Industry practice, consumer privacy rules and iUniverse business policy do not allow us to provide this information to you or any other person. While we, and our retail partners, protect the identities of individual customers, we do provide you with as much detail as is allowed in the Monthly Sales History Report.

I found out a bookstore ordered a large quantity of my books. I want to know if this order has shipped. Can I call iUniverse and find out?

If the order was placed directly through iUniverse, then as soon as the order ships, you will be able to view the order details in the Sales Activity Detail available through your myUniverse account. If the order was placed through Ingram, the order details will appear in the Sales Activity Detail at the end of Ingram's monthly accounting period.

My friend said he ordered my book. Why don't I see this book order counted in the Monthly Sales History Report or the Sales Activity Detail Report?

The answer to this question depends on where your friend ordered the book. If your friend ordered from iUniverse, then the order will appear as soon as the book has been shipped. If your friend ordered from a bookstore or retailer, the order will appear as soon as we receive monthly sales reports from our partners. It is also important to note that Amazon and Barnes & Noble sometimes purchase and warehouse copies of your book. You may see a Barnes & Noble order for two copies of your book; those copies will be held in inventory at Barnes & Noble until customers purchase them. You receive royalty on the initial order from Barnes & Noble and therefore won't see a sale if your friend purchases a book that is held in retailer inventory.

How do I verify my direct deposit was posted to my account? Do I get a receipt from iUniverse?

You are welcome to call your financial institution to verify that the deposit has been posted to your account. Direct deposit, which provides an efficient way to get your royalties to you, can take up to five days to post to your account.

I sent in my direct deposit information. Why did I receive a check?

We make every effort to quickly process all direct deposit forms we receive. However, if we did not receive the completed form in time for the current quarter's dispersal, the direct deposit will not begin until the next payment cycle.

How do I set up others as royalty participants from my book?

During the submission process, we provide you with the opportunity setup each individual or entity that will receive a portion of the royalties generated from the sale of your published book.

Can other contributors access my reports?

Only the primary contact can access the data from your reports. Nonprimary contributors cannot access the data at the present time.

I didn't find the answer to my question. Who can I ask?

Send your question to royalties@iuniverse.com. We will respond as quickly as possible. To help us expedite and provide a complete answer to your question, please include the following information in the text of your message:

Author name (Include full name, as well as any pen name used
iUniverse ID (located on the top right-hand corner of your royalty statement
Agent name (if applicable)
Title and ISBN of your book
Current mailing address

Why is it important to give iUniverse my tax ID or Social Security Number?

Tax IDs and Social Security Numbers are required for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only. iUniverse is required by law to report annual paid royalty income over $10 to the IRS. We also report this information to you each January on a 1099-MISC form. Take a moment to check your Tax ID and Social Security Number located in myUniverse (myAccount).

Do I earn royalties when I buy my own books?

All author purchases are royalty exclusive. The author does, however, receive discounts on all purchases.

How does iUniverse calculate royalty payments?

Royalties are based on the payments we actually receive from the sale of printed or electronic (e-book) copies of your book, less any shipping and handling charges or sales and use taxes. Also, we offer discounts to retail and wholesale customers, so the royalty amount you receive depends on what type of customer bought your book and any discount they received.

Here's an example of a common sales transaction:

The cover price (list price) for your book is $15.95
Your iUniverse royalty rate is 20 percent
A retailer other than Barnes & Noble places an order for your book through Ingram Book Company, a wholesaler.
Ingram, in turn, purchases your book from iUniverse at a 36 percent discount (our standard discount to wholesalers). Ingram then resells the book to the retailer.

Your royalty on this sale will be calculated as follows:

List Price - 36% Discount = Net Sale x Royalty Rate = Royalty Earned
$15.95 - $5.74 = $10.21 x 20% = $2.04

You should be aware that the largest retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon and most Borders stores, place orders for iUniverse titles through Ingram; those orders will appear as wholesale sales on your royalty statement. Because iUniverse pays a higher royalty rate on sales through Barnes & Noble or Barnes & Noble.com, all Barnes & Noble sales will appear on your statement in a "Wholesale—Barnes and Noble" line with the higher royalty rate.

I have less than $25 in my earned royalty account. I know my publishing agreement states that this will be carried over to the next quarter. Can I get an early payment sent to me so I don't have to wait another three months?

You certainly can! By signing up for direct deposit, you enable us to make payments for any amount of royalty due to you, which is deposited directly into your account each quarter. If you are interested in this option, please fill out the Direct Deposit Form and mail it to iUniverse, Inc., 1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403.

Is there a minimum royalty payment?

If you have signed up for our convenient direct deposit program, there is no minimum payment amount. All the royalties you have earned will be deposited directly into your checking account each quarter.

If you have not yet signed up for our direct deposit program, and the royalty amount you have earned is less than $25, that amount will be carried forward and added to the next quarter's royalties. More than 1,000 authors have signed up for this popular feature. It's easy. Just print the Direct Deposit Form and sign up today.

