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Transcription (may contain errors): If you are planning to independently publish with the Amazon KDP platform, your book will be available worldwide. After all, Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer. Your paperback will be available on multiple Amazon sites such as Amazon US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, and the UK. Additionally, your ebook will be available worldwide as well. Amazon KDP also offers expanded distribution channels to list your book with distributors for both bookstores as well as libraries and universities.

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Transcription (may contain errors): If you are planning to independently publish your book, you have multiple distribution options to consider. Most platforms will offer paperback publishing, print-on-demand, as well as digital distribution for your ebook. Some platforms will also offer hardcover publication as well. Most platforms will also offer print services. Just be very careful to pay attention to your print.

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Transcription (may contain errors): It’s free to publish your book through KDP, but where most authors struggle is finding a professional editor and formatting their book so that it meets KDP’s. Printing requirements and specifications. KDP refer authors to Elite for assistance with editing, interior book formatting, cover design, and marketing support services. We will work with you to polish and design your book so that it meets KDP’s printing specs and requirements. After completing the design process with us, you’ll then upload those files to your KDP accounts and publish your book. We also offer an upload service if you prefer our team to handle this step for you.

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Congratulations on finishing your book! Now it’s time to celebrate. And what better way to celebrate than to throw a party?

When authors create their book marketing strategy, they often include elements like their author website, online book reviews, and social media campaigns. However, a book launch party is another fantastic book promotion method. A party is the perfect opportunity to show off your book presentation, so it’s an important element in your overall book promotion plan.

Why a book launch party is important for your book promotion

Whether you’re publishing your first book or have a few titles in your bibliography, you can probably benefit from some book marketing tips.

Much of the advice you’ll find will help you establish and maintain a strong online presence by creating your own website and promoting your book on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. And that’s great! Many people search for their next favorite author on the internet, so online presence is certainly important. Additionally, though, you can grab the attention of your potential readers by holding an in-person event: a book launch party.

What is a book launch party?

A book launch party is more than an excuse to brag about your success as an author. It’s an opportunity to build excitement about your newly published book, meet your target audience face to face, and even give them a preview of your masterpiece by reading a portion of the manuscript during the party.

In addition to being a great book marketing method, a book launch party helps you and your target audience get to know each other. When you’re able to connect to your potential readers on a personal level, they’ll appreciate you not just as an author but as a person. This connection can earn you lifelong fans that will eagerly purchase every book that you publish.

Book promotion and connecting with your guests are two reasons to host a book launch party. However, these are just two of the many benefits!

What are the benefits of a launch party?

Holding a book launch party is a great marketing method for you as the author—but it also holds benefits for your guests! In addition to promoting your book and meeting your potential readers, here are a few ways that a self-published author can benefit from a book launch party:

• Meet publishing industry professionals. People who love reading aren’t the only ones who attend book launch parties. You can also invite other authors, representatives from a publishing house, and even a literary agent or two. Sure, a successful book launch party can help you ring up book sales. However, when you invite the right people, you could ultimately sign a book deal and become a career author!
• Collect contact information. Your book launch party shouldn’t be the last time the attendees hear from you. Collect their information so that you can get in touch with them down the road. Connect with them on social media and plan an email marketing campaign to keep your target audience updated on your new books and upcoming events.
• Boost your confidence. Publishing a book is a huge accomplishment! However, some authors aren’t sure whether their book will be successful. When you celebrate yourself and your work with a book launch party, you can find a boost of confidence to keep writing!

As beneficial as a book launch party can be for you as the author, it can also be a wonderful experience for your attendees. They get to meet not only the author but people who love reading as much as they do. It’s a social networking event for many people! And if you read part of your book during the party, you give the attendees the once-in-a-lifetime experience of hearing the story read the way the author truly meant it to be.

There’s one more aspect of a book launch party that benefits both the author and the attendees: it’s fun! After all, who doesn’t like a party? Although it’s not a mandatory aspect of every book marketing strategy, a launch party can really boost your success as an author.

Is a book launch party necessary?

In order to become a successful self-published author, you need a strong book marketing strategy. The strategy should include a variety of marketing methods so that you can attract as many potential readers as possible.

Although it’s not entirely necessary to hold a book party, a celebratory event should be part of your overall marketing plan. Your book promotion plan should accomplish two things:

• Ring up book sales
• Increase your brand awareness as an author

Many indie authors only focus on selling as many books as possible. They might create an author website and market on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. They often sell their books through popular retailers like Amazon, Amazon Kindle, and Barnes & Noble. And while these are excellent book marketing and sales methods, they often rely on potential readers already knowing their names or book titles. Basically, you need to increase your author brand awareness in order to build your following and sell more books.

Without brand awareness, your target audience won’t know that you exist or that you’ve written a new book. Conversely, when people recognize your name, they might be more inclined to seek out your work. Having an online presence is a great way to get your name in front of people. However, reading is a very personal experience for many people, so an in-person event really can’t be beat.

In other words, holding a book party can earn you both book sales and brand awareness—you just have to hold a successful event!

How to throw a successful launch party

At some point in your life, you’ve probably thrown a party for your family and friends. A book party is similar—you just haven’t yet met all the friends that will attend the party! Here are a few steps to take as you organize a fun and successful book launch party:

• Start planning several months ahead so you secure the right venue and order the right food.
• Invite your friends and family and ask them to spread the word.
• Post about the book party on social media to create buzz about the event.
• Make sure you have enough hard copies of your books to sell and sign during the party.

