I read a Tweet recently where an author was upset that an online retailer had discounted the price of her book, and she thought she’d be making less per book. Just want to clarify that authors are paid a royalty on the printed retail price, not what the bookseller sells it for.

There are some exceptions which I won’t go into here but for the most part a standard sale to any bookseller will pay on the retail price. If a bookseller puts your $18 book on sale for $15, you still get the royalty on $18.

I know there are a lot of things about publishing that can feel complicated; I just didn’t want anyone to feel they were being ripped off if they see their price drop online or in a store. If more books sell because of it, you make more money.