"Literature... cut short by the intrusion of force... is not merely interference with freedom of the press but the sealing up a nation's heart, the excision of its memory."
—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian novelist
Lot’s Cave, Inc.
Royalty Payment FAQ
Royalty Payment Times, Amounts, and Details
Books Sold on Lot's Cave eBooks Website
Lot's Cave eBooks pays authors and publishers a flat 70% retail royalty rate for all sales, excepting book refunds and minus any credit transaction fees which may include card chargebacks, transaction fees, foreign transfer fees if applicable, and any additional associated fees charged by the credit card processor. Books that are offered for sale as part of Lot's Cave eBooks or author promotions will receive a flat 70% retail royalty rate of the adjusted promotional price. For example, if the book is priced at $2.00, the 70% royalty rate will be $1.40 – minus any credit transaction fees. If the price is reduced to $1.00 as part of a promotional sale, the adjusted royalty rate will be $0.70 – minus any credit transaction fees.
The threshold for royalty payment by PayPal is only $1.00 while the threshold for paper checks is $20.00. Any previous balance from the month prior not paid out, is added to the next month until the applicable threshold amount is reached. For residents outside the USA, payment is made via PayPal only and the payment threshold is $10.00 due to foreign money transfer fees – note that some individual exceptions can and do exist.
Royalties are paid monthly around the 15th of the month for payments made via PayPal. You can set yourself up with PayPal for a direct deposit of your money into your bank account. Alternatively, you can be paid via check mailed to your address if you prefer.
Why do the royalty payment rates sometimes vary for the same book?
For sales that take place at LotsCave.com, there are two potential reasons due to transaction fees.
1. The credit transaction fee can vary based on the number of books in the customer's cart (more books = lower transaction fee per title). This is because PayPal charges a fixed fee per shopping cart transaction (approximately 33 cents), regardless of the number of books in the cart, and then adds a small percentage fee based on the overall price. When multiple books are in the customer's purchase, the 33 cent fee is spread across multiple books, so, if the customer bought 33 books, it would be about 1 cent per book plus the percentage. This is why we notify you at the time of customer purchase as to your actual proceeds from the sale based on the number of books purchased in the cart.
2. If you're an author residing outside the United States, then your monthly royalty payment may be subject to a small ' Foreign Transfer Fee' charged by PayPal.
Sales Reporting
When you publish with Lot's Cave eBooks through our distribution channels, how will you receive reporting data from each distributor that your books are sold on? All books sold on the Lot's Cave website itself will be reported by an email to you at the time the sale clears credit card processing through an automated reporting system. You will also receive a monthly report with a breakdown for each book sold within the first two weeks of the next month at the same time you receive your monthly royalty payment.
All other sales through distribution channels are reported in the same monthly sales report in the first two weeks of the month following receipt of the money from the distribution channels – again at the time of royalty payment for that retail channel. Keep in mind that each channel has its own varying and complex reporting methods.
If you are ever in question as to your current status within various distribution channels, feel free to send us an email requesting current status information, or give us a phone call and we will discuss it with you.
Royalty Payment Information
It is the duty of all authors and publishers who submit manuscripts to Lot's Cave eBooks to also provide the necessary information to receive payment for any money owed. Authors and publishers agree that if authors or publishers fail to provide a PayPal email address for payment or a physical Unite States mailing address for bank checks to be mailed within two years after time of first submission of manuscripts, you will forfeit all moneys earned or owed when not claimed. A convenient form for authors to provide this information to Lot's Cave eBooks is located (Here).
Opt In / Opt Out
To opt in you can indicate your publishing wishes on the manuscript upload form when you initially publish your book. Later, by sending an email to service@Lot's Cavecompany.com you may opt in or out of having Lot's Cave eBooks publish your books at other book stores such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Sony, Kobo, Apple, Smashwords, Lulu and others. You may opt in or out of having your eBook placed with any particular book store, or all stores, by email.
What Subject Matter Does Lot's Cave eBooks Accept?
Lot's Cave eBooks accepts all romance topics. However, we do not publish on the Lot's Cave website any books containing adult material or erotica – with the exception of recognized literature. Any materials or content submitted here by authors or publishers must be rated no higher than PG-
Price Guidelines
Prices for eBooks in general are dynamic and shifts with the market over time. Due to payment processing costs, we cannot accept prices below $2.99, even for titles selling elsewhere at lower prices.
Lot's Cave eBooks policy does not allow below market prices. Low pricing strategies fail to make money for author attempting to gain market share by undercutting other authors, and causes the entire market to be driven lower for all authors and publishers.
Lot's Cave eBooks automatically adjusts all prices accordingly. Here are the prices ranges we accept:
- Micro-
Shorts - $2.99 Dollars
1,200–3,999 words in length
- Shorts -
$2.99 Dollars
4,000–15,000 words in length
- Novelettes -
$3.99 Dollars
12,000–35,000 words in length
- Novels & Novellas -
$4.95 to $5.99 Dollars
35,000–80,000 words in length
- Epic Novels -
$5.99 to $6.99
60,000 words or more in length
Bundled Trilogies -
Larger Bundles -
Generally, the price for bundles and collections should never fall below $1.00 per book included with micro-
Micro-
How Much Money Can You Make?
Success at writing seems to be directly correlated to the number of eBooks you write, the frequency you publish, and the price you charge, as well as successful marketing. Lot's Cave eBooks cannot predict the number of sales for any particular book or author, but we can recommend following the above price guidelines.
So far as we are aware Lot's Cave, StreetLib, and Smashwords are the only distributors that allow incest or hard core non-
You might consider asking yourself about what kind of results would you like to achieve with Lot's Cave eBooks. Are you looking to maximize profits without consideration to the art of writing, or are you mostly concerned with being able to practice the art of writing the way you want while making the most money possible for it? Do you have a publishing plan, or would you like our assistance in helping you develop one?
In any case, one difference you will notice immediately with Lot's Cave eBooks is the way we handle end matter if you are open to our modifications. This is a subject that will make a huge difference in your long term sales objectives.