In addition, one of the most important things to keep in mind when you plan your book launch party is that it’s all about you. You’re going to introduce yourself to many members of the book community, including potential readers and publishing industry professionals. It’s important to create a party environment that shows them who you are not just as an author but as a person. Organize a party that you’d want to attend—where you’ll be comfortable showing your genuine self.

For example, if you’re a casual person, throw a casual party! There’s no need to hold a black-tie event if you’re more comfortable in a T-shirt and jeans. Although it’s easier said than done, try to have some fun planning the event. You can even pick your favorite venue for your party!

Where should the venue be?

A book launch party doesn’t have to be at your local library or independent bookstore. Get creative to pick the venue that suits you and your book the best! When you research the ideal location for your book party, keep this question in mind: Where will my book presentation have the biggest impact?

Remember: your book party is all about you and your book. So pick the best venue that will highlight who you are and what your book is about. First, consider your book’s setting and theme, and then think about how you can connect your story to the venue itself. If you’ve written a historical or nonfiction novel, look into event options your local museums have to offer. And if your book is about a band or a sports team, check out the music venues or sports arenas in your area. Your venue should help put your attendees inside your book’s story. The party is an experience for your guests, so help them fully immerse themselves in your book by creating the right environment—and that starts with the venue.

Once you’ve chosen the optimal venue for your book party, it’s time to move onto the guest list!

Which people should you invite?

Determining who to invite can be a difficult aspect of any party. Here are a few tips to help ensure that the right people receive your invitations:

• Find out your party venue’s capacity so you don’t invite too many—or too few—people. You want the crowd size to be small enough for comfort but also large enough to fill the room.
• Invite your family, friends, and anyone else who supported you throughout your writing and publishing process. You can use your book launch party to thank them as much as you can use it to celebrate your work!
• Identify your target audience and invite them. This might include posting on social media groups, attending book club meetings, or putting up flyers at your local bookstore.
• Reach out to local publishing houses and literary agents. If they attend, you could impress them enough to earn a book deal! And if they don’t attend, they’ll understand that you’re serious about your writing career and might sign you on after you’ve published a couple of books.

After you’ve confirmed the venue and invited the attendees, it’s time to really have some fun: plan the entertainment and start promoting the party!

How should your book launch party be promoted and made entertaining?

There are many great ways to promote your book launch party. You can post about it on social media, especially if it’s open to the public. Send “save the date” cards and invitations to your invitees. And if your venue allows it, hang flyers and posters about the party there! Event promotion is similar to book promotion: the goal is to find your target audience and market directly to them.

Now for the really fun part: plan the entertainment! Remember, you’re creating an environment for your guests. Every detail should relate to your book. Start with the refreshments by serving food and drink that relates to your book. For example: if your book is set in France, serve French food and drink. Then create more ambiance!

Hire a band that’ll play music from the time period your book takes place in. You can even create fun photo opportunities for your guests. Have a backdrop of your book cover design printed so attendees can stand in front of it when they take their picture. If you have a substantial budget, hire a couple of actors to dress up in costumes described in your book so your guests can take pictures with the characters.

Finally, keep in mind that you are also a  part of the entertainment. The party attendees want to meet you, celebrate your work, and learn more about you as an author. Be ready to charm potential readers and industry professionals. And remember: a successful book launch party can help catapult your writing career!

Organize a great book party—and sell more books!

When your book marketing strategy includes a successful book launch party, you can increase your brand awareness as an author. And you can sell more books!

If you’re not sure how to start your book marketing strategy or just need a little push in the right direction, don’t worry. Elite Authors can help with everything from creating a full book promotion plan to beautifying your book presentation with professional cover design and back cover text. Visit our website to find out how we can help you sell more books!

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The book industry is evolving. As the world has become more digital, book retail industry statistics have shown an increase in digital sales of e-books, audiobooks, and print books. In fact, digital sales have had an enormous impact on the book industry!

E-commerce book purchases are one of the biggest developing trends affecting the book retail industry in recent years. Although independent bookstores might not be selling as many print books as in the past, readers are still purchasing plenty of literature in the US and across the globe.

US versus worldwide sales in the book retail industry

Whether you prefer to read a print book or e-book or listen to an audiobook, each piece of literature you purchase adds to the worldwide book industry revenue. Book retail sales bring in a lot of revenue each year, largely because of their marketing efforts.

You’ve probably seen advertisements for new books by famous authors or some informative nonfiction book marketing. All these book promotion efforts help the book industry satisfy readers’ demands. Thanks to successful marketing and a gigantic international audience, the worldwide book retail industry is big—and getting bigger.

How much does the book retail industry make in worldwide sales annually?

The global book retail industry is huge. As of 2021, the worldwide book market was worth over $138 billion—and it’s expected to keep growing!

One reason that the book industry is doing so well is the accessibility of e-books and audiobooks. Instead of leaving home to make a book purchase, consumers download their next book from online retailers like Kobo or Amazon’s Kindle.

The classic print book and your local independent bookstore will always have a place in readers’ hearts. Digital sales are certainly on the rise, but the bookstore industry still has a healthy share of the overall book industry market.

What is the market size of the bookstore industry in the US in recent years?

Recently, the US bookstore industry has declined as digital sales have increased. However, bookstores still bring in a robust $9.9 billion. Revenue is expected to increase a bit in the coming years, partially due to the constant need for academic textbooks.

Because bookstore sales have intense competition from the digital market, booksellers and comics shops will need to become a bit more creative to keep their profits up. If they’re able to increase their market share, both the stores and authors will earn more money.

How much do authors make from retail book sales in a year?

