Walt's Corner

While meandering through a facebook group I hang out in, Books of Horror, I saw someone share some information about BookBub. An excellent source for deals (and steals) on eBooks. I prefer Kindle, but there are plenty more out there – nook, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo. They’re all there, as they grammatically say.

Sign up was a cinch. The cost? One email address. So give it up, sign up, tell it your device(s), genres, favorite authors, and they’ll do the rest. Got my first email from them today with plenty of bargains.

I notice lots of these books are already on Kindle Unlimited, which would be a free read for you anyways if you subscribe to that service. But they let you purchase it for free.

I like free but I also like to make sure an author gets their coin. After all, this is how they make a living. There are a couple questions I have had for authors for several years now about buying an ebook, reading it for free from a subscription model such as Kindle Unlimited, or getting it for free or discount as a deal-of-the-day/week.

To find out once and for all, I turned to three authors that I’m familiar with through the social media channels facebook and Mastodon: Matt Rayner, Jeff Strand, and Dan Moren. All three took the time out of their busy schedules to provide me with some answers.

First up and geographically furthest from me is M.L. Rayner, author of Amongst the Mists, Echoes of Home, and Bloodline (which he co-wrote with Jim Ody). I’m currently reading Echoes of Home and can happily say I’ve already read the other two and definitely look forward to his next story (hint, hint). I was introduced to Rayner in the aforementioned facebook page. Rayner’s prose can easily send a chill up your spine transitioning into a stifled scream from your locked jaw. He’s delightfully interactive with his fan base as well as his fellow authors.

Second, Jeff Strand, who can make you scream and laugh in the same paragraph, was first brought to my attention through a couple of other authors. You know what they say about 6 degrees of Separation? There were 2 degrees between myself and Strand: Blake Crouch and J.A. Konrath. Wayward Pines (arguably the best trilogy ever, other than THAT one) by Crouch is what introduced me to Konrath. Liking Wayward so much, I started eating up everything I could find on Crouch and that took me to a collaboration of Crouch and Konrath called Serial Killers Uncut. A very sick, twisted tale of nothing but bad guys with a splattering of some other staple Konrath characters sprinkled throughout. Imagine all your favorite villains throwing a party. And you’re invited. I cannot recommend Serial Killers Uncut enough. After that I was on a mission to get everything Konrath. And THAT’S how I met your… err… wait, wrong story. And that’s how I discovered Strand – through a collaboration of Crouch, Konrath, Strand, and Wilson called Draculas. Strand’s latest release is a novelization of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. This is currently in my To Be Read list. All his others? Read. Strand has too many books to mention here. You’re better off grabbing his list of books from his website.

Last but not least, Dan Moren. Known for his Galactic Cold War series. We have more of a “I know him but he don’t know me” relationship, but not in that creepy Misery way. I’ve followed him since his days at Macworld. The Bayern Agenda is in my Kindle library. He responded that he has not used Kindle Unlimited but graciously provide a link to the royalty structure which sheds light on how it works.

Thanks for taking my questions, gentlemen.

My first question, does an author get paid the same regardless of how the ebook is obtained? That is, if a kindle ebook is sold for $4.99, but is included for free within Kindle Unlimited, does the author get compensated the same?  

Great question. The answer all depends on whether the book is self-published by the author or represented by a publishing house. In the case of self-publishing, authors who publish their books through platforms such as Amazon may price their books around $5-7 on Kindle, as they may only receive a 10-15% fraction of the profit per sale. Pricing a book at $1.99 or lower may not be worth it, depending on its popularity. This is where alternative selling options, such as Kindle Unlimited (KU), come in handy. When a book is purchased on KU, the author receives royalties based on page reads, rather than a standard percentage of the profit. While royalties per page read may be small, if a book gains a following, it can become more profitable than if it were purchased outright by readers.

The same principles apply to authors represented by a publishing house, with the publisher acquiring a share of the royalties and providing the author with their contractual percentage. While this may sound like a disadvantage, having representation can be beneficial, as it can increase the book’s visibility and reach a wider audience, ultimately resulting in more book sales than if the author were to go solo.

M.L. Rayner

No. If somebody buys the book, you get a percentage. A $4.99 book at 70% would earn the author about $3.49. Kindle Unlimited income is based on the number of pages read (the cover price is irrelevant), and the amount fluctuates slightly each month. If somebody read a 300-page book all the way through, and that month’s payout was half a cent per page, the author would make $1.50. So it’s quite a bit less, but if that reader enjoys the book and sees that a bunch of my other titles are also on Kindle Unlimited, it can add up.

Jeff Strand

My second question is kind of a follow up. How about when a book’s price has been lowered to a sale event? Normally it’s $4.99, but this week and this week only it could be had for a dollar! So I jump on to get it and notice it is also on Kindle Unlimited. Does the author get compensated the same whether someone paid $4.99 for it last week, or $1 for it this week, or reads for free on Kindle Unlimited.

When an author self-publishes their work, any decision to discount their book is solely at their discretion and not that of the platform on which it is sold. Therefore, the author is not entitled to additional compensation during the discounted period. The percentage rates for royalties will remain the same as for the book at its regular price. Although this may be disheartening, it is worth noting that discounted prices can generate interest from readers, potentially increasing the book’s visibility and reaching new audiences. This is particularly true as many readers are drawn to discounted prices. However, if an author has chosen to sell their book through Kindle Unlimited, the rules for royalties remain unaffected. The same applies to authors represented by a publishing house, with the publisher having full control over when to discount the book rather than the author.

M.L. Rayner

The author earns less if the book is on sale. A Kindle Countdown Deal that puts a book on sale for .99 will bring the author about 70 cents. The goal is to make up for it by selling a larger number of books than you would at full price!

Jeff Strand

My thoughts… Maybe I have this all wrong, and the author gets compensated for the idea of the book. Publishers pay authors a flat fee for the story. Publishers then keep all proceeds from their sales of the individual books.  

Your statement is accurate; however, it reflects a rather outdated approach for new writers. In contemporary times, paying upfront based solely on an idea is uncommon, except for established mainstream writers such as Stephen King or Dean Koontz. Instead, smaller publishers typically require writers to complete their entire manuscript before considering it for publication. If the manuscript is accepted, the author will be presented with a contract outlining the percentage of monthly, quarterly, or annual royalties they will receive. Alternatively, authors have the option to self-publish their work, allowing them to retain all proceeds from sales.

M.L. Rayner

Also, feel free to add anything you’d like us readers to know, like… Review my damn book! 

If you’re a fan of spine-chilling tales that keep you awake at night, you can find all of my books on Amazon under the pen name of M. L. Rayner.

M.L. Rayner

At long last, my burning questions have been laid to rest. I’ve heard it from the authors’ mouths. Generally, they indeed get paid less for sales and perhaps on Kindle Unlimited depending on pricing. Sometimes the trade-off of the resulting expanded visibility/exposure pays off in the end.

One final thought for those of us who sip from the Kindle Unlimited fountain. Since they do get paid by how many pages you flip through, why not be sure to flip through the entire book? Even when the story is finished and they include a chapter from another novel of theirs to preview. Flip through! Even if you’ve already read it. Your revered source of entertainment will get a few more pennies for this simple act.

Again, I’d like to thank these authors for sharing their time and insight with little insignificant me. The real moral of the story here is to read. Whether you get hardcover, paperback, eBook or audiobook. Our entertainment is someone’s living. Always support our authors.