Imprint Royalties Quickstart Guide

Imprint Royalties is designed to be easy to use, however when you first log in, it can be a little daunting to a new user. This guide aims to get you up and running as quickly as possible.

Step 1: Ingest Your Data & Payment Files

Navigate to the Data Import Hub in the left side panel. Click Batch Import Royalties. Then select your datafiles and click Open. Note - While Imprint can ingest a large amount of data in one go, it's suggested that you limit your uploads to a single years worth of data at a time.

Supported Platforms: We currently support KDP, ACX, D2D, Ingram (compensation files), Apple Books, Google Books, Authors Republic, PublishDrive, Spotify, Kobo, and Nook.

Direct Sales: Use the bulk import facility. (If you have other import types you need to consider, send an example spreadsheet to support@moonstrucksoftware.com).

Crucial Note: After you have ingested your data it is STRONGLY recommended that you import the KDP Payment files for the time periods you have imported. This will set the currency conversion rates correctly for the given month. You MUST have data in the system for a month before you import the Payment File. If the Payment Files are not used, default exchange rates will be used instead.

Step 2: Set Up Your Authors

After Importing, Click the Author Roster link in the Left Hand Nav Bar. This will take you to the Author Registry Page.

Select the first Author in your list, then click Edit Selected. For each author in the list, set the following:

Currency: Essential for calculating multicurrency payments.
Email Address: Required for mass email functionality and PayPal Mass Pay. (All other metadata here is optional).

Step 3: Set Up Your Titles & Royalty Splits

Go into each title, select it in the data grid, and press "Edit Title / Splits". Navigate to the Royalty Splits tab:

Standard Splits: Titles default to 50% author / 50% publisher. To change this, remove the existing splits and define new ones for the author. Click Auto-Fill Publisher to automatically calculate your publishing company's share.
Tiered Royalties: If you use tiers (e.g., 10% for the first 100 sales, 15% for the next 100), double-click on the Tiers item in the datagrid to access the setup dialogue.

Step 4: Define Payment Thresholds

If you only pay out when royalties hit a certain minimum (e.g., £20), navigate to the Settings page from the left-hand nav bar to configure your threshold.

Step 5: Configure Email Settings

If you want to automatically email your statements out, go to Configure Email Settings (via the Settings page) and input your email provider's details.

Step 6: Customize Your Statements

You can change the header alignment, format, and include your company logo. This is also accessed from the Settings page.

Step 7: BACK EVERYTHING UP!!!

If you just spent hours putting in royalty splits, payment tiers, and importing years' worth of data, you absolutely want this locked in so you can roll back if something goes wrong. Use the Create Encrypted Backup button on the Settings page before you do anything else!

Step 8: Statement Generation & Payouts

Set the Date Range: Make sure no other filters are active. (Note: Imprint imports data specifically as being from the last day of the month, unless it's POS data which keeps its actual dates. For a March run, set the first and last dates of March in the top dropdown).
Generate: Click Generate Statement for Period. You can overwrite these statements UNTIL they are marked as paid.
Review: Check the PDF files via the GUI or in your machine's Documents folder.
Distribute: If you are happy with them, select your authors and press Email Selected Statements to send them automatically. You can also generate a PayPal Mass Pay CSV file here.
Lock it In: Only mark the statements as paid after the money has left your account and the statement is on the way to the author. Once marked as paid, they are locked and cannot be changed (this is why we told you to make a backup in Step 7!).