Author income varies based on a variety of factors. Although each professional writer’s situation is a little different, here are a few elements that can affect how much revenue they’ll make from retail book sales:

• Quantity of published books. An established author already has a following. Their loyal readers might purchase their new book because they’ve enjoyed their past work.
• Publishing method. Self-publishing authors must handle their own book marketing. Contrarily, authors who sign a book deal with a traditional publisher have access to professional book promotion resources, including a full book marketing strategy and their own literary agent.
• Book accessibility. The more platforms an author sells their books on, the more potential readers will see them—and the more book sale revenue they’ll earn!

As they sell more books, authors earn book royalties from those sales. Regardless of whether you purchase a book digitally or from your local independent bookstore, you are contributing to the author’s overall income.

How digital sales impact the book retail industry

Digital sales have had a huge impact on the book retail industry. E-books and audiobooks are extremely popular among readers who prefer to purchase and download their next book instead of going to their local independent bookstore.

Additionally, book industry e-commerce has helped self-published indie authors break into the professional writing scene. When books were only available in print, self-publishing was quite difficult and expensive. However, authors no longer have to search for a publishing house or pay out of pocket for their books to be produced. Now, indie authors can rely on e-book sales and promote their books via their optimized Amazon listing and their social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for a nominal cost. This is just one of the ways that digital sales have impacted the book retail industry.

How have digital sales impacted the book retail industry?

Book retailers have been greatly affected by digital sales. The convenience of purchasing an e-book or audiobook from home—or ordering a print book to be delivered with a few clicks on an e-commerce site—has enticed millions of people to forgo a trip to their local bookstore. Although digital reading is on the rise, Amazon book sales show that print books are still incredibly popular.

In fact, millions of people still prefer holding a print book in their hand as opposed to enjoying their favorite author’s work on an e-reader. According to a recent survey, 45 percent of the United States population purchased a print book, as opposed to the 23 percent who purchased an e-book. Regardless of the type of book readers are purchasing, the book industry has had to pivot in response to the competition from digital book sales.

How has the book retail industry changed in response to competition from digital book sales?

Digital book sales have changed the way the book industry operates because it has changed the way people buy books. Unfortunately, many bookstores haven’t survived the digital sale revolution. Maybe you used to have an independent bookstore in your neighborhood or would pick up your next favorite book at a store like Borders or Waldenbooks. Although some brick-and-mortar bookstores are still around, they’ve largely decreased because they just couldn’t compete with the convenience of digital sales.

Some readers see digital books as more environmentally friendly than printed books. A print book requires resources like paper and ink. They also need to be shipped to bookstores, which causes vehicle emissions and therefore pollution. Some readers simply prefer a digital download to a print book that could eventually end up in a landfill. Thus, the book retail industry has turned some of its focus to digital sales. A by-product of this pivot is the lower cost of digital books compared to those sold in retail stores.

How do the costs of digital books compare to selling books in retail stores?

Unfortunately for many bookstores, print books simply cost more to produce than e-books. Here are a few of the costs associated with e-book creation:

• Book cover design fees
• Editing and proofreading fees
• ISBN purchase
• Various costs associated with posting your e-book on an e-commerce website

In addition to those costs, print books have a longer list of expenses:

• Paper
• Ink
• Labor to run the printing presses
• Shipping

These costs stack up quickly—and they’re passed on to the consumer. That’s why an e-book version of your next favorite novel might cost you less to buy than a print book. This is one of the many trends affecting the overall book retail industry.

Latest bookstore marketing trends in the book retail industry

People love reading books, so the book industry will likely stay strong for the foreseeable future. However, the way that book retailers market to consumers may change. As younger readers come of age and begin purchasing books, the book retail industry could become even more digitally based in the coming years.

How is book marketing expected to evolve over the next five to ten years?

Over the next five to ten years, book marketing will likely become even more digital than it is now. Because self-publishing a book with e-commerce websites is so easy and relatively inexpensive, the number of indie authors will continue to grow. Large book retailers like Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble will need to market these indie authors so their sales keep increasing.

Consumers shop for just about everything online—including books! In addition to looking for their next favorite author in their search engine or by reading book reviews, many consumers turn to social media to see what’s new in the book world.

How has social media changed how books are marketed?

Social media has become a fantastic book promotion method. And because it’s so accessible to countless people around the world—even in developing countries—it will likely play an increasingly large role in book marketing.

Currently, authors build their online presence through platforms like their author website, Facebook, and Twitter. However, TikTok and Instagram are gaining popularity and have evolved as fantastic book marketing venues. Even novice authors can easily promote their graphic novels, nonfiction books, and their self-published cookbooks. And because social media is generally free unless an author wants to pay for advertising, indie authors can keep their book marketing costs low.

What is the average cost of marketing a book?

Book marketing costs vary from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. Each author’s marketing budget depends on a few factors:

• Whether they’re self-publishing or working with a traditional publisher
• Whether they are a career writer who depends on book sales for their primary income or an indie author who writes in their spare time
• Which book retailers they partner with to sell their books, as some e-commerce sites charge fees or royalties

Indie authors can basically choose how much time and money they want to allocate to marketing their books. As long as they keep an eye on consumer trends, they can create a successful book marketing plan.

Developing consumer trends affecting the book retail industry

With e-commerce book sales increasing over brick-and-mortar bookstores, the publishing industry has had to respond. Although the trend of online book sales began years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a positive impact on the book retail industry.

How did the public’s response to COVID-19 affect the book retail industry?

From children’s books to full novels, people purchased a lot of books during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, print book sales have increased by almost 9 percent since early 2020!

