Wait, What? Why Charging More on Amazon Could Earn You $1.64 Less

Authortunities #96 │January 11 — February 8

Jan 11, 2025

∙ Paid

I had an eye opening reveal about Amazon eBook royalties this week. We are all familiar with the 35% and 70% royalty plan they have. Your eBook has to be $2.99 or more to receive the 70% royalty. What I didn’t know is that if your book is over $9.99 you revert back to the lower 35% royalty. So if I charge $14.99 for my book, I would actually make less.

Here’s my math…

$9.99 Book (70% Royalty): $6.89 per sale.
$14.99 Book (35% Royalty): $5.25 per sale.

Difference: A book priced at $9.99 earns $1.64 more per sale than a book priced at $14.99, despite the higher price of the latter.

So, we can charge more, but make less? Did you know this? Read my post eBooks: Why Charging More Earns You Less on Amazon here.

See a complete list here. The Kickstarter closes on January 15!

🌳What’s in this issue?

Congratulations K.A. Hough on Paper Moon, a brand new science fiction novel published by Sley House Publishing. I love this cover from Rizki Arga! Can’t wait to read this. Pre-orders are here.
Congratulations to Ross Brand on 100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions, Vol 5 by Ross Brand & 100+ creators. I have a prediction in this book: community will replace social media. Read all the predictions here.
Congratulations Howard Lovy on his upcoming Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story, an epic love story getting great advanced reader buzz. Pre-order your copy here.
I also had the pleasure of being featured on Howard Lovy’s Inspirational Indie Author podcast, a Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, in the top 5% of all podcasts globally. You can listen to that conversation here.
New emoji! I added new emoji 🟡 to the line up to designate listing with both an open and closing date in the same item.

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🟢 opening subs
🟡 opening/closing subs
🔴 closing subs
⭐ networking
💼 conference
🎤 open mics
🎓 education
♻️ reprints
🏆 awards
💰 grants

🟡 Ongoing · BookLife is open until February 1 for submissions of “self-published romances and nonfiction titles devoted to the topic of relationships” for their Indie Spotlight feature, a thematic roundup of self-published books both online and in print in Publishers Weekly magazine. Each Indie Spotlight is open to all types of books as long as they match the month's topic.

https://booklife.com/about-us/booklife-s-indie-spotlight.html

🎓 Ongoing · Course Creator Onboarding Transform your expertise into a self-directed course that empowers indie authors and builds your brand. Indie Author Training provides everything you need to go from idea to launch, all at your own pace. With technology, marketing tools, and a vibrant community, we make your journey as a course creator seamless and rewarding. Presented by Chelle Honiker, publisher of Indie Author Magazine. Free, space limited!

https://indieauthortraining.com/courses/course-creator-onboarding/

🟢 JAN 11 · Reedsy Prompts is open until the following Friday for short fiction between 1,000 - 3,000 words based on one of five prompts. Writers have until the following Friday at 11.59 pm EST to enter. No fee to enter and have work posted. $5 fee to be eligible for the $250 cash prize. This week’s prompt is: Flash(back) 📟.

https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/

🟢 JAN 11 · Witch Craft, a new collection of Folk Tales & Horror Stories from FlameTree Publishing is open until January 19 for submissions on the theme of Witch Craft for their Beyond & Within series. Payment is 8 cents/6 pence per word.

https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/witch-craft-submissions

🟢 JAN 11 · Wildsam is always open, a first of its kind national magazine dedicated to road trips, recreational vehicles and the outdoors with a reverence for the textures, stories and characters of the open road. See listing for multiple submission opportunities. Payment rates are roughly $1/word and can vary with the complexity of an assignment.

https://www.wildsam.com/about-us

🟢 JAN 11 · Rough Cut Press is open until January 27 for submissions of work in all genres from members of the LGBTQIA community up to 650 words. The theme is “reach.” Payment is $25.

https://roughcutpress.com/submit/

🟢♻️ JAN 11 · NonBinary Review, Zoetic Press is open until February 1 for prose, poetry and visual art. Submissions may close before the closing date as there is an acceptance cap for each issue. Payment is $0.01 USD per word for prose up to 3k words, $10 for poetry and visual art $25 USD flat rate. Theme is “MISTAKEN IDENTITY.”

https://nonbinaryreview.submittable.com/submit

⭐ JAN 12 · Inspirational Indie Authors podcast with the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) and Howard Lovy. Dive deep into personal stories of indie authors, understanding their pathways to success, challenges faced, and lessons learned. 1 pm GMT.

https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/inspirational-indie-author-interviews-podcast/

