How Much Do Authors Make Self-Publishing on Amazon?

The short answer is, it depends. While there are general industry trends and averages that can give you a ballpark idea, the amount of money you make from self-publishing on Amazon will ultimately come down to a number of factors, including the quality of your book, the genre in which you’re writing, and of course, luck.

As a book cover artist, I am often asked about book sales and how much authors make. The answer, unfortunately, is not a simple one. To start, we need to understand how book royalties work.

Traditional publishing houses typically offer an advance to an author against future royalties. An author will receive this advance as an upfront payment before the book is published. Once the book is released, the author will start earning royalties on each copy sold. The royalty rate is typically a percentage of the book’s list price and will vary depending on the format the is published in such as ebook or print media.

That said, let’s take a look at some of the things that can affect how much money you make for self-publishing on Amazon.

Pricing

One of the most important factors affecting how much money you make for self-publishing on Amazon is the price of your book. If you price your book too low, you’ll make less per sale but you’re more likely to sell more copies overall. Price it too high and you’ll make more per sale but fewer people will buy it.

To get an idea of what price point works best for your book, take a look at similar titles in your genre and see what they’re selling for. You can also use Amazon’s pricing tools to help you find the right price point for your book. Just remember that you don’t have to match the prices of other authors precisely; in fact, pricing your book slightly lower than similar titles could help boost sales.

Genre

The genre in which you’re writing can also affect how much money you make for self-publishing on Amazon. For example, romance and erotica books tend to have higher prices and higher royalties than other genres because they generally have a loyal and passionate fanbase who are willing to pay more for their favorite authors’ work.

On the other hand, genres like mystery or thriller tend to have lower prices and royalties because there’s so much competition. That doesn’t mean you won’t make any money self-publishing in these genres, but it does mean that you’ll need to be especially savvy about marketing and promoting your book in order to stand out from the crowd.

Conclusion:

As with anything else in life, how much money you make self-publishing on Amazon will depend on a variety of factors. That said, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of making a good income from your book sales, including pricing your book wisely and choosing a genre with less competition. By taking these factors into account, you can give yourself a better chance of making a good income from your Amazon sales.