The Great Advance Mystery

‘So do you get all the money at once?’

Quite often, the question that comes right after ‘when are the books out?’ is the one above. Money, it fascinates people. I can’t stand the stuff, largely because I’ve never really earned that much before and it seems to cause all manner of problems.

So does an author get all that filthy hard cash once the book deal is made? The short answer is no. The long answer is this (rather simplified one).

First off, take a fictional figure, let’s say twelve-hundred of your English pounds. All books sell for different amounts, but let’s say you sell your page-turning behemoth of an Epic Fantasy novel for 12 grand. Now divide by three (see, I chose 12 for a reason).

You just earned four large for signing the contract – a third of your total advance for signing two words. This often known as the signature advance. Enjoy! You just got paid for making shit up. You can now officially say ‘I’m a professional writer’ at dinner parties, assuming you get invited to dinner parties. I don’t, but that’s because I’m addicted to burritos from Chipotle.

The next third of the total advance comes for delivery of the manuscript. This is delivery of a completed and edited manuscript. My advice is finish the book before you submit it anywhere – agent or publisher – You’ll sleep better. And so will everyone else concerned I’d wager.

The last third of your advance comes on publication. As if the unalloyed joy of seeing your creative offspring on the shelves of book stores wasn’t enough, you get more money. KER-CHING! And you’ll need it to get drunk at the launch party, right?

Now factor in a few things, like lead times. The lead time is how long it takes to get the whole thing done. This seems to be about a year in the UK and a stretch longer in the US of A. So that advance will come to you in fractions over the course of 12-14 months.

Knock off 15% for you agent and put aside about 25-33% for the tax man. Now go get horribly drunk somewhere hot with great room service, but refrain from throwing the TV from the window into the pool because you’re a writer, not a rock star. 

Now think up a new book, start writing it, finish writing it, and do it all over again.

That’s the rather simplified version, obviously it gets a trickier with trilogies. Some publishers might even opt to divide the advance into four slices.

And finally, a little bit of etiquette. Don’t tell people how much the publisher paid for your book. That’s why people describe ‘six-figure deals’, or ‘significant five-figure deals’ and so on. Maintain a little financial mystique. After all, the deal should be about the books and the words and the story. Money is just the stuff we use to buy noodles so we can keep writing.

Until next time,

D.

The Skillful Huntsman

I’ve always loved the visual element of fantasy and science fiction. From the illustrations of  Games Workshop to the comics of 2000AD. Hardbacks full of adventurers and monsters came along in the shape of Dungeons and Dragons, whilst concept art continues to fascinate me. And let’s not forget Star Wars: A New Hope, an influence from a young age, which features pace and visuals that changed modern cinema (in the shape of summer blockbusters at least) In short I find art inspiring, even Magic the Gathering card artwork has influenced my writing. I’m a visual magpie.

I couldn’t resist picking up The Skillful Huntsman by Design Studio Press when I saw it. I was just about to start planning book 3 of The Erebus Sequence, but needed something to whet my appetite for the task at hand. I needed to know what things might look like in that world, because if I don’t know then I can’t communicate that, and the world becomes vague and inauthentic – to me at least.

The Skillful Huntsman is a concept art book that tracks three very talented artists as they  create character designs and environments based on the original tale by the brothers Grimm. Pages of silhouettes, thumbnail sketches, pencil illustrations and full colour art adorn the pages of this book, bringing a wealth of ideas and inspiration. Chapters full of vehicles and beasts of burden run alongside fairytale princesses, kings, captains and the titular huntsman himself. This book is a trove of ideas.

The art doesn’t just linger in the realm of the traditionally fantastic, but takes in post-industrial influences, even science fictional worlds. The characters are deliberately not European-analogue barbarians and knights, but something stranger, more exotic. Eastern influences combine with a modern design aesthetic to create genuinely intriguing characters; even a dash of American Indian seems to bleed into the mix.

Character designs, and by extension the apparel of those characters, also informs the reader about the nature of that person. We make many assumptions everyday based on the way people talk, walk, the way they wear their hair, and not least how they are dressed. So why not fictional characters too?

