Do Authors Charge Enough?

I had to ship back two pairs of sneakers that came to me in the wrong size — an 11 wide width instead of a regular 11. I rushed out of the house with a box and label but did not tape it shut. When I got to the counter of a UPS shipping store the clerk said it would cost $3.25 to have him tape it up. It was free until December — and then they decided to upcharge customers.

Can you imagine that a business that makes a lot of money on shipping markups is going to charge a ridiculous amount for tape?

He used three strips of tape that took four seconds to apply. Those three strips of tape, as a percentage of the roll, were far below one percent. They get those rolls in bulk at less than a two bucks. So a $2 roll at one percent is two cents. I paid 162 times that. Not a bad profit — something like nearly six hundred dollars in pure profit off of a single role of tape!

You might say they charge because they can. It is capitalism 101. You may say it is a discouragement fee, to avoid more people like me coming in and needing help. Or, you can just say they are ripping me off in a blatant money-grab and screwing me!

I hate them and don’t want to use them. But they are convenient and all of these places overcharge. It disgusts me. But I am also drawn to it, seeing how authors could be charging more for what they do.

Many writers want readers and will give their books away or lower the price to the point it costs them money on every sale. Maybe they need to stop all of that. Start charging your worth! No more discounts or freebies.

Perhaps you can charge for other things. Package your book with a public presentation. A ticket can cost $25 — $18 for the book and $7 extra is bundled in for your talk.

It is time for writers to embrace the benefits of entrepreneurship. It may not be in your DNA but you need to think of yourself as a business first, less a charity.

You are worth more. Now go collect your money!

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 6,200,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum