Appendix 3: Royalties On Literature Sales

A Narrative Timeline Of AA History
Public Version vApril 04'

A Narrative Timeline Of AA History – 1774 to 2003

Appendix 3: Royalties On Literature Sales

Year Big Book 12&12 AA Comes
of Age As Bill Sees It Total Royalty $ CPI
Factor Royalties In 2003 $ Annual Cum Annual Cum Annual Cum Annual Cum Annual Cum Annual $ Cum $ Annual $ Cum $ 1935 0.074 1936 0.076 1937 0.078 1938 0.077 1939 0.076 1940 0.076 1941 0.080 1942 0.089 1943 0.094 229,700 Big Books were
sold from 1939 - 1951.

Royalty amounts prior to
1950 cannot be found. 1944 0.096 1945 0.098 1946 0.106 1947 0.121 1948 0.131 1949 0.129 1950 16,367 0.131 124,937 1951 229,700 229,700 13,139 29,505 0.141 93,183 218,119 1952 28,000 257,700 28,000 257,700 14,300 43,806 0.144 99,309 317,428 1953 23,296 280,996 29,567 52,863 310,563 23,490 67,296 0.145 162,002 479,430 1954 22,004 303,000 10,389 39,956 32,393 342,956 15,447 82,743 0.146 105,800 585,230 1955 28,853 331,853 6,805 46,761 35,658 378,614 19,963 102,706 0.146 136,733 721,963 1956 23,468 355,321 7,079 53,840 30,547 409,161 18,444 121,150 0.148 124,622 846,584 1957 21,318 376,639 7,735 61,575 11,902 40,955 450,116 24,213 145,363 0.153 158,255 1,004,839 1958 20,585 397,224 7,282 68,857 6,862 18,764 34,729 484,845 20,703 166,066 0.157 131,866 1,136,705 1959 22,481 419,705 7,812 76,669 3,985 22,749 34,278 519,123 20,931 186,997 0.158 132,475 1,269,180 1960 24,533 444,238 8,545 85,214 3,713 26,462 36,791 555,914 22,229 209,226 0.161 138,068 1,407,248 1961 27,085 471,323 9,601 94,815 3,456 29,918 40,142 596,056 24,181 233,407 0.163 148,350 1,555,598 1962 30,000 501,323 10,674 105,489 3,461 33,379 44,135 640,191 26,506 259,913 0.164 161,622 1,717,220 1963 32,105 533,428 11,155 116,644 3,684 37,063 46,944 687,135 27,658 287,571 0.166 166,614 1,883,834 1964 32,509 565,937 12,107 128,751 3,763 40,826 48,379 735,514 28,790 316,361 0.169 170,355 2,054,190 1965 29,900 595,837 14,766 143,517 3,299 44,125 47,965 783,479 28,372 344,733 0.171 165,918 2,220,108 1966 34,938 630,775 15,506 159,023 3,825 47,950 54,269 837,748 32,427 377,160 0.176 184,244 2,404,352 1967 38,446 669,221 16,973 175,996 4,205 52,155 21,677 81,301 919,049 46,990 424,150 0.182 258,187 2,662,539 1968 41,915 711,136 20,087 196,083 4,783 56,938 15,160 36,837 81,945 1,000,994 47,606 471,756 0.189 251,884 2,914,422 1969 48,197 759,333 22,049 218,132 6,091 63,029 12,250 49,087 88,587 1,089,581 51,934 523,690 0.200 259,670 3,174,092 1970 54,725 814,058 26,868 245,000 6,678 69,707 11,649 60,736 99,920 1,189,501 58,307 581,997 0.211 276,336 3,450,429 1971 69,104 883,162 36,054 281,054 8,395 78,102 13,737 74,473 127,290 1,316,791 74,098 656,095 0.220 336,809 3,787,238 1972 84,908 968,070 43,349 324,403 9,707 87,809 15,183 89,656 153,147 1,469,938 89,396 745,491 0.227 393,815 4,181,053 1973 110,297 1,078,367 60,702 385,105 12,045 99,854 18,425 108,081 201,469 1,671,407 116,997 862,488 0.241 485,465 4,666,518 1974 137,548 1,215,915 86,168 471,273 14,683 114,537 19,693 127,774 258,092 1,929,499 148,348 1,010,836 0.268 553,537 5,220,055 1975 176,274 1,392,189 115,648 586,921 18,303 132,840 26,668 154,442 336,893 2,266,392 224,651 1,235,487 0.293 766,727 5,986,782 1976 181,744 1,573,933 115,405 702,326 13,500 146,340 23,128 177,570 333,777 2,600,169 263,670 1,499,157 0.309 853,301 6,840,083 1977 211,787 1,785,720 136,658 838,984 16,301 162,641 30,129 207,699 394,875 2,995,044 296,957 1,796,114 0.330 899,870 7,739,953 1978 246,490 2,032,210 156,960 995,944 18,929 181,570 30,648 238,347 453,027 3,448,071 315,852 2,111,966 0.355 889,724 8,629,677 1979 310,160 2,342,370 192,180 1,188,124 21,295 202,865 40,271 278,618 563,906 4,011,977 383,850 2,495,816 0.395 971,772 9,601,449 1980 369,980 2,712,350 230,440 1,418,564 21,560 224,425 45,190 323,808 667,170 4,679,147 451,200 2,947,016 0.448 1,007,143 10,608,592 1981 431,800 3,144,150 264,200 1,682,764 22,400 246,825 51,900 375,708 770,300 5,449,447 521,878 3,468,894 0.494 1,056,433 11,665,025 1982 462,100 3,606,250 287,800 1,970,564 22,300 269,125 56,900 432,608 829,100 6,278,547 561,832 4,030,726 0.525 1,070,156 12,735,181 1983 543,300 4,149,550 319,500 2,290,064 23,800 292,925 60,400 493,008 947,000 7,225,547 645,342 4,676,068 0.542 1,190,668 13,925,849 1984 622,500 4,772,050 378,500 2,668,564 25,100 318,025 69,200 562,208 1,095,300 8,320,847 746,816 5,422,884 0.565 1,321,798 15,247,647 1985 696,300 5,468,350 439,300 3,107,864 24,500 342,525 70,300 632,508 1,230,400 9,551,247 836,733 6,259,617 0.585 1,430,313 16,677,960 1986 816,200 6,284,550 479,600 3,587,464 19,700 362,225 79,900 712,408 1,395,400 10,946,647 912,548 7,172,165 0.596 1,531,121 18,209,081 1987 1,001,900 7,286,450 578,600 4,166,064 22,300 384,525 86,600 799,008 1,689,400 12,636,047 1,018,966 8,191,131 0.618 1,648,812 19,857,893 1988 1,109,901 8,396,351 676,349 4,842,413 29,616 414,141 113,719 912,727 1,929,585 14,565,632 872,854 9,063,985 0.643 1,357,471 21,215,364 1989 1,234,980 9,631,331 760,830 5,603,243 30,300 444,441 121,090 1,033,817 2,147,200 16,712,832 901,084 9,965,069 0.674 1,336,920 22,552,284 1990 1,132,878 10,764,209 666,155 6,269,398 25,058 469,499 112,592 1,146,409 1,936,683 18,649,515 1,014,202 10,979,271 0.711 1,426,444 23,978,729 1991 1,054,890 11,819,099 582,690 6,852,088 21,480 490,979 85,150 1,231,559 1,744,210 20,393,725 1,009,225 11,988,496 0.741 1,361,977 25,340,706 1992 1,013,527 12,832,626 552,847 7,404,935 15,330 506,309 75,576 1,307,135 1,657,280 22,051,005 1,007,032 12,995,528 0.763 1,319,832 26,660,538 1993 1,027,657 13,860,283 476,160 7,881,095 16,265 522,574 64,798 1,371,933 1,584,880 23,635,885 956,499 13,952,027 0.786 1,216,920 27,877,458 1994 1,049,343 14,909,626 473,428 8,354,523 14,633 537,207 67,033 1,438,966 1,604,437 25,240,322 885,108 14,837,135 0.806 1,098,149 28,975,607 1995 1,016,994 15,926,620 457,376 8,811,899 15,916 553,123 66,025 1,504,991 1,556,311 26,796,633 814,226 15,651,361 0.829 982,179 29,957,785 1996 963,546 16,890,166 442,601 9,254,500 14,429 567,552 64,615 1,569,606 1,485,191 28,281,824 762,446 16,413,807 0.853 893,841 30,851,626 1997 933,926 17,824,092 414,217 9,668,717 14,412 581,964 75,842 1,645,448 1,438,397 29,720,221 751,780 17,165,587 0.873 861,145 31,712,771 1998 867,828 18,691,920 370,101 10,038,818 10,336 592,300 61,294 1,706,742 1,309,559 31,029,780 589,035 17,754,622 0.886 664,825 32,377,596 1999 872,781 19,564,701 373,357 10,412,175 12,240 604,540 63,581 1,770,323 1,321,959 32,351,739 164,542 17,919,164 0.906 181,614 32,559,210 2000 899,180 20,463,881 380,602 10,792,777 11,182 615,722 63,737 1,834,060 1,354,701 33,706,440 167,917 18,087,081 0.936 179,399 32,738,608 2001 1,356,016 21,819,897 399,513 11,192,290 13,050 628,772 73,080 1,907,140 1,841,659 35,548,099 197,294 18,284,375 0.963 204,874 32,943,483 2002 1,175,053 22,994,950 423,231 11,615,521 14,039 642,811 76,291 1,983,431 1,688,614 37,236,713 156,770 18,441,145 0.978 160,297 33,103,779 2003 1.000 Total 22,994,950 11,615,521 642,811 1,983,431 37,236,713 18,441,145 33,103,779

