Tips for New Authors: Understanding Royalties, Pricing, and Reaching Readers
If you’re a new author publishing on Amazon, one of the first things you’ll run into is pricing and royalties—and if you don’t know how it works, it can be a little confusing.
So here’s a breakdown to help you out:
Understanding Royalties
When setting your book price, start with the U.S. market. It’s the main region most authors focus on, and Amazon will automatically adjust pricing for other countries based on that. You can go in and tweak regional prices later if needed.
Now, onto royalties:
• Let’s say your book is priced at $19.99.
• Amazon gives you 60% of that as your base royalty.
• But—printing costs come out of that 60%.
• Then taxes may apply depending on your location.
• Whatever’s left? That’s your actual royalty.
For example, I’ve got a paperback that’s around 692 pages. I set it at $19.99 because a big portion of that goes straight into printing. I don’t make a huge profit per copy, but for a book that size, the price makes sense. If the book were only 300 pages, I wouldn’t feel comfortable charging that much—and most readers probably wouldn’t either. Value matters.
Keep Page Count & Genre in Mind
People will naturally compare price to size, especially in physical books. If a book is slim and priced too high, it may turn readers off. But a chunky book that offers a lot of content? That feels worth it.
Also, your genre plays a big role. Science fiction and fantasy readers usually expect longer books—they love deep world-building and sprawling storylines. Other genres might lean shorter and tighter.
Choosing Beta Readers (the Smart Way)
When you’re polishing your book, beta readers are crucial—but don’t just choose your biggest fans or people who read your genre religiously.
Try this instead:
• Pick people outside your target demographic.
• Find readers from different age groups.
• Include non-readers or casual readers—they’ll give you honest, practical feedback.
• Look for diverse perspectives: gender, background, experience level.
For instance, science fiction tends to skew toward male readers. But 75% of my beta readers are women, and that’s on purpose—I have a large female cast, so it’s important to hear how those characters resonate from a female perspective.
I even have one beta reader who doesn’t read much at all. That kind of reader is incredibly helpful—they’ll tell you when something drags or when a scene doesn’t hold attention, which helps keep the book engaging for all kinds of audiences.
The Big Takeaway
Beta readers aren’t there to insult your work. If you choose well, they’ll give honest, constructive feedback that helps you see what you might have missed. Listen closely. They’ll tell you when something doesn’t make sense or when a moment feels off—and sometimes, their suggestions will be the spark that makes a scene really shine.
So yeah, those are my tips for today. Pricing, royalties, beta readers—these things matter more than you might think. Hope it helps!