Settlements between authors and publishers and the amount of royalties are the dark side of the publishing market. A writer's profits from any book sold are usually between 5 and 15% of the book's retail price.
Bestselling authors can count on a percentage of 25% of the price, but they are in the minority. Distribution, production and dealer markup generate costs, but a sizable portion of the income from the work goes into the publisher's pocket. Debut authors are often left with the only option of either self-publishing or co-publishing their work.
