Costs to Publish
For a typical hardcover, priced at $19.95,
the Publisher probably gets $10.37, assuming a typical 48% off cover price to the wholesaler. (Discout can go as high as 60%.)
Manufacturing cost: $2.00
Overhead (marketing, fulfillment): $3.00
Returns and allowances: $3.00
Author’s royalties (10%): $2.00
Total publishing costs: $10.00
Publisher’s profit: $0.37.
Which ain’t much. However, the author ought to be getting at least a buck a book for marketing.
The Achilles heel, of course, is returns.