do writers make a lot of money ? should i go for it as a career ?

Question

read somewhere they get paid like 5 % of their books ,!!! ONLY ******* 5 %%%%% !! thats a rip off , i would get more if i sold some drugs .!

talk numbers please !

what heppened to

a book costs 32 $,the puplisher gets 7 $ each book pays all fees for me n everyday, 3$ taxes,

leave me with 22 $ ,, i sell a million copy

22 * 1,000,000 = 22,000,000 $$ !!

Answer 1

OK... Here is how it works out. If you sell a book to a major publisher throuigh an agent, yiou will get an advance.

The cost of your book is determined at the cost of production times 6. Let's say that comes to 24.95 - a pretty standard price for a hardcover book. Your royalty for each book sold would be 2.49.

For most authors, the initial print run is about 15,000 books. Your advance would be 50% of the royalties on the whole 15,000 books - or 2.49 times 7,500. Or 18,675. Your agent gets 15% or 2801. roughly. Which nets you somewhere around 15,875 before taxes.

IF you sell all 7,500 books, you start earning royalties of 2.40 less taxes and agents fee for every additional book. If you don't sell the rest of the books and they wind up in the bargain section of the bookstore, you earn ZERO on every book sold.

Most people have to plow their initial advance back into marketing in order to ensure they sell the initial 7,500 and more. Oh yes, I forgot to mention - if you don't sell the 7.500, you have to pay back that advance in full out of your share. The agent keeps their share. AND publishers cut deals with wholesalers like Costco and BJ Warehouse. They sell a 24.95 book for about 14.,95. Now your royalty just went down to $1.49 a book. But you have a chance to sell MORE books at a lower royalty to make up the difference. It all depends on how willing you are to contribute to the marketing of your book. Financially contribute.

Also major bookstores are now charging major publishers a premium to place their books in the primary locations in the store - in the window - or on the tables near the front. Guess who pays that premium? You do.

This applies to a major publishing house. If you are with a small publisher, you probably won't see any advance at all, just royalties. They don't have the money to pay you an advance. And often sales of books with small publishers total under 500 copies = sometimes as low as THREE copies - that is right THREE.

So if your options are selling books or selling drugs, the books aren't likely to make you rich anytime soon. Pax - C

Answer 2

Writing is an art where money matters least. The people who were hand to mouth produced marvelous compositions. You know prayers with some intents remain no longer the prayers, these become communications.

Answer 3

Take J.K.Rowling- she's only the second most richest woman in the entertainment business after Oprah Winfrey!