How much money does an average book make that the author gets?

S

sportychic

New member
Im 15 and want to write a book/diary on my previous struggle with anorexia.....and give those who have it hope and know tht others struggle too and arent alone. I know its a long process, but any info on how to publish it and adertise it would be helpful. also, money estimations on how much all that would cost and how much i would actually get would be appriciated! thanks!

ps- do u think that kind of book would sell?
 
If you manage to sell it to a publisher (at this point, with your book unwritten, your chance is about 1 in 100,000) you will make a couple of thousand dollars.

If you self-publish you will almost certainly make a loss.

If you want to give others hope, to be honest I suggest you join a support forum - you will do far more good there, and it's free.

Don't write a book because you want to make money. Dont write a book because you want to help others. The only reason you should write a book is if you want to write a book.
 
While I'm glad to hear you're winning in the stuggle with an eating disorder, the market for such a book is going to be limited. Essentially, what you've been through, while awful and requiring huge determination and strength of spirit to overcome, is not unusual. Thousands of girls and women faced the same struggle, and many wrote books.

So you're going to have to bring to the table something none of their books has offered, something which makes the subject marketable all over again.

This is not impossible--it's just real hard. The same situation exists with books about child abuse, yet I know an author whose memoir is doing quite well, because of the juxtaposition of her story played out against a court case against the abusers many years later. She brought something different to the publisher, something which sold.

This is not to say you shouldn't write your story, but you cannot expect to sell it. The writing alone may prove cathartic, though, and if you can sell it, and sell 5,000 copies (modestly successful), you could earn anywhere from $3200 to $12,000 depending on what size and type of book it is and its retail price.

I'm still really pleased to hear you beat this, though.
 
I think it would, because it's your real experience. It's hard to know how much your book will make. J.K. Rowling, who wrote Harry Potter, is now richer than the Queen of England. (literally!) Other writers don't make any money, and are just thankful that their work was published. You'll need to improve your grammar a bit, or no editor will take you seriously.

This is how your question should have been stated:

How much money does the average author receive for writing a book?

I'm 15 and want to write a book/diary on my previous struggle with anorexia. I want to give those who have it hope and let them know that others struggle too and they are not alone. I know it's a long process, but any information on how to publish it and advertise it would be helpful. Also, money estimations on how much all the would cost and how much I would actually get would be appreciated. Thanks!

P.S. Do you think that kind of book would sell?
 
It would depend. You get I think about 10% of each book. You also have you pay your agent if you get one (its very hard to get published without one).

Tales of eating disorders sell well. But it also depends on the story itself. Just write the novel with your heart and soul and it will sound real. Give it everything you have and believe in it. Also, never give up.

are you going to self publish it? Don't. Go the traditional way.
 
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