Getting Paid, Tracking Sales and Making Changes
Whew, you made it to the finish line and your book is published! What a great feeling to hold it in your hands and see it for sale online. Take a moment to savor the accomplishment—what you’ve done is no small feat. But don’t get too comfy resting on your laurels because this publishing gig is just getting started.
If you are a first-time author, you likely have new appreciation for the phrase, “you don’t know what you don’t know” when it comes to self-publishing. And you may think you’re done but guess what? There’s still more to learn.
Let’s consider three key questions that often don’t surface until the book is published.
- When (and how) do I get paid?
- How do I know how many books have sold?
- Can I still make changes to my book?
Show Me the Money
Wondering when and how you will get paid? Each publishing platform has its own payment timeline, but in general, royalty payments are made 60-90 days after the month in which a sale was made. That first payment may seem like a long time coming (because it is), but once it arrives, royalties are paid monthly.
You choose how to receive royalties when you set up a publishing platform account, and that choice also impacts when the payment arrives. With KDP, direct deposit payments are made monthly as described above. If you opt for payment by wire transfer or check, a minimum threshold of sales has to be met before payment is issued. IngramSpark pays royalties via direct deposit (no minimum) or PayPal (currently a minimum of $30).
Slicing and Dicing Book Sales
Want to know how to track your book sales? Each platform includes a reporting function. In KDP, go to the Reports tab for a variety of sales and payment data. Some data, such as pre-orders and promotions, is updated every 15 minutes, but most data takes 24 to 48 hours to update.
Of particular note is that print book orders are reported when they have shipped, not when the order is placed.
IngramSpark also has a Reports section, accessed from the account’s left navigation bar. For authors who would rather not sort through all that digital data, IngramSpark emails a monthly sales report.
Mistakes Happen
Yep, despite multiple rounds of editing, proofreading and beta reader input, something slipped through the cracks and needs to be changed. Spoiler alert: you are not alone. It is a fact of publishing that typos and their ilk can lie dormant and unseen until ink hits paper, then they jump out at you like a lighthouse beacon.
Not to worry! An advantage of self-publishing is that the book files can be updated, uploaded and republished. First, correct the mistake in the layout and upload the revised file to your publishing account(s).
Then, with KDP, simply click the Publish button to resubmit. The new file(s) will be processed in the background while the book remains live for sale. When processing is complete (usually 24-72 hours), the new files will replace the previous version.
With IngramSpark, you will receive an updated e-proof to review. When that’s approved, the new files replace the old ones.
Note that with both platforms, any existing inventory will be used to fill orders before printing more books from the new files.
Bonus tip: Apart from revising the book files, if you update the book description, keywords or other metadata in your KDP account after publishing, you MUST click Publish again for those changes to be implemented.
Whether you’ve crossed the publishing finish line or are just thinking about starting the race, contact me for answers to any other burning questions about how to bring your book to life.
