So, think of a book like a pie. Not a pie made by one person. There’s a whole team behind a book; author, illustrator, editor, designer, agents, production team, printers and binders. There’s shippers and sales teams, and warehouses and storage. And then there are bookshops and other booksellers. All of these people need to receive a share of the pie.
Some great points here about the book economy. In my life, I have worked as:
- A small press publisher
- An author
- A translator
- A bookseller
So I have seen almost the entire book industry firsthand, other than production and bulk sales. It is a huge team. And it’s a very precarious profession. Few authors make a living from writing, and most of those who do don’t live very large.
Source: Think of a book as being like a pie. – Jackie Morris Artist