• How much do publishers pay for a book?
  While we’d all love a firm dollar answer, the truth is, it depends. Most reputable publishers pay an advance – an upfront amount based on the total income they expect to make from the book; then pay the writer a percentage of this, known as a royalty. In each case, the book has to earn back the advance before further payments are received. Most books are shipped to booksellers on a “sale or return” basis, so although 10,000 copies of a book may be shipped to stores, only half this number may actually sell, the rest being returned to the publisher. A percentage of the writer’s income is held as “reserves against returns” until final sales are known.

• Don’t romance novels make six-figure sums?
  Again, the answer is, it depends. Books published as part of a “line”, such as Silhouette Special Editions or Harlequin Temptation, can earn an advance anywhere from $2,500 US to around $7,500 US. Earnouts – the total amount the book earns for its author after returns are deducted, can range from a couple of thousand dollars to tens of thousands per title. The higher amounts are earned by the most popular authors, and books translated into many languages. Most books fall in between. To earn six figures, you would probably have to sell a single title book to a major publishing house.

• Is it worth publishing electronically?
  The jury is still out on these markets. One e-publisher, Ellora’s Cave, was the first to be recognised by Romance Writers of America. To achieve this, a publisher must be a “non-subsidy, non-vanity press that has released books on a regular basis via national (USA) distribution for a minimum of one year and has sold a minimum of 1,500 hardcover/trade paperback copies or 5,000 copies of any other format of a single fiction book or novella, or collection of novellas in book form.” Their earnouts can vary from a few hundred to about $9,000. Other e-published books may earn as little as $25 in total. However, the writer gains publishing credits and experience, and the chance to have work to be published in more lucrative markets.

• How do I know when to give up my day job?
  This decision usually looms when selling enough to provide spare-time income but not yet enough to live on, and you think you’ll do better with more time to write. Some solutions are to write fulltime, supporting yourself with a part-time job; and saving to provide a financial cushion for a set time. Decide how long you can live off savings while trying your writing wings, less a couple of months for job-hunting just in case. You can also use accrued annual or long-service leave to test yourself as a fulltime writer.

© Valerie Parv 2006