Book Royalties Calculator – What are My Royalties?

Royalties are a form of payment based on how well your book sells. For each copy that is sold, you receive a set percentage of the proceeds. Calculate your royalties with Gatekeeper Press’ royalties calculator and read about the factors that determine your book royalties.

These Factors Determine Your Book Royalties

So how much do you actually get paid per copy sold? The royalty calculator can help you get a concrete figure, but first you should know that there are a number of factors that affect the amount. The good news is that many of these factors are within your control, so you should take them into consideration as you make publishing choices.

Binding Type

How do you want your book to be bound – in hardcover or paperback? This choice will affect how much you make. Hardcover can give your book a more distinguished look, but it can also mean your royalties won’t be quite as high since it is a more expensive type of binding to produce.

Dust Jacket

If you choose a hardcover book, you may want to add a dust jacket. Designed to add some protection to the book itself, these glossy removable paper covers also offer an opportunity to add more text about the book, such as an author biography or book description. However, it will cost extra, which can decrease your royalty cut.

Trim Size

What size do you want your book to be? The nature of your book may answer that question for you. Obviously, a coffee table book will be quite large, whereas a humor or gift book might be smaller. As you will see when you use the royalty calculator, a larger size can effect your book profits a bit, so if you have some flexibility on size (which is the case with many fiction and non-fiction books), you may want to select a small or medium size.

Interior Type

Do you want the inside of your book to be black and white or in color? Most novels will simply be black and white, but for other types of books you may be eager to include color photos, illustrations, or graphics. This option can make a big difference in your royalty percentage, so consider carefully how important it is for you to have a book with color printing.

Retail Price

What are you going to charge for your book? The higher you set your price, the bigger your royalty payment for each sale. But, if you charge too much, you risk deterring potential buyers, so you have to be smart and strike a good balance when deciding what to charge.

Wholesale Discount

The wholesale discount is the amount of your retail price that goes to the retailer and/or wholesaler. By default, we set up our print-edition books with the 30-40% online discount. This discount is sufficient for online retailers to carry your title, but not enough for brick-and-mortar outlets to consider carrying your title. 

Brick-and-mortar bookstores and libraries require a 53% discount as a prerequisite to consider carrying a title, but just because you set your discount at 53% does not mean a store will actually carry your title. That determination is made by purchasing managers and bookstore buyers.

Find Out Your Potential Royalties

Now that you know what factors affect your royalties, are you ready to see some real numbers? Check out Gatekeeper Press’s book royalties calculator to discover how much money you can make from your book!