Comments on: Getting paid, or, don’t quit your day job

By: SarahP

SarahP — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 02:48:43 +0000

My publisher’s paying out half on signing and half on delivery of each manuscript. Which I was told meant they were being very nice to me. Justine, your comments about payment in thirds makes me see why.

Thanks for breaking this down so clearly!

By: Sophie

Sophie — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 19:11:16 +0000

hmm, so now I just have to GET a (full-time) day job, and then I can refuse to quit it. maybe it’s time for that library science degree…

By: Justine

Justine — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 15:54:31 +0000

Thanks for the earning out congrats. I’m holding off celebrating until all three have earned out. You’ll definitely hear about that glorious day right here.

Tim: Yeah, I’ve heard of some folks getting their deals structured that way. Congrats! I’d love to know how, say, Stephen King’s deals are structured. I’ve also heard that he gets like 20% royalties. Can you imagine?

Diana: Very good points. American writers really need to keep health insurance in mind. It’s a lot easier if you come from those countries with nationalised health like Australia. On the other hand, Australian writers earn heaps less than USian ones unless they’re selling overseas as well as at home.

Lauren: The good news is that you get your agent to do the hunting down of the creditors. All you have to do is put your feet up and wait. Oh yeah and, you know, write and stuff.

God invented credit cards?

By: Lauren

Lauren — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 15:47:35 +0000

So basically what I’m hearing is: return the tiara and the yacht then have husband un-retire? I don’t like it one bit.

Thankfully, I’ve been freelancing as a photo producer for several years so I’m used to painfully long pay periods (and the need to hunt down reluctant payors with threats and assorted means of intimidation). This is why god invented credit cards, no?

By: Diana

Diana — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:06:58 +0000

“self employment taxes” in the u.s. is a fancy way of saying that you need to pay both halves of social security/medicare. It’s an extra 15.3%.

By: Penni

Penni — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 03:03:58 +0000

Oh the other thing for me to get used to was being paid royalties every 6 months. Also royalty statements in negative quantities when you are still paying off your advance (they don’t mean you have to give them any money, it just means you sulk for a few days until you come to terms with the fact that that is totally-otally normal.)

By: Penni

Penni — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 03:01:48 +0000

With my most recent deal I requested a small amount on signing and the bulk on delivery (to encourage me to actually write the book). Most publishers will give you some leeway with how the advance is paid.

Luckily I never had a day job. I am just mostly poor.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 23:57:46 +0000

there’s self-employment taxes? shoot me now. maybe i will go to grad school.

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 23:51:20 +0000

My first book deal was decently above average, and I still did not quit my day job for more than a year afterward. Benefits and lack of self employment tax are, like agents, worth their weight in gold. I finally quit about a year ago, and when I received my last check for my last book in my contract, I felt the burn.

I got my offer in April, and received my signing check in July. I was thrilled with the speed!

The other thing to keep in mind is that the money you receive is not your “income.” It’s your novelist businesses gross take, and from that, you need to pay for all of your supplies, your website, your publicity, etc. not to mention those benefits and self employment taxes.

By: little willow

little willow — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:35:38 +0000

I want the fairy dust.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:15:22 +0000

it’s scary. especially since i have no idea what sort of job i’ll get when i graduate. and also because the likelihood of getting a book deal in the next ten years is pretty slim. i could always go to grad school and put it off a bit longer, but i’m kinda schooled out at the moment. hmm….got any suggestions for day jobs? what were yours?

By: Kevin Wignall

Kevin Wignall — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 19:11:06 +0000

Very accurate, particularly about the need to get an agent FIRST! In the UK, advances are often split into four (with separate payments for hardback and paperback publication). Also, in the US, “acceptance of manuscript” is increasingly being pushed back to the point at which it goes off to the printers – agents are having to fight for earlier payment. (on the plus side, my US contracts are split into two payments – signature and acceptance)

Finally, if your genre is crime/thriller or in the general “chick-lit” area, your first advance could be much much bigger, but this brings with it different perils… I’ll save that story for another time.

excellent and well deserved that you earned out, Justine.

By: Tim Pratt

Tim Pratt — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 18:34:40 +0000

My advance for my recent two-book deal has kind of a wacky structure. My agent wanted me to get a big chunk of money up-front — which she managed, though with some trade-offs. So I got half the total advance on signing (that was a lovely day), and then I get one-quarter of the remainder on delivery and acceptance of book 1 (which was just accepted yesterday, hurray!), 1/4 on delivery and acceptance of book 2, 1/4 on publication of book 1, and the final payment on publication of book 2. Which isn’t so bad, since book 1 is coming out in October, and book 2 may come out as soon as six months after that, so I won’t have to wait *too* terribly long. It is an amusingly byzantine pay structure, though.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:21:34 +0000

Very informative! Its nice to know things like this before you get into the publishing world. That is, IF I ever actually do so. hm.

By: marrije

marrije — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:14:18 +0000

although the first two books have already earned out their advances

Good news! Not so much about the joint accounting, but good news nonetheless!

And I hereby solemnly promise not to quit the day job. Oy. I’m not so good with unreliable money streams – the kind I get in my business is uncertain enough, and we usually get paid in full one month after finishing the project.

By: Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:05:37 +0000

This sounds about right to me with the acknowledgement that 15k is high for an early career advance. And let me firmly second that agents earn that 15%.

By: Chris S.

Chris S. — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 16:45:59 +0000

Huzzah! Thanks for posting that information The more writers know, the better.