Tag: royalties

2025 Numbers

GOOD NEWS!

I got my royalty statement for 2025 from Madville Publishing, and . . .

Hurricane Baby: Stories made some money last year, y’all!

I’m not going to get into exact numbers in this post, but sales were over what they were last year, and while I had returns, the number was lower than I expected. Miscellaneous sums for printing, etc. aside, I earned a chunk of change for the publisher, and my percentage of that was high enough that the publisher can actually cut me a check for it (which was not the case last year).

Do the royalties cover what’s been spent traveling to various events, publicizing said events, etc.? No. So as a total endeavor, I’m still not making any money. But the hole isn’t quite as big at this point.

But I still need to fulfill my pledge to the church to give them my first royalty check, since I didn’t get an advance for this book. I will gladly do that once I get the funds in my bank account.

A good day on the author front all around!

The Numbers

I’m going to sound vague on exact numbers in this post. But I do want to talk about was and was not in my first royalty statement for 2024.

First off, my publisher believes that the wholesaler, Ingram, has not paid for any books sold in October, November, and December. By my publisher’s calculations, the figures for late August and September account for half the units shipped so far, and the other half of the units should be recorded as completed sales after the fourth quarter payments come in.

Number two, even with the wonky sales numbers, I sold enough to earn out my publishing costs–the publisher paying for editorial, design, shipping, and other fees. So that was great news that the publisher has broken even on me.

Next, the statement shows only two books being returned to the publisher. Returns come from either a consumer who returned the book for a refund or from bookstores with stock they did not sell. So for me it looks like the gamble of having bookstores order my books for events is not backfiring on me. That’s a great feeling!

And finally, the publisher has only five books on hand, which means I’m coming close to having another print run if people continue buying the book. Not printing too few but not printing too many is a delicate balance for a publisher, and I’m looking good on that front.

Now–the money for the publishing costs comes out of net sales. I barely crossed that boundary with books sold listed in my royalty statement. Then I’m entitled to a portion of the sales left over, which rendered my payout nearly invisible to the human eye–low enough that the publisher can’t cut a check for it so it will carry over into the next year.

But you know what? That’s up to God. That’s his money, and he knows best how it can be used and when he needs it. All I know is that I am a debut author whose publisher is not in the hole for having taken a chance on me. That makes me feel GOOD!