When I walk through a bookstore, I see the hundreds and hundreds (or thousands!) of different books by different authors, most of which are not highly known and not likely to be a bestseller either. I always wonder, how the heck do these bookstores and publishers (and authors!) make any money off of most of the books? I would think that printing all these books that won't sell many copies would cost more than they actually get in return? Or do the small number of books that end up being bestsellers make up the difference? Thanks.

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They both get percentages. But being that the publisher pays the authors, they take their share out of it, and only take what the contract allows. However, how well books do, is a factor. If they become best sellers, they get printed and sold longer than if they don't.

I too have wondered if anyone, anywhere, has actually paid list price for "Edged Weapons of World War II" or "Luxury Cars of the 1930's" or "Classic Homes of Pawtucket", those huge coffee table books that I ONLY see onthe remainder tables for $7.99, marked down from $50.00. I've read that publishers take risks on unknowns now and then, knowing they will lose money but might have the next Robert Parker or Tom Clancy. They have winners and losers. John Grishom's first novel, about the black man who shot two peckerhead crackers who raped his daughter and got off, was rejected a number of times. His publisher brought it out after his first or second best seller, and it did well. Publishing is a crap shoot.