Not near as bad as that. We did an option that covers 6k in fees that works the distribution design, and other services I indicated previously. The basic runs about 3k.
Author Royalties: Publisher shall pay to Author all funds Publisher receives from the respective vendors for sales of the printed and digital copies of the Work, less a 20 cent commission/administrative fee per copy sold. Quarterly accounting reports listing all sales from each distribution outlet and all net profit generated, as per each respective outlet’s most recent
terms and conditions, will be provided to Author by Publisher.
Recoupment of Author’s Investment: Publisher shall not be entitled to any commission/administrative fee as defined above until such time that Author has received a sum total of print and eBook book sales revenue equal to the amount invested by Author under this Agreement.
Without going to all the other services, the contract was fair.
This is the issue. Whether our novelette falls in this category or not, if the book does so poorly you never recoupment the amount invested, which goes first to the author before Page Publishing gets their cuts, people would be disgruntled. The investment saves me time, which is a commodity, and allows me to focus on writing, my LLC, and my full-time job. Oh and my hobby of whiskey making 😀. NOTE: Legally done at a local Distillery.
If our book does well, we get paid back first, whereas a traditional Publisher might give and advance, but then, they get paid first and the Royalties are, maybe 20%. With Page, the Royalties are in the 70% plus range.
To date, I do not have reason to believe they are dishonest. As a former federal agent, I am not easy to trust and scrutinize most everything.
Ok. Sounds like you did youe homework. Let me know how it works out, and stay in touch.