More on Advances

>I think that maybe the size of advance we may get falls under God's 'need to know' policy. As first-timers (I think many of us in this community are in that category), we need to keep our eyes fixed elsewhere, and not think we can afford to put out low-end writing because all we really expect is a low-end advance.

Kind of like a place I've been – asking a doctor (at the Mayo clinic)'How long have I got?'

He didn't answer directly, only said, "Long-term, 30%."

If he'd given me a time frame, I would have constrained my thinking to fit that span of months or years. Instead he gave me odds – knowing that as a gambler I would give it my best shot to try to beat the House.

Well, I'm still here. And I'll keep writing, trying to beat the House.

>You note that "If you don't earn back your advance in the first year, your publisher might not be falling over themselves to publish you again." Yesterday I read this article, "Just Say 'NO!' to Your Advance," http://tinyurl.com/nzhwd4 , which takes that truth to its (logical?) extreme — arguing that a large advance is absolute death to a first-time author. The author is obviously not pro-traditional publishing. As you're on the other side of the publishing fence, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

>Ooooh, good point, Rachel. Thanks for the link.

I'd like to hear your opinion on that, Rachelle.

And thanks for pointing out the obvious no matter how much I wanted to ignore it: stats from other writers' advances don't help me. Too much. They help me dream, which sometimes is worth it.

>I have been wondering about something. Do unpublished authors ever waive their advance on their first book — as a gesture of goodwill and diplomacy? Is there a way to do that, without looking unprofessional?

I am serious about this question. I have been thinking a lot about this. It's not a joke.

>Rachel & Reesha — the trend is toward smaller advances that authors and publishers can recoup. I'm not an advocate of a no-advance system. With every author, I try to negotiate the best advance for their book, while still being reasonable and hopefully something they can earn out. If I want my authors to have good long-term career potential, it doesn't make sense to push for advances so high they won't recoup them. But it also never makes sense to undervalue an author and not get them the advance they deserve.

>Cassandra Frear — If you're publishing without an agent, you're free to do what you like about your advance. But publishing companies don't need your charity.

Are you hoping your offer would persuade them to turn their initial "no" to a "yes"? Not a good plan. You want a publisher who wants to publish and promote your book.

Some legitimate publishers are moving into various models of co-publishing, in which the author waives an advance. It's fine if you want to go this route, but you'll most likely be doing it without an agent.

>Don't sweat your advance. Sure, it's good to understand the business of publishing, and about advances. But while we know about the wolves, let us be as innocent as sheep.

My responsibility is to serve God. One of the ways I do that (hopefully) is through my writing. But God gives the increase. Most Christian writers of the past 2000 years received no payment in this life. Few would have even accepted it.

That said, I would love to be able to write and speak for a living. That's my will. Now God will show me His.

>Thanks for the great post, Rachelle! It's a good gut-check reality-crasher that I think people might need every once in a while. (Which is not a dig on anyone who's commented. I'm just saying that everyone needs a dose of reality sometimes in whatever endeavor they pursue.)

Thanks again.

>Very reasonable post Rachelle. I've read a few articles on that, like this series of posts, and it seems that a six figure advance is more dangerous to a debut author than benefic.

However, personally I'd prefer working hard on a platform and later on the marketing efforts, in order to secure a high advance with good (or more than good) sales.

Always aim high and build your way through your goal with reasonable expectations and intermediary goals, that's my motto.

>Difference between a home mortgage and a writer's advance:

Mortgage: Gotta pay or foreclose, basically it's debt that MUST be repaid
Advance: Guaranteed… if you don't earn it out, you don't pay it back.
Mortgage: You have to pay interest
Advance: You put that baby in a savings account and you earn interest… not pay it.

But I TOTALLY get the idea of a modest advance. Too small and the author is at risk, too big and the publisher is.

WOOHOO for agents who know all this stuff in and out! It's frustrating when people ask me, "So, how much would you make off a book if you publish it?"

My answer: *shrug* It isn't like there's a salary grade or something! And since when do we go around broadcasting our income to the world anyway?

That said… I think most first time authors will say about the same… I'll be happy with what I can get! AFTER I get sales on my belt, that's when I'll have more expectations.

>CKHB – generally the "very nice" refers to the total deal.

>J.R. — he does sound bitter (one commenter said "borderline hysterical"). But sometimes the bitter have things to teach us .

Rachelle — thanks very much for your response. I came away from his post still feeling pro-advance, but also feeling VERY pro-agent–this is one more reason why a savvy agent with an eye on a writer's overall career and not just on a single book is such an asset.

>Rachelle, that's what I suspected… THANK YOU for answering!