I’m not intending to plunder any of these designs for my own world, but rather use it as a jumping off point to imagine what Demesne (the castle in my novels) and Landfall, (the island where it takes place) might look like. What do those people wear? What are the customs? How does the environment they live in shape their attitudes and social lives? This may sound like daydreaming for daydreaming’s sake, but if the internal logic of the world doesn’t hold up to scrutiny the reader will stumble and be taken out of the story. Suspension of disbelief is a fragile thing.

A Portrait Shoot with Lou Abercrombie

Photography by Lou Abercrombie

Things are certainly hotting up on the author front. The War Manuals release dates creep ever closer, and now The Erebus Sequence is going to be unleashed on readers across the land (and hopefully other lands too) in 2014.

With this in mind I thought it time to get a portrait shot. My photos up until now have been courtesy of my Mac and the Photo Booth application. The black and white mode is always switched firmly to ‘ON’. Whilst good for Twitter avatars I needed something stronger I could send to publishers for publicity. 

Enter Lou Abercrombie, known as @LadyGrimdark, photographer, and wife of one Joe Abercrombie. I don’t mind admitting I had a distinctly fanboy moment as I wandered into the conference room at Orion House and met Joe and Lou. A few years ago I was reviewing Joe’s books, now I find myself casually chewing the fat with him about comics and how good Andi Tong is.

Back to the plot.

I took along a selection of clothes for the shoot, not knowing what to expect. I knew we were going to do some moody interior shots against a dark background and some exterior shots for variety. We live in a time when photographs are currency. Even our phones have cameras. Having a picture taken is commonplace. Not so with portraits, which are there to hopefully say something about you beyond ‘they looked like this’.

I didn’t want all my shots to be brooding black and whites with a face that scowls ‘VEH Serious Author Now’. Humour is important to me; in life and in my novels. I was feeling very content on the day, which is why some of the pictures feature a cheeky smile. I just signed a three book deal with Gollancz, there’s a lot to smile about.

Photography by Lou Abercrombie

Lou has a very calm aura about her, but focused too. I always felt I was in good hands and  appreciated her eye for a good background. She was fascinated with the stone textures of London. We also managed to capture a variety of colours in a very short space of time.

Just as we were heading back to Orion House we spotted some flaking blue paint overrun with vines. This unplanned backdrop provided my favourite picture of the set.

Photography by Lou Abercrombie

If you’re in need of an author shot I’d heartily recommend Lou. You don’t need to be an author, why not have a portrait shot taken for the sake of it?

The April Round-up

Just a short post this week. A quick round up of news – I know people do actually use the blog as a way of keeping up with Planet Den (or The Republic of Den as I like to call it).

Telling Stories

I’m pleased to announce I have a short story in the forthcoming Piracy anthology by Fox Spirit Books. My story focuses on an unnamed pirate who is complicit with the theft of rather unusual treasures. I’m delighted that my story opens the anthology and am looking forward to reading the works of the other writers. You can see the full list of contributors here.

My short story Red Hot Hate is still available. You can pick up the Kindle edition of A Town Called Pandemonium from Amazon.

Blackwell on Charing Cross Road London also have physical copies on their shelves and will send them out to you if you ask nicely.

Those of you money to burn may like pre-order The War-Fighting Manuals from Amazon. Those of you that love bookshops should buy them there in due course.

Real Life

I’ve had some good fortune and am copywriting for a large fashion website. I may even blog here about clothes at some point. Anything could happen. The commute has given me a lot of reading time, during which I’ve digested the chilly Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins, the excellent Gun Machine by Warren Ellis, and have begun Red Moon by Benjamin Percy, which has some very strong opening chapters. I may write at length about these in the future.

My own writing begins anew on June 1st, when I’ll be working on the third draft of The Boy Who Wept Blood – which is the second book of The Erebus Sequence. Until then I’m happy reading and writing the odd short story.

Author Stuff

I’ve just had a portrait shoot with the lovely Lou Abercrombie. You may know her on twitter as @LadyGrimdark. She’s a photographer, mother of three and married to some hooligan by the name of Joe Abercrombie. I’m told he also writes books and is ‘pretty good’. Lou also has the best hair in Somerset. This is a fact.

Pictures of my brooding brow will no doubt appear here in the not too distant future.

Until next time,

D.

