Royalty Info
How much royalty do I earn for each e-book I sell?
100%
You will receive every penny of your e-book sales through the Booktango Bookstore which means every dollar you generate is yours. You will receive 100 percent of the net payments if sold through another channel.
Royalties will not be paid on copies provided free of charge.
The exact amount you earn from each e-book you sell could differ depending on whether the sale is made directly from Booktango or through another retailer. Outside retailers will take a cut of your sale, which results in lower royalties for you. Below we've outlined two different scenarios: one royalty payment if a reader purchases a book from Booktango and one royalty payment if a reader purchases a book from another retailer.
Here's an example of a common sales transaction if you publish your e-book with Booktango:
The List Price for your book is $4.99.
The Retailer/Transaction Fee varies from vendor to vendor. (Booktango's bookstore fee is 0% of the list price.)
Your Royalty Rate through the Booktango Bookstore is 100%. (You get all of the sales.)
Your Royalty Rate through channel partners (Amazon, Kobo, Apple, etc.) is 100% of net.
How much royalty you would earn if you made a sale through Booktango:
Booktango Bookstore
List Price - Retailer/Transaction Fee = Net Sale x Royalty Rate = Royalty Earned
$4.99 - $0 = $4.99 x 100% = $4.99
How much royalty you would earn if you made a sale through an outside retailer:
Sample Retailer
List Price - Retailer/Transaction Fee* = Net Sale x Royalty Rate = Royalty Earned
$4.99 - $2.19 = $2.80 x 100% = $2.80
* Retailer transaction fees differ by retailer and currently range from 20%-65%. Some vendors also charge an additional fee per sale of $0.25 per book. For retail sales, Booktango does not take any of this fee — it all goes to the retailer.
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Where do I see my sales?
ONLINE REPORTS
We'll help you track sales and royalty information in online reports in your account dashboard on the Booktango website.
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What information is available in the online sales and royalty reports?
LOTS
In the Reports tab of your Booktango account dashboard, you will be able to view a variety of information regarding sales of your e-book(s) and royalties earned. You can export these reports as Excel or PDF files for your personal records.
- Sales Report: In the "Sales Report," we do our best to provide you with up-to-date information regarding your e-book sales. The goal here is to give you a good estimate of how and where your e-book is selling. You can sort sales data based on title, format, retailer, sale date, etc. You can also filter the sales data to create further customized reports.
We update this report for you as frequently and as accurately as we can. However, please note that because external retailers operate on their own schedule, it can take time for them to report their sales information back to us. This means your online report cannot be updated in real time for each sale you make.
- Royalty Report: In the "Royalty Report," we show you your finalized e-book sales for each quarter.
If you want to learn more, watch our royalty reporting tutorial.
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How long does it take for a sale to be listed in my online "Sales Report"?
IT DEPENDS
The information in the “Sales Report” is updated throughout the royalty quarter to give you a good idea of how and where your e-book is selling. We always do our best to get accurate sales information to you as soon as we can, however this data cannot be updated in real time and may not reflect finalized information.
- Sales made through the Booktango Bookstore are updated daily, with a 72-hour delay. That means, when you make an e-book sale through our online bookstore, information regarding that sale should appear in your "Sales Report" within three days of the sale being processed.
- Sales made through outside retailers are updated monthly. Please note that external retailers — Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. — operate under their own schedules, so we cannot control the frequency with which they report sales information back to us. The information we receive from our retail partners may reflect only the month of sale, not the actual date. That means retailer sales will show up in your "Sales Report" as the first day of the month they are effective. For example, all of your sales made through Apple for the month of May 2012 will reflect a sales date of 5/1/2012 in the online reports.
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How often is my "Royalty Report" updated?
EVERY QUARTER
Because external retailers operate on their own schedule, it can take time for them to report their sales information back to us. This means it may take up to 60 days after the close of the royalty quarter for sales information to be finalized and posted on your "Royalty Report" in your account.
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When is my EFT information updated?
We update new or modified EFT information on January 31, April 30, July 31 and October 31. To ensure your royalty funds are transferred to your preferred account, please make sure your account information is accurate prior to these dates. Changes made after these dates will be reflected on the following pay cycle.
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Will I still see a royalty statement if there were no sales in a quarter?
YES
Once the statement for a quarter in which you have made no sales has been finalized, you will see the reporting period for that quarter available in the dropdown report menu with $0.00 indicated in parenthesis. If you choose to run that report, you will see a message that says “No sales reported for the period selected.”
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My friend said he ordered my book. Why don't I see this sale listed in my online "Sales Report"?
IT DEPENDS
The answer to this question depends on where your friend ordered the book. If your friend ordered from the Booktango Bookstore, then the order will appear within three days of the sale being processed. If your friend ordered from another bookstore or retailer, the order will appear as soon as we receive monthly sales reports from our partners. Please note that because each retail partner operates under their own schedules, we cannot control when we receive this information from them.
