Artistic Adventures with Victoria

(A Brief Dive into Amazon’s New Policy)

There’s been a change brewing in the Amazon self-publishing world—and no, it’s not another AI-generated book about a vampire octopus detective (though now that I’ve written that, maybe…). No, this change is about something far less dramatic but much more impactful: royalties.

Starting soon, if your paperback book is priced below a certain threshold, Amazon will reduce your royalty rate from 60% to 50%. This might not sound like much, but for authors of children’s books and coloring books—which are typically priced lower—it’s a fairly big deal. And here’s the kicker: this change happens whether I agree to it or not.

Now, as an author, I technically have options. Assuming I’d still like to sell my books (which, for the record, I very much do), I can:

1. Raise the prices to meet the new threshold and keep the 60% royalty.
2. Lower printing costs. (This would be easier if I didn’t fill the pages with images… but a coloring book with no images? Now that’s a creative experiment no one asked for.)

It’s worth remembering: authors pay the printing costs per book from their royalties. So here’s an example:
Let’s say I have a coloring book priced at $7, and the printing cost is somewhere between $4 and $5. If the royalty rate drops, you can do the math—there’s not much left for me. Amazon doesn’t allow negative profit per book (which, to be fair, is a good thing). If your price dips too low, they’ll simply raise the price to cover printing. So yes—if I do nothing, my book prices will increase anyway.

But here’s the twist: even if the author’s share shrinks, Amazon still earns the same (or more). I’m the one absorbing the cost of printing. It makes me wonder: is this how it works in traditional publishing too? If you know, do tell—I’m genuinely curious.

So, what’s my plan? After much staring out the window, I’ve decided to adjust my prices. Some books will meet the threshold to keep the higher royalty rate. Others will fall below it, but I’ll aim for just enough profit to stay slightly above zero.

I’m not ready to give up just yet. I enjoy this too much—the writing, the coloring, the curious joy of publishing. Just a small real-life Cumu moment. So, price changes are on the way, but the books stay.

Until next time, dear readers—thank you for sticking with me through royalties, raindrops, and revenue puzzles.