The gold at the end of the rainbow

Jumping in once again, though I'm not an agent...

MarkEsq said:

First, how much of every book sold does the author get? Is this a negotiable part of a deal with an agent/publisher?

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It depends on the publisher and the format of the book. Commercial publishers usually pay 6-8% on mass market paperbacks (some authors can get 10%, but that's not typical), around 10% on trade paperbacks, and between 12.5% and 15% on hardcovers, with the amount increasing based on sales. These percentages are calculated on the cover price.

Smaller publishers may pay slightly lower percentages, or base the percentages on the publisher's net (cover price less any discounts given to booksellers and distributors) rather than cover price.

Royalties are not usually an area where you can negotiate.

Second, what is an average advance for, say, a mystery writer, a first-timer.

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That's really hard to say. Advances are all over the place. Average from the large publishing houses is probably between $5,000 and $10,000, though I've seen advances as low as $1,000, and for certain lucky souls whom the publisher decides to push, the sky is the limit (though no author should hold his or her breath in anticipation of being one of these).

Smaller publishers pay less--sometimes just a few hundred dollars--and some pay nothing.

SF writer Tobias Buckell recently did an interesting survey of advances in science fiction and fantasy.

- Victoria

God Victoria, I love reading your answers / posts!

You are so smart!