I wish I was more like you, I'm one of those other publishers you mention.
"the publishing industry typically attracts people who love books. Publishers, editors, press founders, poets, language practitioners—these are people who think about the meaning and importance of words, the kids who got high grades in languages but not necessarily in physical sciences or mathematics, and who are labelled ‘creative types’ by society and go on to study Humanities."
Doing the numbers and making them work is like entering another world - like in a sci-fi novel, I have to go through a portal and focus and concentrate in a way I don't have to in the rest of my work/life. And as soon as I leave that alternate world, I "forget" the ways and culture, as though it was a dream.
I understood the true value of mathematics, physics and accounting only after leaving school and I have ensured that I lay a good foundation for my daughter already in this regard ( she is very creative). It is integral to have a balance when approaching the cut- throat reality of survival ( this is an art in its own right).
In terms of the cost , sale and royalty figures pertaining to books created and distributed in RSA, this has certainly been enlightening read for me!
If I’ve got this right: On a book retailing at R350, book stores make R 140 per copy, book distributors make R70 per copy, and the author makes R 35 per copy.
I completely understand the need for book shops & distributors, but the weighting seems wrong. Would love to hear your thoughts?
Hey @Cathy Park Kelly, yes those numbers are more or less right. It’s such a tricky thing - without bookstores local publishers (like myself) would have almost no reach, and small businesses (like myself) absolutely can’t do what book distributors do. I haven’t worked on those sides of the industry (retail or distribution) so I can’t share insights into what their net profit is, but my gut tells me the true metric to calculate to do a proper comparison is to use net profit - how much do the author, publisher, bookstore and distributor make once they have paid all the costs involved in making the single sale. I’ll do a bit of digging…
This was sooo eye-opening & easy to understand! Thank you. The model Is defs not slanted in favor of the author though: with distributors making double & book stores 4 x what the author makes per book!
I wish I was more like you, I'm one of those other publishers you mention.
"the publishing industry typically attracts people who love books. Publishers, editors, press founders, poets, language practitioners—these are people who think about the meaning and importance of words, the kids who got high grades in languages but not necessarily in physical sciences or mathematics, and who are labelled ‘creative types’ by society and go on to study Humanities."
Doing the numbers and making them work is like entering another world - like in a sci-fi novel, I have to go through a portal and focus and concentrate in a way I don't have to in the rest of my work/life. And as soon as I leave that alternate world, I "forget" the ways and culture, as though it was a dream.
A sci-fi world indeed ;) we shall persist, and we shall overcome!
Thank you, dankie, Marius!
Such a comprehensive article, thanks!
An insightful piece 👏 Thank you .
I understood the true value of mathematics, physics and accounting only after leaving school and I have ensured that I lay a good foundation for my daughter already in this regard ( she is very creative). It is integral to have a balance when approaching the cut- throat reality of survival ( this is an art in its own right).
In terms of the cost , sale and royalty figures pertaining to books created and distributed in RSA, this has certainly been enlightening read for me!
This was so interesting. Thanks for sharing
My royalty was no where near this percentage, under 5%! And I sold very very well.
Under 5% … sheesh! I haven’t heard of royalties that low before … certainly not a royalty offer I would make as a publisher. I’m sorry!
If I’ve got this right: On a book retailing at R350, book stores make R 140 per copy, book distributors make R70 per copy, and the author makes R 35 per copy.
I completely understand the need for book shops & distributors, but the weighting seems wrong. Would love to hear your thoughts?
Hey @Cathy Park Kelly, yes those numbers are more or less right. It’s such a tricky thing - without bookstores local publishers (like myself) would have almost no reach, and small businesses (like myself) absolutely can’t do what book distributors do. I haven’t worked on those sides of the industry (retail or distribution) so I can’t share insights into what their net profit is, but my gut tells me the true metric to calculate to do a proper comparison is to use net profit - how much do the author, publisher, bookstore and distributor make once they have paid all the costs involved in making the single sale. I’ll do a bit of digging…
That would be very interesting to see! 🙏
This was sooo eye-opening & easy to understand! Thank you. The model Is defs not slanted in favor of the author though: with distributors making double & book stores 4 x what the author makes per book!