Am sending a book proposal off to my publisher today. I don’t want to say who it will be about till I get an “OK,” but it’s a silent-movie star who’s not yet been written about (no, not the fabled Flo LaBadie!). I heard from one of my editors that “Our new director is limiting the number of film books I will be able to acquire,” which I hope doesn’t spell my doom.
It’ll be fun to research “the time and the place” as well as “the girl,” which means in this case NY and L.A. in the mid- to late-1910s. Already lining up my sources and a bibliography, but am following a rule I learned the hard way: don’t spend any money till you have a signed contract in hand!
Good luck to you, Eve. You managed to find an actress who hasn’t been written about? You get an award right there. I’m looking forward to seeing who it is.
How long does it take for the brass to make a decision (and an offer) for something like that? Also, if I’m not being too nosey (fat chance, huh?) in round figures, what will they pay you for a book like this? Do they tell you $xxx,xxx.00 plus $XXX,XXX for an additional printing, or something like that? I am clueless as to how the publishing world works.
Kalhoun, in the real world you have two too many "x"s in your figures.
Publishers pay an advance to the author, usually paid in parts (e.g. upon signing contract, upon receipt of manuscript, upon publication). Authors get a percentage of list price for each copy sold, the percentage going up as copies do. These are called royalties. For a hardback, 10% for the first 5,000, 12.5% for the next 15,000, 15% after that are possible numbers. They’re lower for paperbacks. Authors get a percentage of each type of subsidiary fee - paperback rights, audio book rights, foreign sales, etc. Money will be subtracted from royalty payments when unsold books are returned to the publisher by bookstores.
In practice it can get much more complicated than that, and I’m sure that superstar authors have contracts very different than those the likes of me or Eve would see.
And how long? Anywhere from two weeks to two years.
I’m not expecting to hear back from them in less than a month. I hope, not much more than that.
With a university press, I get nuthin’ upfront. And I have to to pay for photo-publication rights, which, with my books, costs maybe $1,500/book. What I get is a cut of the take: 10% of the gross. So, six months after my books come out, I get checks twice a year. I still have teeny checks dribbling in from my Theda Bara book, which came out in '96 . . . All told, I’d say I make a profit of $1,000–$2,000 from each of my books. So as you can see, this is a “hobby,” not a “career.”
Velly Intellestink. Eve, once you get this new book out, maybe you can talk to the publisher about re-releasing all your books as a gift set! For Christmas! Laugh all you want, but film buffs would love something like that. I’m serious, too.
Exapno Mapcase - in what genre do you write? And who do you sell your book to?
I’ve seen many posts recently by you about the publication process, and am just wondering how you can come to some of the conclusions you get at? For all you know I could have a book on your bookshelf in your office or in Eves living room and yet to you, I’m just another poster on this messege board.
Gee, Phlosphr, you flatter me so. Let me fan my feverish brow. I feel a case of the vapors coming on.
Eve, I apologize for his rudeness and hijack, and hope that you don’t feel that by answering Kalhoun’s question I committed a hijack of my own.
Who I am is not very important. What I bring to the discussion is that I’ve been a working freelance writer for thirty years. I have published books, some with firms you may have heard of, like Simon & Schuster. I’m involved with a major writers organization. I spend time talking to other writers in many fields about publishing. I research my business, because that’s what it is.
And I also respect the work done by other professionals on this board, such as Eve and try to counter for beginning writers some of the very, horribly, damnably bad “advice” that floats around the Internet. Those who have better or more current advice are free to share it.
Now let’s put the focus back on Eve and wish her the best of news.
Thanks.