⭐🎤 JAN 12 · Rattlecast livestreams, is part interview and open mic with a prompt-based open mic. Hangout with Rattle editor Timothy Green and Katie Dozier. Each Rattlecast begins with an interview, a writing prompt, and poets reading from the last week’s prompt. | Rattlecast at 8 pm EST.

https://tinyurl.com/mtnu77n6

🔴 JAN 15 · Space and Time: Celebrating 50 Years of Speculative Fiction Kickstarter ends. You are invited to be part of this extraordinary legacy with our Kickstarter project, Space & Time: Celebrating 50 Years of Speculative Fiction. Together, we’ll create a stunning archival-quality book that captures the spirit of Space and Time with exclusive stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and interactive features that bring history to life. This is more than a book—it’s your chance to honor the past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future.

http://kck.st/4gfeGpY

🔴 JAN 15 · Electric Spec closes to speculative fiction stories of “science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre” between 250 and 7000 words for their February issue. Payment is $20 per piece.

http://www.electricspec.com/Submissions.html

🔴JAN 15 · 34 Orchard is closing for submissions of short fiction from 1000 to 5000 words and poetry of any genre/length. Payment is $50 USD.

https://34orchard.com/guidelines/

🔴💰 JAN 15 · CRAFT Memoir Excerpt & Essay Contest 2024 closes for unpublished literary creative nonfiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles including memoir excerpts, lyric essays, personal essays, narrative nonfiction, speculative nonfiction, and experimental prose. Three winners will receive $1,000 USD, publication in CRAFT, each with an introduction by the guest judge; publication of an author’s note (craft essay) to accompany the piece; and a set of six titles of Graywolf’s The Art Of series. Ttwo “editors’ choices” will publish alongside the three grand-prize winners and fifteen shortlisted creative nonfiction writers will receive a $1,000 scholarship to PocketMFA. Guest judge is Donald Quist. Reading fee: $20 USD.

https://www.craftliterary.com/craft-memoir-excerpt-essay-contest-2024/

🟢 JAN 15 · Strange Locations Microfiction From Apex Magazine, an anthology of Dark Travel Guides opens until February 15 for speculative microfiction in the form of tourist brochures, travel blogs, and guides to the strangest and darkest places you can imagine. Payment is $10 USD.

https://apexbookcompany.moksha.io/publication/apex-magazine-flash-fiction

🎓 JAN 15 · How to Be a Writer When You Have A Creative Job with Noah Sanders Noah Sanders is the Editor of The Racket Journal, The Racket Website, and The Racket Reading Series as well as an (occasionally) full-time professional copywriter. Mainly though, he just wants to be a fiction writer. Join Noah as he explores how to balance being creative professionally with trying to be creative in your spare time, and a few coping mechanisms for when it just doesn’t work out. Free event. Check the listing for times.

https://writeordiemag.com/workshops/p/creative-job

🎓 JAN 15 · Organize Your Writing Life In this 90-minute webinar with Allison K Williams, get clear on your goals and learn how to merge linear planning with creative flexibility to organize your files and your projects. You’ll set (doable!) goals that matter and learn patterns to stay focused on your project despite the demands of work, family and home. You’ll get tips and tricks to stay motivated and confident when you’re not getting much feedback, and easy, free ways to connect with other writers. Class costs $25. Check the listing for times.

https://janefriedman.com/organize-your-writing-life-with-allison-k-williams/

🎓 JAN 15 · Troubled Waters: Navigating the Agent/Author Relationship Agent Stacey Graham from 3 Seas Literary Agency will share how to recognize the signs of when your agent/author relationship may be headed for the rocks, what to try to right the ship, and when it's time to head for the lifeboat in this fast-paced presentation. Class costs $35 USD. Check the listing for times.

https://symposium.pipelineartists.com/event/troubled-waters-navigating-the-agent-author-relationship

🎓 JAN 15 · Beyond Ownership: Land, Housing, and the Fight for Equity In this conversation, Lim and the artist Amy Ching-Yan Lam discuss how real estate ownership is woven into our cities, societies, relationships and psyches. Audrea Lim is the author of Free the Land: How We Can Fight Poverty and Climate Chaos, and the editor of The World We Need: Stories and Lessons from America’s Unsung Environmental Movement. Amy Ching-Yan Lam is an artist, writer and the author of Baby Book.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-ownership-land-housing-and-the-fight-for-equity-tickets-1118145115139

🔴 JAN 16 · Three-Lobed Burning Eye closes for “original, unpublished speculative fiction: including horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction.” Payment is US $.08 per word for short stories or (1,500–7,499 words) or flash fiction (500–1,499 words); plus one copy of the print anthology.

