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If you get an advance, you'd better deliver the goods . . .
- Thread starter JoeEkaitis
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That's wild. Do all the other big publishing houses have that many large-advance authors that took the money and ran?
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I'll happily write their books for them. I mean, it'd be a shame to waste all that paper the contracts were printed on... 
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This is the one that kills me:
It doesn't even sound like she had to write anything NEW! Free money, and she couldn't be bothered to format it, or what?
It doesn't even sound like she had to write anything NEW! Free money, and she couldn't be bothered to format it, or what?
This one is all kinds of skeezy:
Not the greatest track record with authors and amazing "true" stories, eh, Opes?
Not the greatest track record with authors and amazing "true" stories, eh, Opes?
This story keeps escalating, with Trident Media posting a statement against Penguin and EdRants posting an extended list of authors being sued.
I'm very puzzled why Trident are supporting authors who don't deliver their contracted goods. They seem to be saying the manuscripts were delivered and then rejected by the publisher, but so far no other sources have said that's the case.
It makes me wonder how much of the story we're actually seeing.
I'm very puzzled why Trident are supporting authors who don't deliver their contracted goods. They seem to be saying the manuscripts were delivered and then rejected by the publisher, but so far no other sources have said that's the case.
It makes me wonder how much of the story we're actually seeing.
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How the crap do I get a $20,000 advance for a book on fishing lures?
Ahem. Not jealous or anything. Really.
With the exception of the made-up memoir, none of these books are fiction. Do fiction writers just not get big enough advances to go after?
The EdRants article implies this is unusual behaviour for a publisher, and Penguin is perhaps only doing it out of financial hardship.
This topic is interesting enough that perhaps this thread should be ported to the Roundtable for wider discussion.
Ahem. Not jealous or anything. Really.
With the exception of the made-up memoir, none of these books are fiction. Do fiction writers just not get big enough advances to go after?
The EdRants article implies this is unusual behaviour for a publisher, and Penguin is perhaps only doing it out of financial hardship.
This topic is interesting enough that perhaps this thread should be ported to the Roundtable for wider discussion.
I noticed that too. I suspect that these books were sold on proposal, so it's not clear if the authors even delivered finished manuscripts.
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I agree with Bubastes that it's probably because the authors never delivered (or at least that's one Penguin seems to be implying).
Fiction contracts aren't sold on the basis of your reptuation, but a good completed manuscript or (for already popular authors) past completion of good manuscripts and a solid outline of more. So the work's already done by the time money appears, or at least the author already knows how to deliver a full manuscript within deadline. But most of these contracts seem to have been given based on their celebrity status.
You could always take Dave Gorman's approach and write a sell out comedy show based on the experiences you had while not writing the book.