Reading is a fantastic way to relax and keep your mind occupied. Many consumers took advantage of these benefits during the pandemic lockdown and have continued to enjoy reading and buying new books. In particular, millennials and Gen Xers are reading more and are beginning to change how the book retail industry communicates with their target audience.

How is consumption of mass media by millennials and Gen Xers changing the book retail industry?

Younger generations have created a sort of new retail revolution. Many millennials and Gen Xers basically live online, so digital mass media has exploded in popularity. And the book industry has recognized this!

Publishers now rely more on the e-book market and print book sales via e-commerce than brick-and-mortar stores. They advertise online and on social media platforms to capture their target audience. Based on the average number of books that people read each year, it looks like their efforts are working.

How many books does the average consumer read in a year?

In the United States, the average person reads 12.6 books each year, or about one per month. This might not seem like a lot, but it’s worth noting that this only includes full-length novels. Readers usually don’t include comic books or children’s books that they read to their kids in their overall book count. However, maybe they should! After all, every single book sale adds to the book retail industry’s statistics.

Elite Authors can help you add to the book retail industry’s statistics!

You don’t have to be a book industry expert to sell a lot of books. Elite Authors is here to help! Whether you need a team of professional editors, a talented book cover designer, or support marketing your masterpiece, we can help you put a beautiful book in front of your target audience and ring up your book sales.

Visit our website to learn more about our wide array of publishing services!

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Book industry statistics are helpful for everyone in the book industry. They help authors and publishers understand where readers are purchasing books and whether current trends show an increase in print book, e-book, or audiobook sales.

Additionally, these statistics indicate how much revenue the book industry earns, as well as how much it costs to create and publish each book. When you’re determining whether to self-publish or partner with a traditional publishing house, it helps to learn about the biggest companies in the book industry.

Biggest companies in the book industry

There are plenty of large, famous companies in the book-publishing industry. Some of their names are likely even visible on the book spines on your bookshelf!

When you research the biggest companies in the book industry, you can divide them up into a few categories. For instance, investigate both traditional publishing and self-publishing. After all, the top Amazon book listing might be self-published! Learning about the top publishers in the world can help you decide where to publish your masterpiece.

Who are the top book-publishing companies in the world?

Although publishing industry trends are constantly changing, there have been a few consistent top book publishers in the world over the years. Here’s a look at some of the biggest publishing houses of 2022:

• Pearson (London, England)
• RELX (London, England)
• Thomson Reuters (Toronto, Canada)
• Penguin Random House (New York, USA)
• Hachette Livre (Paris, France)

These companies generally focus on print books. If you’re more interested in digital publishing, look into the top e-book publishers as well.

Who are the top e-book publishing companies?

E-book publishers are on the rise as the world becomes more digital. And as you might guess, Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is a perennial top e-book publisher. Kindle offers great accessibility to both self-published authors and their readers, so it’ll likely remain near the top of the list.

However, other digital publishing companies have given Kindle a run for its money in recent years. Authors hoping to self-publish their e-books have options like Smashwords, Draft2Digital, Lulu, and Kobo Writing Life. The e-book industry doesn’t show signs of slowing down, so these companies might become top publishers in the near future.

Who are the top publishing companies in the United States?

Several of the top publishers in the US overlap with the top companies in the world. In fact, some have emerged as the “Big 5” in English-language publishing:

• Penguin Random House
• Hachette Book Group
• HarperCollins Publishers LLC
• Simon & Schuster
• Macmillan Publishers

There are also some huge publishing companies not included in this list. For example, McGraw-Hill is perhaps the largest educational publisher around, and Scholastic Inc. might have published your favorite children’s book.

Publishing print books is big business. As you research book industry statistics, though, don’t forget about the fast-growing digital publishing industry!

Digital publishing revenue in the book industry

The digital publishing industry has been catching up to the traditional-publishing market in recent years. Printed media will likely always be available, but web-based content is quickly gaining popularity. If you’re interested in digital publishing, you should get to know the different types available to you and your readers.

What are the types of digital publishing?

When you think of digital publishing, your mind likely goes to e-books. However, there are several different types of digital publishing! Think of all the online magazines, newsletters, news websites, and even blogs. These are all aspects of the digital publishing market.

As an author, you’re likely an avid reader. And if you’re like most readers, you’ve probably enjoyed an e-book or two. Since so many people are turning to e-readers and tablets instead of print books, digital publications are gaining traction in the traditional publishing industry.

Why is digital publication gaining so much traction?

E-book sales are on the rise, and the e-book industry has both readers and authors to thank for the boon.

Many readers love the convenience of purchasing an e-book. Instead of venturing to a bookstore, they can buy their next favorite novel from their e-reader or tablet, and the entire book is immediately at their fingertips. Additionally, some readers see an e-book as an eco-friendly option to a print book. Although they don’t get the same satisfaction of turning those lovely paper pages, they still reap the benefit of the author’s voice and storytelling ability.

On the author side, it’s just easier for many self-published authors to publish an e-book as opposed to a print book. The digital publishing industry is accessible to indie authors because it’s simpler for DIY authors to self-publish than find a literary agent and sign a book contract with a traditional book publisher. And since e-books allow writers to reach an enormous audience over the internet, e-book sales might come easier than physical book sales.

Thanks to the increase in digital publication, the US book industry is raking in the profits!

How much revenue does the US book industry make from digital publishing each year?

Fortunately for authors, book industry sales are still strong in the United States. According to a recent study, the US book industry earned almost $26 billion in 2020. And it’s not only classic titles that are bringing in book sales. That same study showed that over four million new books were published in 2021.

