Author Royalty: How Writers Get Paid for Their Books

When you buy a book, the author royalty, the percentage of sales revenue paid to the writer. Also known as book royalties, it's the main way most writers earn money from their work. It sounds simple—sell a book, get paid. But the truth? It’s messy, opaque, and rarely matches what people assume. A royalty isn’t a flat fee. It’s not even paid on every copy printed. It’s paid only when the book sells past the first batch, and only after the publisher recovers their costs. And that’s just the start.

Most trade publishers offer royalty rates, the percentage of the book’s retail price paid to the author. For hardcovers, it’s often 10% to 15%. For paperbacks, it drops to 5% to 7.5%. E-books? Sometimes 25%, but only if the publisher sets the price. And here’s the catch: royalties are calculated on the retail price, not what the store actually paid the publisher. So if a book retails for ₹399 but the store bought it for ₹200, the author still gets 10% of ₹399. But if the publisher runs a deep discount—say, ₹199 during a sale—the author still gets 10% of ₹399. That’s because royalty terms usually lock in the retail price, not the sale price. Publishers do this to protect their margins. Authors? They just hope the book sells enough to make it worth it.

Then there’s the advance, a upfront payment made before the book is published, deducted from future royalties. Think of it like a loan against future earnings. If you get a ₹50,000 advance and earn ₹10,000 in royalties, you don’t see another rupee until you’ve earned ₹40,000 more. Many writers never earn out. That’s not failure—it’s normal. In fact, most debut authors never see a royalty check beyond their advance. And if your book doesn’t sell well, you don’t owe the publisher back the advance. But you won’t get paid again until you write another book that sells.

Self-published authors skip all this. They keep 60% to 70% on platforms like Amazon, but they also pay for editing, cover design, and marketing. No publisher backing. No marketing team. Just them, their book, and a lot of guesswork. Some make six figures. Most make less than minimum wage per hour when you count the time spent. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a grind.

And then there’s the hidden stuff: subsidiary rights. If your book gets turned into an audiobook, translated into another language, or adapted into a movie, you might get a cut. But those deals are usually handled by the publisher. Unless you have an agent who knows how to negotiate them, you might miss out entirely. Many authors sign away these rights without realizing it.

So what does a real author royalty look like? Let’s say you write a ₹300 paperback. You get 7.5%: ₹22.50 per copy. To make ₹1 lakh, you’d need to sell over 4,400 copies. That’s not a bestseller. That’s a solid mid-list success. And in India, where book prices are low and reading habits are still growing, hitting that number is rare. Most writers don’t quit their day jobs. They write because they have to.

The posts below dig into what royalties really mean—how they’re calculated, how they compare across publishers, and why some authors make more from speaking gigs than from their books. You’ll find real examples, contract tips, and the numbers most publishers won’t show you. No fluff. Just what matters if you’re trying to make writing pay.