How to support the authors you love: a reader's guide

Plus my June news, reads and upcoming events

At one of my recent events, the audience members seemed genuinely concerned about how best to support me (SO lovely!). Their questions made me aware that readers are not always sure if they are doing the right thing by authors, whether they’re purchasing from a bookshop or borrowing from a library, so I thought I’d put together a guide to give you more confidence in being able to support the authors you love.

First of all, I meet a surprising number of people who assume the authors they meet every day are rich (or that if they’re not rich and famous, it means their books are no good!). I have had some really strange conversations with people, from kids to retirees, who have assumed I am mega wealthy! People are shocked when I explain how little most authors earn, and that even the authors who make it onto bestseller lists might only stay there for a week or two before their sales dip substantially. And prize money only goes so far (more than once, I’ve heard of authors using it to pay off their debts).

Of course, if an author is internationally known and writes commercial fiction then you can be fairly certain they’re pretty well off, but most authors have some level of stress about their income, because circumstances can change quickly. In fact, many authors rely on other income besides writing to earn a liveable wage. The money I have received for contracts has gone up and down during the course of my career, and there are a lot of factors beyond authors’ control that can cause sales to drop and publishers to pay us less money for new books. Therefore, all authors really do rely on support from readers for their careers to continue: so when you love an author, please, please buy their book whenever you can.

What if there are lots of authors you want to support?

Let’s break down how authors are paid a little more, so you can analyse the different ways you can help out both authors and the book industry.

Authors generally receive about 10% of the sales price of a physical book. (It can be as low as 7.5% for small mass market paperbacks and rise to as much as 15% if we sell lots of copies.) The percentages are higher for ebooks and audiobooks - a standard contract usually has authors earning about 25% of sales, but this may rise to 30-35% for more generous contracts.

So, based on the standard percentages above, if a book costs you $34.95, the author will receive $3.50. If a book costs you $16, the author will receive $1.60. If an ebook costs you $9.99 an author will receive $2.50. If an ebook costs you $4.99, an author will receive $1.25. Authors also pay their agents around 15-20% of their earnings, so their take home pay is going to be even less than this.

As you can see, an author is going to have to sell a lot of books to make an income! However, you can also see that you’re not necessarily doing authors a disservice by purchasing an ebook or audiobook. What’s also important is that there’s a reason that an independent store might charge $34.95 for a book, when you can find it a lot cheaper in a 'department style store’ - because independent bookshops have more outgoings and can’t bulk buy their books in the same way, and therefore don’t receive the same discounts. However, independent bookstores also have some of the most passionate and knowledgeable book people at the helm, and they work really hard to champion authors. If you’re a book lover, please try to buy some of your books from independent bookstores for this reason, as they are also the most vulnerable to disappearing when times get tough.

Streamed audiobooks, or ebooks you read ‘free’ thanks to membership deals such as Amazon Prime, are a little trickier to report on, as the money pooled for these payments can change from month to month. In my experience an author earns far less in these scenarios, but they may be compensated elsewhere if their book receives greater visibility as a result of these deals, and therefore sells more overall. And an author selling their own ebooks on Amazon may earn as much as 70% of sales, so you would be paying the author $3.50 on a book costing $4.99 or $7 on a book costing $9.99.

If you can’t afford to purchase too many books, then it’s also worth knowing that the Public Lending Rights scheme pays authors every year for books borrowed from libraries, and this is often an essential component of author income. So by borrowing books you help ensure that your favourite author will continue to get their PLR payment each year.

Other ways to support authors, aside from buying books

1. Spread the word! Word of mouth is an author’s dream, and you can’t buy it! If you love an author, you’re probably already raving about their books everywhere, and I can assure you that said author is supremely grateful each time you do.

2. Tell authors you love them! Authors love hearing from happy readers (we love you too!), so you’ll absolutely make our day by getting in touch - and you’ll often give us a bit of extra energy and impetus to keep going with the book we’re currently working on. (Always true for me!)

3. Attend different author events. Don’t just go to see the authors you love, check out authors you might not have heard of, who are often speaking at your local bookshops, libraries and events venues. It’s always a fascinating night out, and you might be listening to the next Liane Moriarty or Jane Harper!

I hope this helps you feel more confident in supporting authors - if you have any questions, let me know. And if you’re an author reading this and I’ve missed anything, please let us know that too in the comments.

My latest news and events

I had an excellent evening at The Lane bookshop in Claremont, Perth, chatting to journalist and author Bron Sebree about When She Was Gone. Thanks to everyone who came, including my buddies who turned up even though they’d already been to a book event a few weeks before (that’s friendship!).

My events are slowing down as I get back into writing, but I’m really looking forward to the next one on TUES 1 JULY 2025 (6.30 – 8.30 pm) at Durty Nelly’s Irish Pub
Shafto Lane, Perth. I’ll be chatting with Stefen from Stefen’s Books about When She Was Gone and The Hush. The event will include a short reading and a signing session at the end – or buy them from Stefen on the night! This is a free event, no bookings required, so come along and have a drink and bookish chat with us!

NEW PODCAST! I always love talking to Anjanette Fennell, my super book agent friend, who is always so knowledgeable about books and the publishing industry. You can hear our chat on the Writers Talking podcast, available now.

What’s new on The Resilient Author

I’ve spent my last couple of Resilient Author posts tackling the hefty topic of AI - with two posts looking at how authors and creatives might think about both the ongoing conversation and crafting our own AI policies. It’s led to some really interesting chats with readers and fellow writers, and I’ve learned a lot!

Let's build a big, ongoing, nuanced conversation around authors and AI

Landing on an AI policy so we can get back to our lives and writing

And finally…

I finished Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and loved it! Daisy Jones is still my favourite TJR book, but this one is right up there too. It got me thinking about how much I love stories and movies about the moon and space exploration. From Apollo 13 to Gravity to Hail Mary to Interstellar, if we’re leaving earth then count me in! And I’m about to read David Dyer’s A Kingdom of Dust - are there any other space geeks out there with a good book or movie recommendation?

Thanks for being part of Story Matters. Until next time, happy reading!

---

ICYMI last time on Story Matters: