Koehler Books pays author royalties based on the net proceeds of the book, meaning the money left over after the book is sold to a distributor or bookseller, as well as printing costs. Typically this is between $3.00 and $5.00. The net is then split with the author according to the percentage agreed to in the contract, typically 60% for hybrid/copub deals and 40% for traditional deals.
The Breakdown
Below is an example of a typical copub book and how royalties work (prices may vary depending on number of pages, list price, etc):
210-page 6×9 softcover book with black and white interior, color exterior
$17.95 — suggested list price
$8.97 — wholesale price (50% wholesale rate)
$3.52 — print price (author price is $5.28)
$5.37 — net
$3.22 — author’s royalty per 60% rate
The Royalty Reports
Royalty reports and payments are first issued in the quarter six months after the publication date. They may be paid via Pay Pal or check. Koehler Books uses Title Verso for our royalty system, reports and Author Nexus. Title Verso uses direct feed data provided by our distributor, Ingram Books for increased accuracy.
The reports are excellent and easy to read and will be issued if the author has royalties due to be paid, or they may be referred to their Author Nexus. Below is a screen shot of a partial royalty report, shown with approval of our bestselling author Buck Wyndham.
Authors who do not have money owed may see their royalty report via their Author Nexus.
The Author Nexus
The Author Nexus, also developed by Title Verso for Koehler Books, allows authors to continuously check their cumulative royalties over time and according to the formats: softcover, hardcover and Ebook. While our authors will not get the formal royalty reports for six months after the pub date, Author Nexus is usually available to authors 3 months after their pub date. It allows them to generally track their royalties but is not a final arbiter about sales.
Author must wait for their quarterly reports and are asked to not make inquiries about Author Nexus.
Below is a screen shot of Buck’s Author Nexus.
