Self-Publishing Cost and Royalty Log

Who this is for

What one book has cost and what it has earned. Editing, cover, formatting, ISBNs and advertising go in one table, royalties by month and platform in the other, and the summary shows whether the book has paid for itself yet.

Independent authors publishing their own books who want a straight answer, book by book, to whether each title has covered its costs.

What this helps you track

• Every production and marketing cost for the book, with the supplier
• Royalties received each month from each platform and format
• Units sold to date across all platforms
• The net position: royalties in, less everything spent

How to use it

1. Start one log per book: write the title, the publication date and the formats it is available in.
2. Enter each cost as you pay it, with the date, the kind of cost, the supplier and the amount, including costs from before publication.
3. When a platform reports, add a line for the month with the format, the units sold and the royalty actually received.
4. The totals and the net position are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add down each amount column.
5. Review the log each quarter to see which platforms and formats carry the book and which costs earned their keep.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Should I enter royalties earned or royalties received?

Received is simpler to check against your bank statement, and it is what this log assumes. Platforms often pay a month or two after the sale, so note the sales month in the month column if you want to match them up.

Where do advertising costs go?

In the costs table, with the advertising category and the platform as supplier. Enter each campaign or monthly bill as its own line so you can see what each burst of spend was set against.

What about costs shared across a series?

Split them however you like, for example evenly across the books, and enter each book's share on its own log. Note how you split it so you do the same next time.

Does it work out tax or platform fees?

No. It records what you paid and what arrived. Royalty terms and tax treatment are set by each platform and the rules where you are, so take those figures from your own statements.