When am I paid royalties? When do quarters start and end?

First Quarter: January 1 to March 31 (checks are mailed in late May)
Second Quarter: April 1 to June 30 (checks mailed in late August)
Third Quarter: July 1 to September 30 (checks mailed in late November)
Fourth Quarter: October 1 to December 31 (checks mailed in late February)

You are only paid for the books sold and shipped in the given time frame. If a book was purchased online on March 30, but the book was not actually printed and shipped until April 2, then you would be paid in the second quarter, not the first, since the book did not ship until the second quarter. E-book purchases are recorded when the sale is made.

Please note that you will only generate royalties from the original book sale. For instance, if a book is resold in any kind of second-hand store, you will not earn a royalty on that sale. Also, for retailers, you earn a royalty when the book is sold to a retailer who purchases your book for their store, not when a consumer actually purchases the book from the retailer.