royalties from sales to libraries - Writers Forum

steveb · 04-21-2008, 03:06 AM

Hey everyone,

First time poster and, admittedly, not a very long time lurker here with a question:

Recently, a non-fiction reference book I wrote was published nationwide (Canada). It's not in all the bookstores yet, but I am finding that it was snapped up quite quickly by the libraries -- just about every library in Canada I've looked at either has at least one copy, or has one ordered.

For reasons I won't go into, my relationship with the publisher is very icey. I'm not even sure if I'm going to be paid royalties honestly.

My question is -- do libraries purchase books from distributors at the retail price, or at the trade discount price? Or do they pay even more (I heard a rumor that libraries pay considerably more -- why, I don't know. Perhaps to compensate the publisher for the loss in sales from people choosing to borrow, rather than buy the book? No idea!)

Any advice you guys and gals can offer is most appreciated. Just making sure I'm getting a fair deal here.

Mike C · 04-21-2008, 07:10 AM

Quote:

The Public Lending Right Commission goes out every year and visits ten different public libraries. It has a list of books published by Canadian authors, and every time it finds one of those books in the holdings of a library, the author makes about $40. This is to compensate the authors for sales lost because library users are such cheapskates.

If the book is in all ten libraries, that's $400. And when you've published 20 books, many of them held in Canadian libraries, it begins to add up...even for books that have been out of print for 20 years.

How's that? Full text here - Writing Fiction: Royalties

strangedaze · 04-21-2008, 08:14 AM

Glad this question was asked. I was pretty curious. Were I a published author I'd find every library I can and request that they purchase copies of my book. I know every library here - public, university, the community college on - allows you to fill out request forms.

Sam Winchester · 04-21-2008, 08:17 AM

So that's why there's a charge in my local library whenever I order a book? Never knew that.

Strangedaze - that sounds like a good idea. Maybe get someone else to do it, though, in case the librarian recognised you. He might think of you as a desperate author.

Sam.

strangedaze · 04-21-2008, 08:20 AM

I like how you slipped 'desperate author' part in there.

lin · 04-21-2008, 09:57 AM

Author relationships to libraries is a funny one. How many industries do you see the producers speaking well of, and even giving time to support, an institution that makes their work available to people without compensation?

Sam Winchester · 04-21-2008, 10:08 AM

I think we're all desperate authors at the end of the day. I wouldn't mind my novel being in a library even if I wasn't compensated for it.

Sam.

steveb · 04-21-2008, 01:53 PM

Thanks all. Very helpful.

lin · 04-21-2008, 02:29 PM

The Neo-Desperado school, that's us.