Re: [Paddlewise] Matt's royalties

Okay I went back and got my tax records so I could get this exactly right
and found out I have made more than I had guessed myself. Total paid to me
so far (royalties through 6/30/00) counting my $1000 share of the $4,000
advance has been $4258.06. I didn't count how many books have been sold
overall but in the first year and one-half it was 5571 copies overall. I
think it must be a little over 10,000 copies now adding the two years since
them. I think having broken 10,000 copies we just got a raise so I just
started making about .60 per book (at best--1/2 that for those sold at more
than 57% discount--which a considerable number have been). Made about .50
/book between 5000 and 10000 copies sold (if memory serves me) and about .41
per book (at best) for the first 5000 sold.

>From what wanewman_at_uswest.net wrote:
<SNIP>
 >>>Deep trouble is probably doing
better than our regional guidebooks but typical royalty is 10-12%of net -
net
being on the order of 50-60% of cover price.  Sarah and I have our books
sold
for $15.96 cover price by Globe Pequot which means if we don't sell them
direct
we get about $0.89 per book.  Sales on the Western Great Lakes book were
5,000
the first year.  So here goes my guess.<<<

Well it looks like regional guidebooks may sell better than "Deep Trouble".
My my, 5000 in the first year alone.
In our shop Randy Washburne's regional guide "Kayaking--Puget Sound, the San
Juans, and Gulf Islands" is the next best seller to "Deep Trouble" (which
probably sells far better in our shop than anywhere else in the country --
if not, then certainly on a relative to total book sales basis).
Significantly, Randy, wiser from past experience, gave up all royalties to
his guide book rather than have to update it again for the second time as
required by the publishing contract if the publisher requests it (R. Carey
Gersten did the update this last time and is listed as the "editor" of the
latest edition).

George Gronseth (second author of "Deep Trouble") wanted us to self publish
a "Deep Trouble" like book at some unspecified later date. I felt it was
time the information got out again to the new kayaking public even though I
knew from past experience that self publishing would probably be more
profitable, I didn't want to wait any longer and was prepared to go ahead
with the project, with or without George. George finally decided to join in
with his articles (rather than possibly do a sequel later).

My past experience had been that I sold 11,000 copies of my self published,
self stripped, self laid out, self collated, self trimmed, and self sold,
staple back book "Freestyle Skiing--the parka pocket guide to trick and hot
dog skiing" back from 1972 to 1975. My brother, Cam did the cover and all
the illustrations. I made about $1.00 per book (it retailed at $2.75). When
I then sold a revised edition of that book to a New York publisher all I
made was the advance of $1000 on about 5000 copies sold before it went out
of print. It retailed at $7.95 in hardback and I think either $3.95 or $4.95
in softback. Remember, $1.00 was worth a lot more back then, I bought an old
house in 1977 for $10,750. I make more than that each year in rent from it
now.
Back in the early 70's no book distributor would touch a self published
book. I had to sell them separately to each ski shop and bookstore myself.
Now things have changed, many distributors will handle a self published book
that has potential. I think John Muir's self published, yet extremely
popular, "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, a manual for the Complete
Idiot" had much to do with that change.

Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com


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