Our current default list price is $17.99, and this shows you what your earnings will be at that price point.

FOR BOOKS SOLD DIRECTLY FROM YOUR WEBSITE OR AT LIVE EVENTS: 

  • The Net Sales Price will be the $17.99, or a little less if you discount it.
  • The manufacturing cost will be $3–$4.
  • If you hand-sell the books from among your own initial inventory, or ship them yourself, those are your only costs. If you need to replenish your own stock from Simon & Schuster’s warehouse, you need to take those costs into consideration.
  • So, if you sell your book directly, your Net Profit will be: $13.99–15.99.

We recommend you pass along the cost of shipping and handling to your consumer. Sending via media mail throughout the U.S. is $2.58 and the cost of mailers is typically about $1-$1.50 per mailer, so you can generally charge back between $4-$5 for shipping and handling.

FOR PHYSICAL BOOKS SOLD DIRECTLY THROUGH AMAZON, B&N, OR OTHER RETAILERS (THE BOOK TRADE):

  • The Net Sales Price will be $8.99 or 50% of the $17.99 (standard trade discount).
  • The manufacturing cost will be about $3–$4.
  • For distribution, maintaining the trade relationships, warehousing, shipping, and accounting for book sales, SWP receives a 40% fee from the Net Sales Price.
  • For books sold through the trade, your Net Profit will be: $2.41-$3.41 ($8.99 minus $3-$4 [manufacturing] minus $3.58 [40% of $8.97]).
  • Because author earnings vary greatly depending on the cost of  printing, SWP increasingly recommends print runs that will yield a lower price point per book and we will work with the author to obtain the best price point per unit.


FOR E-BOOK SALES:

  • Our frontlist is currently distributed by S&S and sold at the price set by SWP. Our typical e-book price point is $12.99.
  • For managing relationships and files, distribution to the trade partners, and for handling all customer service and accounting, SWP receives a 30% fee from the Net Sales Price.
  • There are two ways in which e-book earnings are calculated, depending on where the e-books are sold. You will make approximately $3-$4/book on the wholesale model (Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, and all platforms minus Apple), and $5/book on the Agency model (Apple).