Advantages of Having an Agent

Juliet Mushens of The Agency Group dropped in for a guest post two weeks ago. In the post she set out some best practice for authors when approaching agents. Needless to say a lot of authors found the post really useful and it prompted some thoughts. I received this question on Twitter:

‘Hope you don't mind me asking, but what are the benefits, would you say to having an agent?’ – @KTScribbles

Obviously I can only answer from my direct experience, and I’m a very new writer. To give you some back story – I signed for the War Manuals unagented with Gollancz back in 2012. I then signed with Juliet and we submitted the first book of The Erebus Sequence to Gollancz, which was bought in the early stages 2013. As you can see, I’ve been through the process with and without an agent. So let’s look at those advantages:

A Layer of Quality – I recently spent a few days reading an editor’s slush pile (I’ll do anything for food and free books). The slush pile, for those that don’t know, is made up of manuscripts sent direct to publisher. This is called Open Submissions. Gollancz and Tor both have an open submission policy, other publishers such Angry Robot have windows for submissions. This highlighted to me those writers who are flying solo.

I said 'flying solo', not Han Solo.

Some agents (not all) will work with an author. Juliet in particular gave me notes for a structural edit, and then again for a more detailed line edit. In my case this was ‘Hey, where is the worldbuilding?’ This insight gives the manuscript added edge, and provides a layer of quality you wouldn’t have – unless you have some amazing test readers. An agent will also help refine the pitch, knowing what language to use to successfully communicate what the book is about, who it will sell to, and what makes it a good acquisition for a publisher.

Circles of Contact – And whilst we’re on the subject of slush piles – the vast majority of publishers only accept submissions through an agent - so you're cutting yourself off from a lot of them right away. An agent has the contacts and will have an understanding of which editors buy what type of books and so on. Why not save yourself some massive headaches and endless fretting and let them do the work?

Contract Jargon – Do you know what escalators are? Do you know the industry standard for royalties on mass market paperbacks? Are you an expert on E-books and digital rights management? Of course not – you’re a writer. How can you be expected to know all this legal stuff?

'I find your lack of a Digital Rights Management clause disturbing'

Remember, contracts are there for when things go wrong. It’s important they serve both parties so you need someone who will negotiate on your behalf to serve your interests. A good agent will not only know the nuances of contract negotiation, but also provide a barrier between you and the nitty gritty of the business conversation. Nothing kills creative energy more than worrying about contracts in my experience.

Selling – How much is your book worth? Nasty isn’t it? Putting a cold hard cash price on something you’re emotionally invested in. An agent will have a feel for how much a manuscript is worth, and they won’t tell you if they’ve half a clue, so don’t ask. The agent can then go on to sell the manuscript to a publisher, even getting an auction (where publishers bid against each other) for the book.

Now imagine doing that for yourself. I didn’t know the etiquette for publishing auctions, and I would never have dreamed The Erebus Sequence sold for as much as it did (not a brag incidentally, I’m still shocked as I write this). The temptation for a new writer is to practically give the work away, just so we can see it in print.

Parlez-vous? – Congratulations if you scored a foreign rights deal, your publisher will sell your novel to publishers abroad at their leisure, meaning more royalties for you hopefully.

But what if you only sold in the UK? Do you know who to approach in France, Germany, Italy, Norway and so on? An agent will go to the book fairs and meet with foreign publishers, pitch your novel, and make all important contacts. Meanwhile you can get on with the thing you’re supposed to be doing – writing the next book.

Confidence and Passion – Writing is solitary. Even if you belong to the largest and loveliest writing circle the hard truth is you’re going to spend a lot of time alone. This can lead to an element of doubt creeping in. Some writers lose faith in the work a third of the way in, at the mid point, or just before the end. It’s useful (essential in my case) to have a wingman, someone who believes in the work and wants you to succeed. If this person isn’t your agent you might want to think about finding a new one.

It's essential to have a good wingman, X-wing optional

‘Publishing is based on advocacy’ – Oliver Johnson, Hodder and Stoughton, FantasyCon 2012 (@oliverrjohnson)

If your agent doesn’t love it they won’t be able to communicate that passion to a publisher. If the publisher doesn’t love it you’re not going to get signed. Advocacy is everything. 

And that’s why I’m a big advocate of agents. I wouldn’t be without one, but ultimately you have to choose what is right for you.