This post is really two topics in one but they might be related. Please don’t think I am complaining. This is purely an informational blog post.

First, every author will tell you that Amazon reviews of books is critical to the success of a good book. My five books have a total of thirty-seven reviews with thirty five stars and seven four stars. That would seem to indicate that the books have a chance at being successful, right?  (Assuming that not all the reviews were written by my family-they weren’t!) Obviously it would be helpful to get a few hundred or a few thousand more reviews but that is not likely to happen.

However, here is the rub, as they say. Some may not know that an author is at the bottom of the food chain when a book sells through Amazon or any other retailer for that matter.  First comes the distributor, then the retailor, then the publisher, all lining up for their cut. Here is an example from my last royalty statement for my latest novel, Cracks in the Wall.  Thirteen copies were sold retail during the period. The list price per paperback book is $13.95. My royalty per copy was just over $2.00 per book.

This pretty much explains why most writers I know are also working other jobs, unless they are as fortunate as I am to be retired and not dependent on the sales of my books for a living. (Luckily, as it would be a rather sparse existence!)There is your literary lesson for the day. I hope I didn’t come off as too much of a whiner . . .

duke