How much do you earn from publishing a book?
How much do you earn from publishing a book? The honest answer is that it varies enormously. A few authors make a good living from their books, many earn a welcome extra income and quite a lot roughly break even. What determines this is not just how many books you sell, but also how you publish, in which formats and in which channels.
In this guide, we go through how the income from a book actually arises, what distinguishes publishers from self-publishing, how to calculate the figures for your own book and what you can do to earn more. All figures relating to GoRead are those that apply in the service today.
The short answer
With a traditional publisher you receive royalties, which are a smaller share of what the publisher takes in. In return, you have no costs.
As a self-publisher you get a larger share, but you bear the costs yourself. With GoRead you receive 70% of the sales revenue from streaming services and online bookstores.
Books you sell yourself give the most per copy, because you buy them at the printing cost and keep the difference.
How the income from a book arises
A book can generate money in several ways, and they work differently.
Streaming services
In services such as Storytel, BookBeat, Nextory and Audible, the listener pays a subscription instead of buying individual books. The service pays compensation based on how much the book is actually listened to or read. How the compensation is calculated differs between the services. For you, this means that a book that is listened to the end is worth more than one that many start but put down.
Online bookstores
In the online bookstore, the reader buys a copy, printed or as an e-book. For the printed book, you set the price to the bookstore. The bookstore then adds its margin and sets the price for the customer. As a rule of thumb, you can expect a markup of around 50% on the purchase price, but this varies.
Selling yourself
Books you sell yourself—at signings, lectures, markets or via your own web shop—do not go through any intermediary. You buy the book at the printing cost and set the price yourself.
Local bookstores
Physical bookstores can order your book when a customer asks for it. Some local bookstores are also happy to stock books by authors from the area, if you ask.
Publisher or self-publishing – which gives the most?
With a traditional publisher, the publisher handles editing, printing, distribution and marketing. You receive royalties on sales, and sometimes an advance. The share is smaller, but you have no expenses and no financial risk.
As a self-publisher it is the opposite. You pay yourself for the parts of publishing you choose, but you keep the rights and a larger portion of each revenue krona.
Which gives the most depends on how much the book sells and on how much the publisher would have sold for you. A publisher with a strong sales force can sell many more copies than you do on your own. On the other hand, most manuscripts are never accepted, and a book that is never published earns nothing.
This is how much you get with GoRead
You receive 70% of the sales revenue from streaming services and online bookstores. This applies to both e-books and audiobooks. You keep all rights to the book's various formats.
Payment: monthly, within 60 days after the end of each month.
Statistics: updated every Monday. You see sales per title, channel and format, per day, week or month.
Sales in bookstores: shown under My Account within 30 days.
First payment: you enter your payment details under My Account, Balance & Payments.
Calculating your own sales
The part of the calculation you have full control over is the books you sell yourself. The printing cost at GoRead is a base cost of SEK 22 for paperback or SEK 75 for hardback, plus SEK 0.22 per black-and-white page. Added to this is 6% VAT and shipping.
An example with a 200-page paperback:
Printing cost: approximately SEK 66 per book, approximately SEK 70 including VAT. Shipping is added.
You sell the book for SEK 200 at a signing.
Left per book: approximately SEK 130, before shipping and tax.
If you sell 50 books that way it comes to about SEK 6,500. If you sell 200 it comes to about SEK 26,000. You can see the exact price for your book on the order page.
When has the book paid for itself?
Calculate what the publication has cost and how many books need to be sold to cover it.
Say you publish a novel in all three formats with GoRead. The e-book is free, the printed book's distribution costs SEK 999 and a seven-hour audiobook costs approximately SEK 2,350. In total approximately SEK 3,350.
With approximately SEK 130 left per book you sell yourself, you have covered the entire cost after about 26 copies sold. Everything you sell after that, and all income from streaming services and bookstores, is surplus.
If you only publish an e-book there is no cost to cover. Then every revenue krona is surplus from day one.
What determines how much you earn?
Number of formats. Printed book, e-book and audiobook reach different readers. In streaming services it is often the audiobook that reaches the most.
