"According to the survey, literary authors suffered the largest decline in income (down 15% over the last four years) they received from book publishing, followed by authors of general nonfiction, whose income from books declined by 8%. Roughly 25% of all published authors surveyed earned no money at all from book publishing in 2017; while 18% of full-time book … [Read more...] about Authors Don’t Make As Much Money, AG Report Finds
Author Earnings
Are Authors Really That Poor?
"So, you're an author. Have you written anything I've heard of?" "You're an author, so you just wear pajamas all day, right?" "You're an author, so you're rich, right?" That last question has been the bane of many authors' existence, the misperception that somehow listing a book for sale equates to a carefree lifestyle filled with champagne baths and sleeping 'til noon. … [Read more...] about Are Authors Really That Poor?
AuthorEarnings Debunks Industry Lies Surrounding SciFi, Fantasy
In another stunning display of both truth in publishing and meticulous attention to the data, the latest release from AuthorEarnings takes on another facet of the traditional publishing industry, namely the lies surrounding scifi and fantasy publishing. In a presentation at the 2018 SFWA Nebula Conference, cape-wearing number cruncher Data Guy presented findings that dispel a … [Read more...] about AuthorEarnings Debunks Industry Lies Surrounding SciFi, Fantasy
Author Earnings: “The Pool Is Open”
The number-fanatics behind the Author Earnings report have released another installment in their in-depth analysis of how book sales are taking shape across the publishing landscape. While there were very few earth-shaking surprises in the data this time around, it's more like enough proof that a few long-held beliefs about publishing can finally be put to bed. 1. There's no … [Read more...] about Author Earnings: “The Pool Is Open”
The Gatekeeper Is Back, Authors…
In the era of ebooks and at-the-touch-of-a-button access to hundreds of millions of titles, you'd think that the possibilities for both readers and authors would be endless. For years, that's actually been the claim; with the "take down" of the publishing gatekeepers and the widespread acceptance of indie authorhood, we've been told that anyone can write, publish, and … [Read more...] about The Gatekeeper Is Back, Authors…
Should Authors Go Exclusive with Amazon?
The Author Earnings report has come out once again, and if there's any criticism to be lobbed its way, it's that the data is thorough enough to make even the most fanatical number cruncher see spots. The breakdown in last month's report is once again by sales channel, English speaking sales market, publication route, and more. But one thing hasn't changed about the report, … [Read more...] about Should Authors Go Exclusive with Amazon?
The Industry Finally Acknowledges Indies Are Authors
The gates have finally been thrown open, all are welcome here... Such is the dramatic sentiment now that indie authors have been given their very own day at one of the previously excluding events, Digital Book World. With the laughable and out-of-date self-titled proclamation, "DBW Indie Author: The First Conference For The New Professional Author," industry leaders are once … [Read more...] about The Industry Finally Acknowledges Indies Are Authors
The Paradox of the Publishing Industry
We can't have it both ways, yet that's how some industry experts want to spin it. First, the statistical news: the overall sales figures recorded a 7% decrease in sales across all books, while ebook sales for traditional publishers were down 22% year-over-year in an AAP Statshot for its most recent numbers, April 2016. There were some modest numbers in specific formats or … [Read more...] about The Paradox of the Publishing Industry
Indie Author eBook Sales Are in a State of Decline
Over the course of the past two years major publishers revenue has been in a state of decline, but indie author sales have been strong. I have written extensively about this and how indies are eventually going to reach a tipping point. Authors Earnings has now proclaimed that the indie eBook market share has shrunk significantly. During the five short months since May, it … [Read more...] about Indie Author eBook Sales Are in a State of Decline
Closing the Gap: Indies Are Outselling “Real” Authors
Yes, the headline is intentionally inflammatory, and not in a click-bait sort of way. There are many in the publishing industry (and sadly, many even among the lowly writers themselves) who still don't view self-publishing as a viable, respectable avenue to "real" authors. Now that we've gotten mention of that mindset out of the way, it's time to dive into the actual meat of … [Read more...] about Closing the Gap: Indies Are Outselling “Real” Authors
How Romance Authors Are Really Faring
Author Earnings is at it again, this time sharing crucial information on the state of romance publishing at the recent Romance Writers of America conference. Romance publishing--even before the advent of self-publishing and digital publishing--has always had this stigma attached to it, as though the work of these talented authors amounts to nothing more than a source of funds … [Read more...] about How Romance Authors Are Really Faring
Big 5 Publishers e-book revenue starts to rebound
Author Earnings has just released their May 2016 report and it is clearly evident that major publishers are no longer experiencing a decline in e-book revenue and it looks like sales have leveled off. This is good news for the publishing industry because it looks like they have finally selected a pricing strategy that works for debut authors and perennial bestsellers. The … [Read more...] about Big 5 Publishers e-book revenue starts to rebound
Here is the Full Author Earnings Report from DBW 2016
Author Earnings has been chronicling the rise of self-publishing on Amazon and is one of the definitive sources on how their sales directly affect the big 5 publishers. Data Guy has been quietly anonymous this entire time, he has been responsible for diving deep into big data and making sense of it for the entire publishing industry. He spoke publicly for the first time at … [Read more...] about Here is the Full Author Earnings Report from DBW 2016
February 2016 Author Earnings Report is Now Available
Author Earnings is an extensive report that looks at Amazon e-book sales and the digital publishing industry at large. The February 2016 report has just been released and they have revised some of the ways they compile their data. They have updated their methodology for correlating rankings to sales and also added print and audio data/analysis. The key takeaways from the … [Read more...] about February 2016 Author Earnings Report is Now Available