More 'almost ready but not quite' questions.

1. Returns for that royalty period are calculated BEFORE they cut your check, if indeed you've earned enough for that period to warrant check-cutting. You won't be asked to make up the difference, just so you know

2. Are we talking manuscript pages or finished pages? With my editor and agent both, word count amounts to what I get when I click 'word count' in Microsoft Word. No arcane ciphering required. If they need more, they'll say so; if they need less, they'll say so. If you're unpubbed, just try and stay within the range listed in your prospective publisher's guidelines.

Hope this helps

Scott

Project nachonaco said:

1. Let's say someone buys my book but doesn't like it and returns it. Does the agent ask for part of my royalties back? Or do returns not even get mentioned?

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You don't pay back royalties. Publishers account for returns with what they call a "reserve against returns." And I might be wrong, since I've never delved into the question, but those returns are mostly books the bookstore ordered but never sold, not necessarily books the end consumer returned.

2. Is it true that the 'word count per page times 250' or whatever is complete crap?

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Complete crap? No, not at all. Some agents and editors are fine (or prefer) Word's word count function. Others want the traditional manuscript count (page count * 250). I use the latter unless I'm told to do otherwise.

Royalties

Royalties are never returned, no matter what.

The 250 per page is the most accurate method of counting there is, IF you use Courier 12, and twenty-five lines per page. This method counts not only words, but also spaces AND white space. No other method counts white space.

The best reason to do this is not because agents or editors want it. Many of today's agents and editors are ignorant of how this works. But using this method will guarantee you don't get asked to do any surprise cuts/rewrites for length should you sell the book.

I think either way counting words is fine (unless there's a specific line you're targeting like Harlequin that states how they want the words counted). I've definitely noticed a shift towards MS Word count over the last few years. For me, I chose the method that put my manuscript in the most marketable place (I was writing YA so I used MS Word count feature because it was lower and I didn't want to have my book be thought of as too long).

To avoid word-counting math (**shudders**) I set Word at 25 lines per page - which is roughly the equivalent to 250 wpp. Much easier. Much, much easier...

I finally tried this.

Number of words in Courier 12, 25 lines/page, 1" margins using Word's "Word count" feature: 33,622

Number of words in Courier 12, 25 lines/page, 1" margins using the # pages x 250: 44,000



What's up with this big a discrepancy?! This makes my first book (instead of 79,225) -- 84,000

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

The accelerated amber fox gamboled over the apathetic canine.

Both have nine letters, so Word would count both as nine. The second one takes up more paper, though.

Oy. I posted on this about a million years ago on this site and it turned into quite the discussion. Let me make this simple: Use 1" margins. Use Courier, Courier New, or Dark Courier font. Always double-space. Use a # to mark a line space or shift of scene. Never use two hard returns, because how do we know that's not a typo?

Do not space, space, space.... Use a tab to indent and use the centering command top center. In short, learn to use your word-processing program as designed.

As for word count, DeadlyAccurate is right. Word will see that as the same number of words. Remember typing class? Remember 5 characters including spaces is a "word." That's where the 250 words per page in Courier with 1" margins originates, I believe.

Word will give you a character count (with spaces). I like to take the number and divide by five. Voila! That's what I use. But remember that every typo you make in spacing, tabbing, etc., will throw that off. Not terminally, but off. Hence, use the Reveal Codes or similar command and look for problems. You can set Word's grammar-checker to check for either 1 or 2 space at the end of a sentence. I prefer 2. Use it and it will flag all the times you put only one or put three.

You would be shocked how many people put an extra space at the end of the last sentence of every paragraph. Assuming an average of 5 paragraphs per page, times 400 pages, and you have 400 extra "words" right there.

I have taken files from clients and started reformatting and fixing them. In more than one case, the manuscript became over 100 pages shorter. Formatting counts when you are counting your words.

Andy

Interesting. I'd forgotten the "five letters + # = 1 word". I was a typesetter in a former life, so I always type with "reveal codes" on. I can't work without it. And I NEVER use spaces--always tabs. Once a typesetter, always a typesetter.