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Can you provide me with the names of customers who bought my book?
NO
Industry practice, consumer privacy rules and Booktango business policy do not allow us to provide this information to you or to anyone else. While we and our retail partners protect the identities of individual customers, we do provide you with as many details as we can in your "Sales Report."
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I have a specific question about my royalty and sales reports. Where can I go to get the answer?
LIVE CHAT
If you have a specific question that is not addressed in our Frequently Asked Questions, please use the LiveChat button for assistance.
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I need to change my address. How can I do that?
YOUR BOOKTANGO PROFILE
You can easily change your contact information or email address at any time by logging in to your Booktango account dashboard and visiting the Profile tab. Don’t worry; the information in your Profile is not visible to other Booktango users.
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When am I paid royalties?
EACH QUARTER *
First Quarter: January 1 to March 31 (checks available in late May)
Second Quarter: April 1 to June 30 (checks available in late August)
Third Quarter: July 1 to September 30 (checks available in late November)
Fourth Quarter: October 1 to December 31 (checks available in late February)
* You are paid for the books sold in the given quarter time frame once you reach the threshold of $50.00 or more.
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How do you pay me?
ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER, DIRECT DEPOSIT OR CHECK
By default, your book sales royalties are paid by mailed check.
Or, you can opt in to the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) by adding your bank account information to your Booktango account. Simply log-in to your account and click on "Profile," then under "Tax Information" click on "Update Electronic Payment Information." Or, you can fill out and returning the direct deposit form (download direct deposit form PDF).
We update new or modified EFT information on January 31, April 30, July 31 and October 31. To ensure your royalty funds are transferred to your preferred account, please make sure your account information is accurate prior to these dates.
With EFT or direct deposit, instead of receiving mailed checks, your royalty payments will be deposited into your bank account. Please note: If you are paid by check, a $5.00 check fee will be deducted from your royalties; however, there is no fee for direct deposit or EFT payments.
If you choose to be paid by check, you will start receiving royalty payments the first quarter that your royalty earnings for a book reach $50.00 or more. We will continue to hold your royalties until the balance due to you is $50.00 or more, as stated in our publishing terms and conditions agreement. If you choose to be paid by EFT or direct deposit, you will start receiving royalty payments the first quarter your royalty earnings reach $1.00.
For each payment option, royalties are paid quarterly (four payments per year).
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How long does it take to receive payment?
TWO MONTHS AFTER QUARTER CLOSES
It takes about two months after the quarter closes until the royalty payments are sent to you. First Quarter checks are mailed in late May, Second Quarter checks are mailed in late August, Third Quarter checks are mailed in late November, and Fourth Quarter checks are mailed in late February. (See specifics in the FAQs above)
The two month timeframe is because we do not receive the reporting sales information until 30 days after the close of the quarter. Then, we need additional time to verify, compile and send the information to you.
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Can my royalty check be split between a co-author and myself?
YES
By default, only you, the author/account holder, are paid royalties. However, you can split your royalty payments between two or more co-authors if you prefer. If you would like to arrange this, please contact a Booktango representative or use our Live Chat feature.
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Can I arrange for someone else to receive my royalty payments?
YES, BUT...
Only if you transfer the entire rights of your agreement with Booktango to that person. That person will also hold the copyright for the book. If you would like to arrange this, please contact us.
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Am I paid royalty when I purchase copies of my own book?
YES
Any purchases you make of your own e-book — whether through a retailer or our website — will be treated as any other sale of your e-book. Thus, you will most certainly receive royalty payments for each copy that you buy. In the end, it's basically like you're receiving an author discount.
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I need to update my tax information. How can I do that?
BOOKTANGO ACCOUNT
You can fill out your W-9 or W-8BEN online through your Booktango account. Simply log-in to your account and click on Profile to update your information.
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TAX REGULATIONS
We require your Social Security number to comply with the government’s tax regulations. Since you have the opportunity to earn additional income from book sales, the government requires that you pay taxes on the total earnings. The W-9 form allows you to provide a Taxpayer Identification Number, or TIN. If you are publishing your book under your own name or a pen name, your TIN is your Social Security number. If you are publishing under a business name, or you want your royalty check to be addressed to a business, you can enter your employer identification number instead of your personal Social Security number.
If you do not supply your taxpayer ID number, we are required to withhold taxes at the rate of 28 percent of total earnings.
If you supply us with your taxpayer ID at a later date, we cannot return the withheld tax money because we do not retain it — it is passed on to the government by law. You can speak to a tax professional about how to report this at the end of the tax year in order to receive a tax return for any additional amount that you are due.
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