Bill W, and later the General Service Conferences, have been quite open about the royalty payments to Bill W and Dr Bob. Much information can be found in Conference-approved literature and in the final Conference reports.

Due to the amount of time both co-founders dedicated to the Fellowship, it was near impossible for them to earn a living through their normal professions. Father Ed Dowling is credited with advancing the concept of paying workers for special services. Lois Wilson was the primary beneficiary of the royalty payments after Bill W’s death. She was prevented from returning the funds to AA as result of Tradition Seven. Bill’s royalties applied to the English language versions of the books he authored.

The Timeline document contains information on the evolution of the royalty arrangements and payments. To find these items, perform a string search using the string “royalt”

[1] Date provided by Ron C. of NSW, Australia. Derived from an Archives copy of the Towns Hospital admission record.

[2] Some references indicate that it may have been Rowland H who gave Bill the book. (AGAA 142)

[3] Barefoot Bill L obtained confirmation from the AMA Archives in Chicago, IL that the 1935 Atlantic City, NJ AMA Convention was held from Monday to Friday, Jun 10 to 14, 1935.

[4] Information provided by David S from an audiotape of Bill W at an open meeting of the 1968 GSC. See also the pamphlet The Co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. (P-53, pg 30)

[5] Although no radical changes have been made to the “basic text” of the Big Book, many wording changes have.

[6] The 1945 CPI index is used for the calculation of 2003 dollars.

[7] 1965 CPI conversion factor used to estimate 2003 dollars.

A Narrative Timeline Of AA History – 1774 to 2003