On what types of book sales do I earn royalties?

You will earn royalties on all books sold, except for author and co-author purchases. Because we offer significant discounts to authors for book purchases, these sales are royalty exclusive.

When are my royalties paid?

Author royalties are calculated according to the following calendar quarters:

January 1 - March 31
April 1 - June 30
July 1 - September 30
October 1 - December 31

iUniverse will process your royalty payment, according to our publishing agreement, 60 days after the end of each quarter. For example, in the first quarter (January 1 - March 31), we will post your royalty statement and send your payment by May 31. View the royalty disbursement schedule by logging in to your myUniverse account.

How does iUniverse compare to the rest of the publishing industry in the area of royalty statements?

Almost all traditional publishers pay royalties and provide sales and royalty information on a semi-annual basis. Very few publishers—large or small—provide regular sales details to authors. So, because iUniverse pays royalties on a quarterly basis, authors receive their earnings more quickly from iUniverse than they would from a traditional publisher.

I have a general question about my royalty statement. Where can I go to get the answer?

If you have questions, please e-mail royalties@iuniverse.com.

I have an agent who represents me. Can iUniverse give me royalty information directly, or do I have to contact my agent?

Some publishing agreements state your agent is to receive all correspondence and statements. In this situation, we cannot provide any information to you. Please contact your agent. If your publishing agreement states you are to receive your information directly, we will post your royalty statement within your myUniverse account.

I need to change my address. How can I do that?

You can easily change your contact information or e-mail address at any time by logging in to your myUniverse account and visiting the myAccount page.

Will I still see a royalty statement if there were no sales in a month or quarter?

No. We currently are not displaying statements for periods with no sales.

When will my royalties be posted to myUniverse?

iUniverse will post your quarterly royalty statement and pay royalties according to the royalty disbursement schedule in your myUniverse account. If your royalties are less than $25 in a given period, iUniverse will hold your payment until you reach the minimum of $25. However, if you sign up for our convenient direct deposit program, we will deposit royalty payments for any amount (including amounts less than $25) directly into your bank account.

Why does it take so long for iUniverse to post sales from Ingram or other retail bookstores?

All companies have a month-end close process to collect and validate financial information, and iUniverse is no exception. At the close of each month, iUniverse must collect sales and printing information from each of our business partners. We reconcile book orders and book sales with printing information to ensure that every single copy that is printed is accounted for. Then, we consolidate sales from many different sources into a single monthly statement for each author.

Collecting information from our partners generally takes one week. It takes an additional two weeks for the iUniverse finance department to reconcile the information and formally close the month. Once the financial information is consolidated, it takes another week to prepare and post monthly statements. It is important to remember that the monthly statements are not final, however, because information posts to them as it is received. This process may take time, but we think it's essential to provide you with information that is 100 percent accurate and to account for each and every sale.

Although we strive to post monthly statements within four weeks, four times per year it takes us six weeks to post statements. The extra two weeks occurs each time iUniverse has a royalty payout. During these quarterly payment periods, our staff is busy preparing the quarterly statements, arranging individual payments.

A bookstore ordered copies of my book at the end of last month, but those sales aren't appearing on my monthly statement. Why?

There are two reasons this might occur. First, like many publishers, iUniverse records a sale and pays royalties only after books are physically shipped. We may have an order in process at the end of a month, but if the books haven't shipped that month, then the sale will not be recorded until the following month.

What's more likely, however, is that the bookstore ordered either through the largest wholesaler, Ingram Book Company, or directly through its printing arm, Lightning Source, Inc. (LSI). Ingram and LSI are on a 4/4/5 accounting cycle. This means that they operate on a four-week, four-week, five-week financial calendar rather than a monthly calendar. The financial month-end close always occurs on a Friday and therefore is not always at the calendar end of the month. LSI reports monthly sales to iUniverse according to the Ingram financial calendar, and iUniverse in turn reports those sales to authors in the monthly statement. Any sales in a calendar month that occur after the financial month end will not appear on your statement until the following calendar month.

I would like to refer a friend to iUniverse. How do I go about doing this?

To refer a friend to iUniverse, have your friend tell their Publishing Consultant your name (or the name of the referring published iUniverse author, if it is not you). When your friend's book is completed, the referring author is eligible for a $100 referral payment.

What can the myUniverse account do for me?

Your myUniverse account provides you with several valuable tools to help you track your sales and royalties. Here is a brief explanation of each of those tools located in the Sales and Royalties Overview.

Monthly Sales History Report
This section includes details of your book sales by accounting month and provides a breakdown of sales for each of your titles by type.

Royalty Statement
This section allows you to review your current and prior royalty statements. The royalty statement shows all sales recorded during the current royalty period.

Sales Activity Detail
Book orders processed directly through iUniverse will appear in this report as soon as we have received shipping confirmation. Please note: the sales data posted on this page is provided for informational purposes only and is not the final record of sales. Your final record of sales is provided in your Quarterly Royalty Statement.