As long as this upward trend continues, average book industry sales numbers will be on the rise for years to come.

Average book industry sales

It’s easy to get engrossed in book industry statistics—and it can help you as an indie author! This data will teach you what genres people are reading, where they find their books, and whether they prefer a print book, e-book, or audiobook.

If you’re an indie author hoping to increase your book sales, it’s also important to have a book-marketing plan. This could include an author website, a social media presence, and even appearances on a podcast. However, part of your plan should also be to understand how much the average book sells in the book industry.

How many books does an average book sell in the book industry?

In recent years, the average book has sold about 500 copies in the United States. If you invest in marketing your book—and make it available in both print and digital options—you could raise that average!

However, when you look at book-sales averages, keep in mind that you’re actually considering several different industries. These include

• print book sales, which are sometimes divided into paperback and hardcover sales;
• e-book sales; and
• audiobook sales.

Overall book sales have been on the rise since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Readers are dedicating more time and money to the written arts, especially through online purchases. Here are a few book sales statistics from the year 2021:

• Print book sales are up almost 9 percent since the pandemic began and are still the most popular method of reading.
• E-books account for about 21 percent of all book sales, and readers purchased 191 million e-books in 2020.
• Audiobook sales were estimated at $4.8 billion and are expected to almost double by 2026.

In other words, the book industry is booming. Although not everyone can be a best-selling author, it never hurts to try to ring up as many book sales as possible!

How many copies do best-selling books sell?

You’ve probably read something from the New York Times Bestseller List. However, did you know that those books sell between 5,000 and 10,000 copies in one week?

The overall sales number isn’t the only criterion for earning the “bestseller” title. Your sales also have to be diverse. Instead of selling all the books in one place, you must spread the sales around. For example, a bestselling author could sell a few thousand Amazon Kindle books, plus print books through retailers like Barnes & Noble. They could be on their way to selling a million copies!

How much money does an author make on a book that sells one million copies?

An author’s income on book earnings varies depending on several different factors, including

• whether you’ve self-published or are working with a traditional publisher,
• which company you’re publishing with, and
• whether you’re publishing a print or digital book.

Book royalties range anywhere from 10–70 percent, but the higher percentages don’t come overnight. If you’re a self-published indie author, it could take years to earn one million book sales. Since writers who are backed by large traditional publishers have resources like professional book marketers and literary agents, indie authors need to take into account the cost of administration and support services to help boost their own book sales.

Cost of administration and support services in the book industry

Regardless of what kind of book you’re publishing, you’ll need to budget for some administration and support services. These might include a fixed cost such as the annual fee to keep your author website online or an indirect cost like purchasing an artist’s image for your book cover. In fact, these costs are a large component of the book industry’s annual spend.

How much does the book industry spend on administration costs over the course of a year?

The book industry spends serious money on book-processing charges. Professionals like literary agents, editors, and printing teams all earn salaries from the industry. These are just some of the costs that publishing houses need to account for when they determine their profits.

In the United States, the book industry is currently worth about $26 billion. If you consider large publisher Simon & Schuster’s profit margin of 21.4 percent in 2021 as the benchmark, that means that the book industry spends about $20.4 billion in overall costs!

What are the book industry’s support services and how much do they cost?

The book industry has generated smaller institutions that are imperative to publishing. Here are a few support services you’ll need to consider, along with some estimated costs:

• Graphic design. To catch your target audience’s eye, you’ll need a striking book-cover design. Graphic designers are highly skilled and educated in their field, so you could pay upwards of $100 per hour for an outstanding book cover design.
• Editing. Every manuscript needs professional editors to handle things like developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading. Costs for editors vary, but typically you’ll pay a certain rate per word.
• Book marketing. Even if you don’t hire a literary agent or a traditional publisher, you’ll still need to market your book. In order to really ring up those book sales, consider hiring a professional to help with your book-promotion strategy.

In addition to the support services, you’ll need to pay some publishing fees. These will vary depending on whether you publish a print book or an e-book and whether you work with a traditional publisher or a self-publishing company.

How does the cost of traditional publishing compare to digital publishing?

In general, digital publishing costs less than traditional publishing. When you publish an e-book, you’ll still need to invest in services like book-cover design and professional editing. However, you won’t have to worry about paying for the ink, paper, labor, and shipping that print books require.

In other words, it takes less time and resources to create an e-book than a print book. Despite the potential costs, you can boost your book sales with a print or digital publisher—as long as you have a strong team to help you!

Boost your book’s sales statistics with Elite Authors!

Sure, we focus on helping you create great books. However, we also love educating our clients on book industry statistics! The more you understand about the book industry, the more successfully you can publish and market your book.

We offer expert, affordable, and personalized service to authors of all genres and experience levels. Visit our website to learn how we can help

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As an indie author, you might not expect to make a living selling your book. Maybe you’re entering the book market for the first time, or maybe you’ve generated some nice revenue with previous publishing experience. Either way, you’ve worked hard to finish your manuscript, and now you have a great opportunity to earn money from your book sales.

If you’re working with a traditional publishing house, the publisher will carefully track your book sales statistics. And if you’re self-publishing, you’ll need to keep an eye on each e-book, print book, and audiobook sale—and how much each sale costs you. The first step here is learning what book sales metrics really are.

What book sales metrics really mean

Book sales metrics are data that show you how much money you’re making from book sales. However, this goes beyond just the quantity of books sold and your overall sales revenue.

Regardless of whether you’re traditionally publishing or self-publishing, you’ll also have to track other KPIs (key performance indicators). Your profit margin, cost per customer, and how the sales cycle affects your particular book are all performance metrics that you should pay attention to.

