Advances for Nonfiction Book

richlather · May 17, 2011

Hi, there.

I'm writing a novel about a fictional scientist who has been a familiar face on public television for twenty years. In the novel, a publisher gives him an advance to write his autobiography. Does anyone know how much of an advance (more or less) a moderately well-known TV scientist would receive to pen his memoirs? I want to get this detail right, as the size of the advance has a bearing on several plot points.

Thanks.

Sunnyside · May 18, 2011

I have no clue. But I'm still waiting for a well-known TV scientist to check in on this . . .

PinkAmy · May 18, 2011

Can you give an example of how famous he is? Are you talking Carl Sagan back in the day, or someone of lesser fame? The size of his platform would, in part determine the number of books printed. Will his book be required reading in universities? More built in readers, more books printed, bigger money. He likely has a big publishing house, since he's famous. You could check publisher's market to see what celebrities are getting for memoirs. Find someone like him (don't pick snooky LOL, pick a mid-grade actor/musician/politician) and see what he got.

richlather · May 18, 2011

He's not a Carl Sagan type. His fame is more modest, although viewers of a fictional equivalent of the NewsHour would be familiar with his name. I'm guessing that he would be famous enough to command a $250,000 advance, but I want to be certain that my figure approximates what someone of his moderate fame would get in real life.

PinkAmy · May 18, 2011

That's a pretty hefty advance in this day and age. Is there scandal in his memoir or something that's going to create a lot of buzz? Is he nationally known? Someone like Bill Nye (although it could be argued more people know who he is than Sagan in 2011.)

Deleted member 42 · May 18, 2011

richlather said:
He's not a Carl Sagan type. His fame is more modest, although viewers of a fictional equivalent of the NewsHour would be familiar with his name. I'm guessing that he would be famous enough to command a $250,000 advance, but I want to be certain that my figure approximates what someone of his moderate fame would get in real life.

Not that much, especially for a single book.

richlather · May 18, 2011

Thanks for the feedback, PinkAmy and Medievalist. You've calmed my fears. A plot point was predicated on the advance being relatively small, but I was afraid I was underestimating the amount this scientist could command. I'm glad I wasn't.

Royal Mercury · May 27, 2011

richlather said:
He's not a Carl Sagan type. His fame is more modest, although viewers of a fictional equivalent of the NewsHour would be familiar with his name. I'm guessing that he would be famous enough to command a $250,000 advance, but I want to be certain that my figure approximates what someone of his moderate fame would get in real life.

So, he sounds like a Jack Horkheimer type, the "Star Gazer" and director of the Miami Science Museum and Space Transit Planetarium. His 5 minute show is known nationally, but he also had a small book published. Or perhaps Neil deGrasse Tyson who came to fame after he booted Pluto from an exhibit of planets at the Hayden Planetarium.

Advances for Nonfiction Book

richlather

Sunnyside

PinkAmy

New kid, be gentle!

richlather

PinkAmy

New kid, be gentle!

Deleted member 42

richlather

Royal Mercury

I think I am, therefore....