Hello everyone, I'm a long-term subscriber to WM but have only lurked here so far... took the plunge and joined today as I have a burning question to ask!
I am an established writer, mainly magazine articles, in quite a niche specialism. I have one book under my belt already, published a couple of years ago: I won't say who the publishers were as I had quite a bad experience with them. I was very keen to bag myself a publishing contract at the time so didn't think too hard about the terms: they didn't pay me an advance at all, so it was a 'royalties-only' deal. You can guess the rest.
Second publishing deal is now under negotiation with a different publisher. It's a much more established one and has a good 'reach'; but the deal this time is one-off fee/advance - but no royalties.
They tell me 'this is how we always do things'. It's a collaborative publisher - i.e. they work up the synopsis in conjunction with a writer and then work with a larger publisher to actually get it done. They have good connections and it's among the better (as in best-known for producing successful books) publishers, in my field.
This makes me so uncomfortable. I really, really, really want to do the book as it's a subject I've wanted to write about for ages - so it's going to really hurt to turn down this deal. But I don't want to be ripped off again.
I can't decide what to do. It might be that the book doesn't sell that well, and I'll be better off with the one-off fee. It might be though that it sells lots of copies (to be honest I would have thought this was more likely, not because of me but because of the very of-the-moment subject matter and the companies/organisations which would be connected with the book).
I am joining the Society of Authors so they can at least look over the contract. It's not usual to have an agent in my field of work but there are one or two - perhaps that might be better?
Heeeeeeeelp!!!
Thank you
Comments
Definitely get the Society of Authors to look at the contract first.
And if this book is a great success, you'll have more negotiating power for the next.
My last novel was published with no advance and has so far not recouped enough royalties to deserve a payout (very small publisher). But it's out there being read and reviewed and I still look like a working author.
For poetry, you get both advance and no advance models. If you are an author who doesn't sell many books yourself, then an advance is better, then you have the advantage of both an advance and the royalties. If you go with a publisher who only does royalties and you sell lots of books going round schools for instance, then you get your royalties straight away. But the average middle list book does not earn out its advance, even with a huge publisher without you selling lots yourself. My first book had a 1,500 advance, sold out in the first month (as my latest title has) and it earned royalties after one year and still pays out each time, but really, not a lot. Not a sum worth having, and it is on sale in every bookshop in the country, still there since 2016.
My first book only got an advance, or a payment, and I've had no royalties, and that irritates me as I know it is still selling. And it takes away your needed desire to sell it yourself.
i don't understand Gerald's point above that his book is getting royalties but has not sold enough to get them even without an advance. He should get royalties from the first book sold. The publisher's expenses are not for him to pay.
My advice would always be to take the advance and run. Statistically, most books barely make any royalties worth worrying about - or at least not enough to cover the advance.
And the way the industry is going, even an advance is getting rarer. These days, I don't expect to make any money from published books. I just hope somebody reads them.
On one hand, I'm not sure I want to know the stats. I've been surprised by how even large and well known publishers seem unable to sell books.
It's ten years since my first book was published and these days I see publication as the final step in the process. That's my indicator of success: that I'm still a publishing author on the market.
Whether anyone actually hears about the book or buys it is another matter. As soon as one book is published, I'm on with the next one. I've learned to understand that enjoying the writing process is pretty much the only reward I can expect.
I'll keep you posted. Good luck Gerald, I think sales are lovely but it's the writing that counts, so you're doing an amazing thing just by completing a book (I've only ever managed that once and I know what a massive task it is, so you have my respect!)
I used to follow my sales via royalty numbers and Amazon rankings and I noticed that nothing made any impact on sales: not highly visible reviews, not appearances at festivals, not radio appearances, It has to be all of those over a prolonged period. And TV.