Which sales statistics should authors track?

Determining your author income isn’t as simple as looking at how much money comes in from your book sales. Although that is an important sales KPI, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Here are a few additional sales metrics to keep track of:

• Gross margin. Add up your total book sales revenue and subtract the amount of money you’ve spent publishing and marketing the book. This will give you your net profit. Then divide the total revenue by the net profit. That percentage is your gross margin. The higher the percentage, the more money your book is making for you!
• Cost per customer. If you’re advertising online, on social media, or on your author website, you’re spending money to earn each potential customer—and you have to keep track of those expenses.
• Sales cycle. Does your book’s sales velocity increase or decrease at different times of the year? If you’ve written a holiday-themed book or a story that takes place in a particular season, you might sell more books in certain months.

Each sales metric helps you understand whether your book marketing strategy is effective. You can then compare your sales data to other authors to see if your metrics are strong or if they could use some improvement.

What are good sales metrics for a book?

There really isn’t a universal standard for good book sales statistics. Some authors want to build a career as an author, and others publish as a hobby and an opportunity to make a little money on the side. However, you can compare your sales metrics to industry standards.

Do some online research every few months to find out how the book market is performing. Look at traditional publishing companies and indie authors’ self-published titles.  How are their printed book and e-book sales doing? What is the book industry’s current average gross margin? Compare your sales metrics to theirs. If your numbers are similar to the rest of the industry, you’re doing great! And if they’re lagging, consider investing in book marketing to increase those book sales numbers.

What are the sales numbers and metrics of best-selling books?

Many authors dream of someday being on a bestseller list. When you research other writers and publishers, look at how many books they’ve sold. Oftentimes, best-selling titles have sold hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of copies. Since these popular books are usually backed by a large publishing house, they likely have a healthy marketing budget as well.

Although a self-published author might not have the benefit of a publishing house’s marketing team and budget, they can still earn good money on their book sales.

Average book sales for a self-published book

The self-publishing industry can be intimidating to an indie author who isn’t familiar with how to sell books. The good news is that you can make money through self-publishing! It’ll take some hard work, but if you focus on book promotion, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much you can earn.

How much does the average self-published book make?

Self-published authors generally don’t have an extensive marketing budget. While this is part of being an indie author, it can also keep sales revenue down compared to famous authors who have book deals with large publishers. And marketing also factors into how much a self-published book will make.

Some self-published writers earn several thousand dollars each year in book sales revenue. Keep in mind, though, that you have to spend money to make money. Authors who invest time and funds into a strong book marketing strategy will sell more copies than average—and make more money than average!

How many copies does the average self-published book sell?

There are many factors that affect how many copies a self-published book will sell. One of the largest factors is genre. If you’ve written a book in a popular genre with a large following, you have a good sales opportunity because you’re tapping into a large book market. However, if you fall into a more obscure book category, you might struggle to find potential readers.

In other words, there aren’t any universal metrics for how many copies the average self-published book sells. However, there are ways that you can estimate how many book sales you can ring up.

How can you estimate how many books you can sell by self-publishing?

One of the best ways to estimate how many books you’ll sell is by keeping up with book industry trends. The e-book industry is much different than the print book and audiobook industries, so keep an eye on how both printed and digital books are selling in your area and genre. You can use those sales statistics to get a gauge of how many readers are looking for your type of book.

Book sales for a traditionally published book

Traditionally published authors usually have more resources at their disposal than indie authors who self-publish their books. A traditional publishing house might even absorb costs for a marketing campaign and a literary agent as part of a book deal.

In many cases, this means that traditionally published authors sell more books than self-published writers. Even with a publishing house’s resources, though, not every author is a bestseller.

How many books does a typical bestseller sell?

So, how many books do authors on bestseller lists actually sell? It depends on factors like genre, book market size, and which list you’re looking at. Some bestseller lists require around 5,000 to 10,000 book sales per week.

Those numbers might seem unattainable. However, remember that a large, successful publishing house can provide great resources to back your book. They consider your manuscript an investment—and they believe in your writing! The publishing industry is extremely competitive, so your publisher will do everything they can to boost your print book, audiobook, and e-book sales.

How many books do traditionally published midlist authors typically sell?

Midlist authors earn a lot of book sales revenue but don’t quite make a bestseller list. Although they won’t exactly break any publishing-industry sales records, they sell enough books to be considered successful. And if they can publish multiple books with the same midlist result, a publishing house might see them as a reliable source of author income and offer the writer a contract for multiple books.

While bestselling authors need to sell thousands of books per week, midlist authors generally need to sell thousands of books per month. Since each book sale is revenue, higher sales mean higher earnings!

How much do traditionally published authors make?

Successful authors who partner with traditional publishing companies can earn a lot of money throughout their careers. However, it might take some time for you to reap the benefits of a book deal.

Many publishing houses provide their authors with a cash advance as a sort of bonus for signing a book deal. Once that advance has been paid back, you can begin earning royalties from each book sale. Royalties are basically a percentage of the book sale price and are generally around 10 percent for a traditionally published author. For example, if you receive a $10,000 cash advance as part of your book deal, you’ll start earning royalties after your book has earned $10,000 for the publisher.

Regardless of whether you’re traditionally publishing or self-publishing, you can boost your book sales and improve your metrics so you can earn more money from your manuscript.

Ways to boost book sales as an author to improve your metrics

In order to boost your book sales and improve your metrics, you need a book marketing strategy. Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you outline the best strategy for you and your book:

• Who is your target audience?
• Where will your potential customers try to find your book?
• What is your ideal book profit margin?
• How much time and money can you allocate to book marketing?

