How Much Do Publishers Pay for Children's Books?
The first three sentences of your story will make you or break you. Unless you have an established reputation, you have one chance to impress the editor reviewing your children's book. This is important because the editor will decide if your book fits in with what its publishing house is doing. It will also indicate whether that publishing house will take a chance on you, and pay you for your book.
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National Averages
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According to PayScale, the median salary by average sale price for the children's book publishing industry, as of 2010, is $59,000 for the first 50 to 2,999 books sold. It pays $60,000 if you sell 3,000 to 99,999 books, and $62,500 if you sell 2 million to 9.9 million copies, on the average.
Advances
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It is typical for a publisher to pay the author in advance of future sales. The author will generally receive half the advance upon signing the initial publishing contract, and the remainder when the full manuscript is submitted. The amount of the advance is determined by calculating how many sales the author will get after the first printing. If you are an unknown author with no previous track record, you may receive a smaller advance than a known author of children's books. Larger publishing houses typically pay more than smaller ones. If your children's book is illustrated, the advance is split between the author and the illustrator.
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Royalties
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A royalty is a percentage of the sale of the book retained by the author. Royalty rates are specified in the publishing contract and vary by employer. The common rate for royalties is 10 percent for each hardcover book sold, and 6 to 8 percent for each softback. Historically, publishers have based the royalty percentage on the actual retail price of the book. However, as of 2010, the trend now is to base the royalty rate on the net price, or the price they receive from the bookstore, which is generally discounted from 30 to 50 percent. If, for example, you obtain a 10 percent royalty on your children's hardback book that sells for $20 and your advance is $10,000, then once your book is published, it needs to sell at least 5,000 copies before you would receive additional royalty checks.
Flat Rate
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As a children's book author, you can also be paid a flat rate, or one lump sum. When you receive a flat rate, you do not earn future royalties. Circumstances that usually require a flat rate include if you are a co-author writing a book for an established series; writing a movie tie-in novel; or are writing for a children's magazine.
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References
Resources
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