How Creators Still Earn Real NFT Royalties in 2026

The 2022 royalty wars did a lot of damage but they did not finish the category. Voluntary royalties on the biggest EVM marketplace collapsed toward zero, which killed the headline narrative. Meanwhile two chains quietly kept enforcement at the protocol level, and a handful of EVM marketplaces continued honouring creator fees as a positioning choice. That is where my royalty income sits today, and it is the only rail in the Crypto hub that treats me as a maker rather than a trader.

The marketplaces I list on, and why

My active list is four venues. Two are on chains where royalty enforcement is written into the asset standard, so secondary sales cannot be routed around the royalty unless the buyer and seller go fully off chain. The other two are EVM marketplaces that publicly committed to enforcing creator fees on verified collections and have kept the policy for over 18 months. I stopped listing on the venue that went optional in late 2023; my primary sales did not drop, and my royalty revenue tripled per secondary sale.

The mint strategy that actually compounds

  1. Keep the mint small, 50 to 300 pieces per collection. Small editions create scarcity that sustains secondary volume, which is where royalties come from.
  2. Price the primary below the perceived secondary floor. I target a 40 to 60 percent primary discount, so early buyers feel they got a deal and naturally resell.
  3. Set the royalty at 6 percent. Above 7.5 percent secondary flow dies, below 5 the per sale revenue is too small to matter.
  4. List only on enforcing venues, even if it means less headline reach. Voluntary royalty marketplaces are pure primary sale venues and should be priced as such.
  5. Log royalty revenue monthly, not on claim day. Per month consistency is the signal that tells you the collection is working.

Where the money actually comes from

Across 18 months on two small photography collections, my revenue was 2,210 euros primary and 1,480 euros royalties. The royalty revenue curve lags the primary sale curve by roughly three months, which is the time it takes for a collection to reach holders who treat it as a flip rather than a hold. Once the flipping starts, the royalty rail turns on and typically runs for 12 to 18 months before it tapers. This pattern matches what I see on the paid newsletter rail, where recurring income also lags the first real push.

What I refuse to mint

I do not mint generative PFP projects. Not because they cannot work, but because the labour of community management is closer to a full time job and I already have digital product rails I prefer. I mint what I would have framed and sold anyway, and I let the on chain economics add a secondary stream on top.

If you want the adjacent reading on how creator fee economics compare to other small digital streams, the mini ebook article goes through the simpler Web2 version of the same question: how a small creator turns a one time sale into a repeating income.

John's rare tip

Bake the royalty enforcement into the asset, not the marketplace

If your chain supports it, mint using the asset standard that encodes royalty enforcement at the transfer level rather than at the marketplace level. Buyers still pay, every single time, regardless of which venue they use. The one time setup cost is a few euros in gas; the long tail benefit is every future sale, on every future marketplace, automatically compliant.

What I'd avoid

Do not set a headline royalty above 7.5 percent in the hope of compensating for future non enforcement. I tested 10 percent on a small 2023 drop; secondary volume collapsed to one sale in six months, and the total royalty income came out lower than a 6 percent collection of the same size. The elasticity is real and the curve is steep; stay in the modest middle.

Frequently asked

Are NFT royalties actually still a thing in 2026?

On some marketplaces yes, on others no. Two major venues still enforce them at protocol level; two others made them optional and effectively zero. The article below lists which is which and how I structure collections to maximise the share sold on enforcing venues. The royalty economy is smaller than it was, but it is not dead.

What percent royalty should a creator set?

Between 5 and 7.5 percent. Above that and secondary volume collapses, below that and the per sale revenue is too small to matter. I set mine at 6 percent on every collection and have not had a buyer complain in two years. The elasticity of royalty rate against secondary volume is real; experiment cautiously.

How much did you earn from royalties, honestly?

Across two small photography collections minted in 2023 and 2024, 1,480 euros in royalty revenue over 18 months. That is after the enforcement marketplaces took their cut. It will not pay the rent, but it doubles the primary sale revenue over time, which is enough to justify the minting effort.