Regardless of your budget, one of the best places to market your book and boost your book sales is social media.

How can social media help you boost book sales to improve your metrics?

Social media is one of the best digital marketing tools available to authors. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are excellent venues for authors breaking in to the book market. You can set up an author page or a publication page in addition to your main profile and plug your book for free.

Most social media sites also allow you to pay for advertising if you want to get a leg up on the competition. You can use these paid advertisements to reach your target audience, guide people to your Kindle page or author website, and highlight the e-commerce sites where readers can buy your book.

When you pay for social media advertising, most platforms also give you access to sales metrics so you can see how your ads are performing. It’s important to familiarize yourself with common ad campaign metrics so you can compare how your book sales are performing compared to how they should be performing.

What are common ad campaign metrics when you are marketing your book?

Once you begin investing in an ad campaign, you’ll need to keep an eye on certain metrics to make sure you’re earning a return on your investment. Basically, your marketing dollars should yield book sales—and you should earn more sales revenue than you spend.

Here are a few common ad campaign metrics that you should consistently track throughout your book-promotion efforts:

• Cost per ad versus your sales revenue per book
• Quantity of book sales, including print book, audiobook, and e-book
• Customer engagement on social media
• Author website traffic increases and decreases

These metrics will provide a picture of how your ad campaign is performing. If your metrics are lower than you’d like, there are ways to improve those numbers!

How can new authors improve their metrics?

New authors need to be creative in order to make a name for themselves and earn book sales. If your social media and author website aren’t performing well, look for other marketing outlets.

Talk to local bookstores about holding a book reading or a book launch event. Sponsor a book club. Or even find a popular podcast related to your genre. You’ve achieved one major goal by publishing your masterpiece. Now it’s time to make some money by boosting those book sales!

Elite Authors can boost your book sales statistics!

Whether you need a hand with editing, book cover design, book marketing, or anything in between, Elite Authors can help you reach your book sales goals. We can help make your book the success it deserves to be. Visit our website to learn how our wide array of services can help you reach the bestseller list!

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Publishing a book is quite an exciting time for any author. Whether you choose to take the journey with a traditional publisher or to pursue self-publishing, your masterpiece is about to go out to the world. It’s important to select the right method to publish your book, and an extremely popular platform is Amazon. An important question for any author is how much they’ll receive in royalties. If you’ve selected to publish on Amazon, you may ask yourself, How much do self-published authors make on Amazon?

There are pros and cons to becoming a self-published author on Amazon, so read on to find out what sort of sales are typical and some more information on what you can expect to earn.

Pros and cons for selling self-published books on Amazon

Traditional publishing and self-publishing platforms have unique advantages and disadvantages. Amazon, as one of the most popular places to self-publish, deserves its own section on this.

What are the pros of selling self-published books on Amazon?

If you’re interested in the pros of selling your self-published book on Amazon, check out this list:

• There’s no cost to self-publish on Amazon! (Learn more about the costs of self-publishing.)
• Your book will be distributed on Amazon’s Kindle subscription service right away. You are entitled to payment per each page of your book that is read via Kindle’s service.
• Amazon’s global reach means you have access to an enormous worldwide audience, and you can customize an Amazon Ad for even further marketing (for an extra cost).
• If you spot mistakes in your book, you are able to upload a corrected version at no cost.
• If you publish with the KDP Select program, you can earn up to 70 percent royalties on your book in many major national markets and 35 percent otherwise.
• You get paid royalties on a monthly basis.
• Amazon’s verified purchase review system means you can collect and post favorable reviews for your book’s site.
• You don’t need to worry about technical issues—Amazon handles all the web support and upkeep.

What are the cons of selling self-published books on Amazon?

Here are some of the cons of publishing on Amazon:

• The company will not edit or format your book for you. But you are still beholden to Amazon’s strict formatting and layout standards.
• Amazon will have exclusive rights to your book for ninety days.
• Your contract may limit what you are able to do as far as marketing and promotion.
• You won’t have any control over Amazon’s pricing mechanisms.
• In some states, you, the author, are responsible for collecting sales tax on every book you sell on Amazon’s platform.
• If you switch to another publisher, you’ll lose any reviews generated on your Amazon listing.
• You still have to do most of the preparation and sales work on the book by yourself, including all your own marketing.

How can you determine if selling self-published books on Amazon is right for you?

If you’re okay with relinquishing rights to your book for at least 90 days in order to start building a presence on Amazon, and you’re willing to do the editing and formatting yourself, Amazon is an easy publishing company to gain sales traction with. Frequent royalty payments are also a huge plus. Publishing services companies can help you with your book formatting and cover design so that you don’t have to complete all the work yourself.

Some of the cons may swing your decision in the other direction. If you’re looking for professional help with production and distribution, a traditional publisher may be a better option for you. Just be sure to do your research and not fall prey to any self-publishing myths that are floating around.

Book sales for the average self-published authors on Amazon

It’s important to have realistic expectations when you self-publish anywhere. Among indie authors, to date, only about forty people have earned six figures or more selling on Amazon. So, because you shouldn’t expect to become the next James Patterson selling your book as a Kindle e-book, what are the average book sales for an author on Amazon?

How many books do you need to sell on Amazon to be a bestseller?

If you want to become a bestseller on Amazon, it all depends on book sales in a twenty-four-hour period. You’ll need to sell approximately 3,500 to 5,000 books to reach that coveted bestseller status. However, there are different rankings for different categories and genres of books. It’s ultimately based on how well your book is selling relative to other similar books during the same period of time.

