E-book publisher Rosetta Books announced what it calls the “highest industry standard e-book royalty rate” yesterday. The new royalty terms give Rosetta authors 50% of net receipts on the first 2,500 copies of the e-books sold, followed by 60% of receipts for subsequent copies.
Rosetta offers a number of other author-empowering terms in its contracts, including five-year license agreements and focused digital rights buying, freeing authors to sell film rights, for example, elsewhere. Arthur Kebanoff, CEO of Rosetta, said in a statement that, “The e-book market has reached a ‘tipping point.’ The more successful the author, the more important are revenue share and rights flexibility.”
The standard royalty rate at most trade publishers is 25%, and other independent e-book publishers, such as E-Reads, already offer a 50% royalty rate. For big selling authors, Rosetta’s extra 10% offered after 2,500 copies are sold could make a huge difference.
