The Brutal Reality for Fiction Authors

Let’s be honest: the fiction market is brutal. Readers expect low prices and fast delivery. That means many indie authors feel locked into pricing their paperbacks under $9.99, especially when competing with traditionally published books and heavily discounted bestsellers.

But with Amazon’s higher printing costs:

• A 300-page novel that used to net you around $2 per sale might now drop to $1 or less.

• To maintain your royalty, you’d need to raise your price, often to $9.99 or higher.

• But raising prices increases the risk of your book being passed over by cost-conscious readers.

It’s a lose-lose situation: either you sacrifice profit, or you risk losing sales.

And it doesn’t stop there.

In-Person Events Come with Real Costs

Book fairs, signings, and festivals are a fantastic way to connect with readers, grow your brand, and sell print copies—but they also come with real, upfront costs. You’ll often pay vendor or festival fees, purchase a table, bring signage, thank-you bags for customer purchases, and cover travel expenses, meals, and the cost of printed inventory. Even small items like supplies and displays add up quickly.

When your royalty per book drops below $1, it becomes almost impossible to break even, let alone come out ahead. You’re investing time, energy, and money into building your audience face-to-face, but Amazon’s royalty cut makes that investment riskier than ever.

For authors who rely on in-person events as part of their marketing strategy—or who just love getting out and meeting readers if they are published exclusively with Amazon, this change hits hard.