Literary agents do have a fee. They normally take a portion of the author’s income, typically 15% or more. This fee is only paid if the agency manages to get the author a publication agreement. Literary agents are therefore motivated to work hard for their clients and negotiate the best bargains.
It is feasible to publish for free, but not all authors will find it to be the ideal choice. Authors can publish their work for free by self-publishing on websites like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Smashwords. To edit, format, and promote their book, they will need to put in some time and work. Furthermore, self-publishing does not give the same level of expert assistance and direction that traditional publishing does. How Do I Publish a Book Without Any Money? Without any funding, publishing a book is difficult but not impossible. The best choice is to self-publish using a free to use platform like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. However, authors will have to put in time and work to format, edit, and promote their book. In order to market their writing, they could also have to rely on free tools like beta readers or book bloggers. How Much Money Do Authors Make?
Depending on their level of accomplishment and the genre they write in, authors make a wide range of salaries. The median salary for all published authors in 2018 was little over $6,000, according to a study by the Authors Guild. The reality that many authors make very little or nothing at all, however, distorts this statistic. In 2018, the top 10% of authors made an average income of $166,000, and the top 1% made nearly $900,000.
Finally, J.K. Rowling does work with a literary agency, and they are not free. Although publishing without spending any money or for free is possible, the author must put in a lot of time and work. Authors’ earnings also drastically vary based on their level of accomplishment and the genre they write in.