Bestsellers are also updated on an hourly basis, so you can expect to see quite a lot of fluctuation on these lists.

How many books does the average self-published author sell on Amazon in a year?

Again, it’s important to be realistic about how many books the average indie author can expect to sell. Some research shows that 250 to 300 books per year is pretty average. However, as an indie author, you can expect to earn much more in royalties per book than you would if you went the traditional publishing route.

What percentage of authors are successful self-publishing their books on Amazon?

Determining how many authors are successful when self-publishing on Amazon can get dicey. It depends on your definition of “success.” If your goal is to sell fifteen thousand copies of your book in a year, it’s possible you’ll hit the jackpot and get incredibly lucky. But if the majority of self-published authors are only selling 250 to 300 books per year, your goals may be out of alignment with market realities.

Those taking different publishing paths may have more options available. Published authors signed to a traditional publishing house may achieve higher sales, but that’s not guaranteed. Many fiction authors have found plenty of success with self-published e-books. Consumers looking for a quick, fun read in romance, fantasy, and sci-fi genres tend to do quite well with indie books on Amazon. Nonfiction authors may wish to try other platforms, or a traditional publishing house, to better target their key audiences.

What the average self-publishing author makes on Amazon

Now we reach the all important question: What’s the skinny on self-publishing money, and is there any to be had? How much do self-published authors make on Amazon? What can the average indie author expect to make selling on the Amazon self-publishing platform or Amazon Kindle?

How much does an average self-publishing author make on Amazon in a year?

How much a self-publishing author makes in a year on Amazon is not one size fits all. Let’s say you price your book at $9.99 and are at the 35 percent royalty level. You sell 250 copies of your book in the first year, grossing about $875. Perhaps a few hundred people are also picking up your book on Kindle, so you could potentially earn a few hundred dollars more based on the number of pages read. Other authors may sell more or less.

What factors affect how much you can make selling self-published books on Amazon?

Naturally, the amount you can expect to earn as a self-published author on Amazon depends on many things. These can include the following:

• Your book’s price point
• The royalty tier you are in
• Your genre or book category
• Which market you obtain sales in (if you’re in the markets allowing for 70 percent royalties and achieve success there, you’ll naturally see increasing revenue)
• If you’re able to develop a marketing plan that gains traction

Earnings also depend on the number of pages read via the Kindle e-book platform. This rate can be around $0.0045 per page but can fluctuate.

How are author royalties on self-published books sold on Amazon calculated?

The initial royalty on your self-published book is based on which royalty tier you are in—35 percent or 70 percent. The royalty percentage is calculated based on your listed purchase price.

After that, delivery costs are deducted (around $0.06 per book), as are sales tax, value-added tax, and delivery costs.

How to improve your Amazon sales as a self-published author

One of the pros of self-publishing is that you’re not beholden to a traditional publisher’s “rules.” Often, your book’s success comes from the work you put in to reach readers. Therefore, the more effort you expend, the more your sales may improve.

How can marketing improve your Amazon sales as a self-published author?

As an indie author, without the full marketing services of a traditional publisher behind you, marketing is absolutely central to improving your sales on any self-publishing platform. Readers need to find your book before they can buy and read it, so you need to point them in the right direction.

If you have some background in marketing, this may be no problem for you. But if you don’t, and your goal is to hit higher than average sales, it may be worth investing in some professional help to market your book.

How can author events improve your Amazon sales as a self-published author?

Hosting author events like book signings or book sales can help boost your Amazon purchases. Perhaps you have a local bookstore or library that is willing to help you. Promote your event several weeks in advance, both within the store and on social media. And invite as many people as you can. Maybe you can also arrange a giveaway or raffle of some free copies of your book.

Libraries may also book you for a speaking event. They can purchase extra copies of your book and leave them around the building for patrons to see. The library or bookstore’s social media pages can also promote your events and direct readers to your book’s web page. Maybe they have podcasts or YouTube pages where you can post an interview discussing your work.

What resources can help you improve your Amazon sales as a self-published author?

To improve your Amazon sales, there are some key areas to focus on. Your book’s listing page on Amazon is an important tool. A catchy book description will help draw potential readers to your work. Using targeted keywords associated with your book will help direct traffic to your book’s site.

Book reviews from verified purchasers can also help your book gain credence. Word of mouth is still one of the best tools out there. Growing a network around your book, especially on social media, is vital these days. Be sure to engage with your readers on your social media and thank them for reading your book. Creating lots of engagement on social media can help generate buzz about your book with your network connections.

Book trailers are a fun and catchy way to capture a potential buyer’s attention. And don’t underestimate the power of a well-designed book cover. Despite the old adage to “never judge a book by its cover,” let’s face it: The cover is still the first part of your book a reader sees. If it’s colorful and attention grabbing, buyers may be more drawn to it.

Amazon Advertising is another resource you have available. If you want to invest in some extra advertising, it may be worth it to use Amazon’s services here. You can also take advantage of a free Amazon Author Central account to enable you to quickly adapt your book’s marketing text, your author biography, and any reviews of your work.

Maximize your Amazon earnings with Elite Authors

Although Amazon still holds the lion’s share of the self-publishing market, that’s not to say that other platforms, like Apple Books and Barnes & Noble, aren’t going to grow. To expand your book’s reach, working with an agency that specializes in assisting indie authors could be a great investment.

Elite Authors offers a full staff to aid with your editing, formatting, and marketing needs, with a particular focus on helping authors self-publish and earn more on Amazon. Reach out for a free quote on our packages today!

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