https://www.3lobedmag.com/submissions.html

🎓 JAN 16 · How to Get Published—Land a Book Deal in 2025 with Jane Friedman, hosted by Writer’s Digest. This intensive and information-filled 120-minute live webinar helps you think like an industry insider who makes decisions every day on what work merits print publication. You’ll get practical advice and tools to help you develop strong pitch letters and proposal materials for both fiction and nonfiction—plus back-door methods for networking with agents and editors. Don’t embark on the submission process in 2025 without being fully educated about how the industry works. Class costs $99.99 USD.

https://writersdigestuniversity.mykajabi.com/how-to-get-published-2025

⭐ JAN 16 · First Friday - Third Thursday Quick Read features 6 authors each reading a selection of speculative fiction for 8 minutes. There will be time for questions & answers at the end and a giveaway from the authors. This free event hosted by Strong Women - Strange Worlds features Aimee Kuzenski, Lauren Bolger, Lauren Teffeau, ML Dumars, Nora B. Peevy, Kay Malady and emcee/host Sarah Smith along with support from authors Anne Nydam and Terri Bruce. Pre-register.

https://strongwomenstrangeworlds.weebly.com/

🔴 JAN 17 · Rattle Magazine’s “Poets Respond” challenge calls for poems inspired by “a news story or public event from the previous week, and has been written in the time since.” Selected poems will appear as the Sunday poem at Rattle.com which appear to over 10,000 people via RSS feed and daily email service. Poets will receive $100 and a free print magazine subscription. Each week's deadline is Friday midnight PST.

https://rattle.submittable.com/submit/30232/poets-respond-online

⭐🎓 JAN 18 · PARSEC, Pittsburgh’s premier Science Fiction & Fantasy Organization, welcomes the public to their monthly meetings held the third Saturday of each month beginning at 12:30 pm EST. Virtual Zoom meetings are available for those unable to attend in person.

https://parsec-sff.org/monthly-meetings

🎓 JAN 18 · Writing the Occult: The Uncanny Writing the Occult is a boutique series of events brought to you by the Society of Ink Slingers, in partnership with Alex Davis Events. Our approach is to bring together the fiction world with folklore and academia to bring a well-rounded view to a specific area of interest to both speculative fiction writers and those with a hankering for the esoteric. From £38.02. Check the listing for times.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-the-occult-the-uncanny-tickets-1119630497959

🔴 JAN 19 · Witch Craft, a new collection of Folk Tales & Horror Stories from FlameTree Publishing is closing for submissions on the theme of witchcraft, for their Beyond & Within series. Payment is 8 cents/6 pence per word.

https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/witch-craft-submissions

⭐🎤 JAN 19 · Rattlecast livestreams, is part interview and open mic with a prompt-based open mic. Hangout with Rattle editor Timothy Green and Katie Dozier. Each Rattlecast begins with an interview, a writing prompt, and poets reading from the last week’s prompt. | Rattlecast at 8 pm EST.

https://tinyurl.com/mtnu77n6

🎓 JAN 21 · Writing with the Soul of Your Book with Laura Thomas Join this immersive workshop about connecting with the soul of your book, overcoming internal barriers, and telling the story you can tell in a way only you can tell it. Through potent content, clarifying exercises, and heartfelt sharing, Laura will guide you in an intimate process of building a relationship with your book that will support you through your whole writing journey–from the beginning to “the end.” Free event. Check the listing for times.

https://writeordiemag.com/workshops/p/writing-with-the-soul

🔴 JAN 24 · Rattle Magazine’s “Poets Respond” challenge calls for poems inspired by “a news story or public event from the previous week, and has been written in the time since.” Selected poems will appear as the Sunday poem at Rattle.com which appear to over 10,000 people via RSS feed and daily email service. Poets will receive $100 and a free print magazine subscription. Each week's deadline is Friday midnight PST.

https://rattle.submittable.com/submit/30232/poets-respond-online

🎓 JAN 24 · How Does Literary Talent Get Discovered Today? Ann Kjellberg of Book Post and Jane Friedman will discuss questions raised by the current market environment, which writerly frustrations are new and which are old, and what opportunities and practices are worthwhile for writers seeking to proactively move forward with their careers (rather than passively waiting for an agent or publisher to respond). Free event. Check the listing for times.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nJCGlwr2SnOmEqCSL6NZUQ#/registration

🎓 JAN 25 · Becoming an Editor Fahmidan's workshops are as little as $5 with pay-what-you-can options up to $25. All workshops will be recorded via Zoom. Check the listing for times.

https://fahmidanjournal.submittable.com/submit/308885/fahmidan-workshops-2024-2025

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