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9:33:00 AM EST
Hearing Road to Your Soul -- All About Eve
First Novel Payments
I know a lot of AOL Journalers are aspiring novelists -- and good for you! -- so for you folks, here's a very interesting link. Author Justine Larbalestier, who has a novel coming out in March, polled 18 of her writer friends to find out what they received in advance money for their first novels. The answers are here, and by and large the amount can be typified as: Not much. And yes, the amount I got for my first novel is also there as well (it's the 2002 entry), so just in case you were wondering what I got for this, now you'll know.
Now, I'd also note that I was pretty pleased with the amount I received for the novel, on account that I was keen to get a novel published, and having been the author of other books previously, I had some knowledge of the economics of genre fiction (i.e., you won't get rich -- you won't even get middle class). So the amount I was offered was in line with what I was expecting to get. But if you're expecting to sell that first novel and retire to a life of casual typing at your palatial estate, well, unless you had the palatial estate to begin with, it may be time to scale back one's expectations.
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Well, heck, that doesn't sound bad as an *additional* source of income--except for the poor shlub who got the $350 advance in 2003. Thanks! It's more evidence that going back to school for my accounting degree was a good idea - AND I've got to sell those novels!
Karen
http://journals.aol.com/mavarin/MusingsfromMavarin/ -
does that mean you won't lend me ten bucks?
;)
12/30/04 4:19 AM
This might seem like a silly question, but I just wondered how you felt about this:
Amazon.com says....
"Better Together
Buy this book with Orphanage by Robert Buettner today! "
****************
So, I was just curious because I can't say that I've ever known an author I could ask before. Have you ever read Orphanage? Just wondered if you thought it was a good thing to pair your book up with. I have not read it, and so I wondered what your take was on it and if you know why they paired your book with that particular one? I'm sure there is some sort of theme or content or something that at least relates one to the other. Do you feel that this is accurate?
Perhaps this will inspire an entry from you. I'm really interested in knowing what a true author feels about amazon.com's pairing. LOL I know, in the grand scheme of things it does not matter...but, it's cool to know.
Micheyle
http://journals.aol.com/mommy