On Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:57:26 -0800, Neeum Zawan wrote:

> Try to see if you can dig up the profit margins publishers operate on.
> It's often quite low. At times, a bestselling author makes more money
> than his publisher does (after you take out expenses).

In my experience (as an author, but not a bestselling author), royalty 
rates for authors are typically sub-10% of wholesale (which is half of 
the cover price).  That's in non-fiction; fiction tends to sell for less 
(esp. in paperback) so the royalty structure may be somewhat different, 
but for most authors it's not enough that they can give up their jobs and 
live off the royalties.

Authors like Stephen King are the exception rather than the rule.

Jim

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