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The Truth About Publishing – 11
Lesson 10. Why you don’t want a tiny advance either.A tiny advance is a vote of little confidence in your work; it means the publisher isn’t risking much on you, and therefore won’t need to spend a lot of money on marketing. The marketing budget for your book is, generally, related to the size of the advance.On the other hand,…
The Truth About Publishing – 10
Lesson 9: Why you don’t want a huge advanceWe all dream about the million dollar advance but if you’re unknown you’re probably better off with a moderate one. Huge advances create huge expectations and as an unknown author there’s a good chance your sales won’t meet the stratospheric expectations that go with the advance, in which case you’re probably doomed.…
The Truth About Publishing – 9
Lesson 8: Understanding your advanceEvery new book represents a risk to the publisher, who is gambling tens of thousands of dollars that it will sell enough copies to earn a profit. As much as a third of all books published lose money, while another third only cover their costs or earn a small profit. Books by unknown authors present the…
500 BOOKS TO BE WON IN 300 DAYS - WEEK 30
I've been running this weekly competition on my Facebook fan page all year, and it'll run into 2012. Each week all year I've been giving away three of my trilogies and quartets, signed, except for two breaks where I've given away greater prizes.Total number of books won so far: 348.To enter, go here, http://www.facebook.com/ianirvine.author, Like my page then enter from the Promos…
The Truth About Publishing – 8
Lesson 7: Wow, you’ve actually been offered a contractAs a beginning writer, if a respectable publisher offers you a book contract, sign it. The chance may not come again. As a novice, you’re not worth much to a publisher, so you have little power to negotiate. If you demand a lot of changes to a contract, or cause interminable delays,…