Does anyone know normal royality rates and advance?

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BrookieCookie777

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Calling all veterans of the publishing world :)

I am a published author so I'm used to contract jargon but my agent usually handles this kind of thing -and I just sign off on it. However, I sold something today that I wrote before the agent . . . so I'm kind of winging it since she is on vacation for the week. The company is anxious for contract and wanting to know my contract requirements i.e advance and royality musts.

Does anyone know the average rate of royality? Or any information on an advance? This is a picture book if that helps any.

Thanks!! :) You're saving me a lot of brain wrecking stress!
 

Jamesaritchie

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Let the agent handle it when she gets back from vacation.
 

Ken

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... ask for more than you'd ever hope to get, then bargain and you'll end up with something satisfactory. Remember, they're in this for business so they're going to try to give you as little as possible. So you've got to counter by going for as much loot as you can squeeze out of them. Just the nature of all business transactions, sad to say. Just my 2 cents and not based on any direct experience in the matter. Good luck. And though you did land this deal on your own maybe you should take James' advise and let your agent handle it. The 15% comission will be worth it, most likes.
 

JeanneTGC

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I'm with JAR. Wait the week -- it'll fly by -- and let your agent handle this. If the publisher really wants your book, they'll be able to wait until your agent's back from vacation.
 

Claudia Gray

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You should absolutely, positively wait for your agent. Does your agent understand that you're handling a sale on your own?
 

BrookieCookie777

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Thanks guys. And to Claudia, yes, she knows this was from a long time ago. My contract requires that I give her the option to rep all of my work, but it doesn't include past work from prior to signing. I'm guess this would fall into prior work even though the sale is so long after. Does that make sense? :) Yes . . . I'm confusing myself too. lol

I'd much rather her handle it to be honest but I didn't know how commision would work since I "made" the sale alone. What do you guys think?

I'm lost here.
 

erinbee

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Every single penny my agent has made off of my work, he has earned a hundred times over in savvy I could never dream of possessing. It's worth the wait to have her look it over.
 

Old Hack

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Let the agent handle the contract for her normal fee. Doesn't matter who lined the sale up, it's the contract negotiation which is important now. You don't want a bad contract.
 
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