Number of books. Readers who like a book look for the next one. More titles provide more ways into your authorship, and series have a built-in advantage.
Genre. Some genres are listened to and read more than others in streaming services.
Cover, title and back cover text. They determine whether someone clicks on the book.
How the book holds the reader. In streaming, actual listening and reading count. A book that is listened to the end earns more.
Your own marketing. No one knows the book exists unless you tell them.
Language. A translation opens up new markets.
Time. A book printed on demand never runs out. It can sell for many years.
How to earn more from your book
Publish in all formats
If you have a finished manuscript, the additional cost for more formats is small. The e-book is created free of charge, and an AI-narrated audiobook costs SEK 249 plus SEK 300 per hour. Read more in our guide on producing an AI audiobook.
Sell yourself
Selling yourself gives the most per book. Always carry copies with you when you meet people, and order more when they run out. The books are normally printed within two working days. Read more in our guide on publishing a book with print on demand.
Set the right price
Compare with similar books in your genre. A price that is too low leaves little after printing cost and the bookstore's margin. A price that is too high makes the reader choose something else.
Follow the statistics
The statistics are updated every Monday. See which channels and formats give the most, and spend your time there.
Translate
The same manuscript can generate income once more in a new language. English and German reach Audible's listeners. Read more in the post Translations are a success.
Write the next book
The single most important thing for earning more in the long run. Each new book also sells the previous ones.
Other income a book can generate
For many authors, the book is not the biggest source of income, but what it leads to.
Lectures and assignments. A book shows that you know your subject. This applies especially to non-fiction.
On-site sales. Those who have heard you speak often want to buy the book right away.
Courses and advisory services based on the book's content.
New formats and languages. If you own the rights, you can decide on translations and other uses yourself.
Tax and VAT
Income from books is taxable. Here is how it works with GoRead:
No tax deduction is made. The royalty is paid out without preliminary tax, regardless of whether you are registered as a private individual, sole proprietorship or company.
You file your own tax return and pay the tax and fees that apply to you.
A statement of earnings is submitted to the Swedish Tax Agency on amounts paid out. You receive documentation ahead of your tax return.
VAT: if your company is VAT-registered, 6% VAT is paid out in addition to the amount.
GoRead does not provide tax advice. For questions about your own tax return, deductions or self-employment contributions, contact the Swedish Tax Agency or an accounting consultant.
Realistic expectations
Most debut authors sell primarily to people they reach themselves. That is not a disappointment, but a good start. A first book gives you readers, experience and something to build on.
What has changed is that you no longer need to invest a lot of money to get there. When publishing costs a few thousand kronor instead of tens of thousands, and nothing is printed in advance, it takes quite small sales to turn a profit.
Frequently asked questions about what you earn from a book
How much do I get per book sold?
With GoRead you receive 70% of the sales revenue from streaming services and online bookstores. How much it comes to per book depends on the channel, format and price.
How much do I get per listen?
Streaming services pay based on actual listening and reading, and the models differ between services. You follow the income per channel in the statistics.
When do I get my money?
Payment is made monthly, within 60 days after the end of each month.
What is royalty?
The compensation an author receives per book sold or listened to, usually as a share of the income.
Do you earn more with a publisher or with self-publishing?
Per book, you get a larger share as a self-publisher. A publisher, on the other hand, can sell more copies. Which gives the most depends on the book and on how much you do yourself to reach readers.
Is tax deducted from the payment?
No. You file the income yourself. We submit a statement of earnings to the Swedish Tax Agency.
Do I need a company to get paid?
No. You can be registered as a private individual, sole proprietorship or company.
Can I see how much the book sells?
Yes. The statistics are updated every Monday and show sales per title, channel and format.
Can you make a living from writing books?
Some do, but for most it is an extra income. Those who succeed have often published several books, are available in all formats and work actively to reach their readers.
Get started
Upload your manuscript to GoRead. It costs nothing to create an e-book, interior layout and cover, and you receive 70% of the sales revenue. You can find more answers in our frequently asked questions.