 50%. These books represent a unique challenge given increasing operational costs and this change will allow us to continue offering these books while avoiding an impact to other titles. Separately, as part of our annual printing cost review, we are reducing color printing costs for paperbacks in some marketplaces to help authors adopt color printing. Learn more about each change below.
Royalty rates for hardcover and paperback books:
On June 10, 2025 we’ll reduce the royalty rate for print books from 60% to 50% for books priced below: 9.99 USD, 9.99 EUR, 7.99 GBP, 13.99 CAD, 13.99 AUD, 99 SEK, 40 PLN, and 1000 JPY. Books with list prices at or above the amounts listed will continue to earn a 60% royalty rate.
To help you understand the change and assess the impact to your print books, we’ve created the following resources:
View marketplace-specific royalty rates for different list prices in local currencies and find answers to frequently asked questions on our help page.
Use the royalty calculator to show the impact of the royalty rate change on your estimated royalties.
Visit your Bookshelf to download a list of books subject to the new 50% royalty rate across marketplaces. This download is only available if you have books impacted by the change. Please note that if you base your global list prices on your primary marketplace, be sure to check your royalty rates in all your available marketplaces. If you prefer, you can set your list prices for each individual marketplace.
If you make updates to book details or content after June 10, 2025, you will be required to update your list price to reflect the new minimum list price.
Printing costs for paperback books:
On June 10, 2025 we’ll reduce printing costs for the following:
All regular and large trim size paperbacks printed in standard color and purchased from Amazon.com.
All regular and large trim size paperbacks printed in premium color and purchased from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, and Amazon.nl.
Learn more about royalty rate and printing cost changes on our help page.
Resources:
Here at KWE Publishing, we want to share a few of our favorite resources with our newsletter readers. Check back weekly to see what resources we recommend!
I’ve always loved reading a good travel blog, and I’m obviously also a lover of all things related to books! So, when I found this week’s resource, I was excited to share this fun combination of travel and reading!
combines travel and books in her Substack Books on Trains. Sharing various book reviews along with her adventures in traveling, her posts include thorough, well-thought-out reviews plus unique stories and advice on travel. If you’re planning an upcoming trip or just want to find your next fun read, don’t hesitate to explore ’s Substack!
Wow! What a lovely surprise this has been this morning. Thank you so much for sharing this with your audience. And I welcome all the book lovers and world wanderers to come hang with me at Books on Trains!!