Barnes and Noble Press ties its print rate to printing cost

The writer's problem

An author publishing print and ebook editions through Barnes & Noble Press needs to know the two formats are not paid the same way, and that the print figure is not a flat percentage of the price a reader pays. The retailer's own Royalty and Payment Terms page states one formula for ebooks and a different one, tied to a variable manufacturing cost, for print.

What the documents show

The page states ebook sales earn a royalty rate of 70 percent of the retail price the author sets, while print sales earn 55 percent of that retail price minus the per-book printing cost. A companion article, Royalties from Print Book Sales, confirms the same 55-percent-minus-printing-cost formula and adds that there are currently no discounts for bulk orders, though the company states it hopes to offer them in the future, a statement of intent rather than a commitment. Both pages state terms may change with thirty days' notice under the platform's broader terms and conditions, standard language for a living retailer agreement rather than a one-time announcement, and neither page states the printing cost for any specific title, format or specification.

The editorial choice

Because the print royalty depends on a printing cost that varies with trim size, page count and paper choice, an author cannot compare the 55 percent print rate against another retailer's flat percentage without first finding the actual per-unit printing cost for that specific book. That is arithmetic the author or publisher has to do title by title; the royalty page states the formula but not the cost inputs for any particular book.

What stays with the author

Setting the retail price, requesting the specific printing-cost figure for a title's specifications, and watching for a thirty-day notice of any change to the terms remain the author's responsibility. The percentages described here reflect the pages as retrieved on 16 September 2026.

• What is the actual per-unit printing cost for this book's trim size, page count and paper choice.
• Does the 55 percent print formula still net more per copy than a comparable print-on-demand competitor once that cost is known.
• Has a thirty-day notice of a terms change been posted since these pages were last checked.

A royalty percentage stated net of a variable cost is not fully known until that cost is, which makes the printing-cost figure, not the headline 55 percent, the number worth confirming before comparing print retailers.