5 ms·

Publishers front nearly all of the deelopment costs of the book --- e.g., the advance, the printing costs, whatever editing work that gets done, etc. Publishe

by tytso 7y ago

Publishers front nearly all of the deelopment costs of the book --- e.g., the advance, the printing costs, whatever editing work that gets done, etc. Publishers don't have to pay all of these costs; they could make the authors front all of those costs, which reduces their risk. There is a name for that sort of arrangement; it's called a "vanity press". But funny thing, most authors don't want to use vanity press, and most writer's guilds don't consider publication by a vanity press to be a valid criteria for membership in the Author's Guild, Science Fiction Writer's Association, Romance Writer's Association, etc.

munificent 7y ago
> Publishers front nearly all of the deelopment costs of the book The largest development cost for a book is the labor to write the book, and the training required to be able to do so, and that is fronted entirely by the author. Advances tend to be very small and are a loan from the publisher to the author. Printing costs have been going down for decades. Print on demand now means that publishers have complete control over choosing a printing cost that minimizes their risk and matches their projected sales. Editing is a cost, but is relatively small compared to writing the book. > There is a name for that sort of arrangement; it's called a "vanity press". That term arose in the time before print-on-demand where an author really did have to sink significant capital into printing their own book. Likewise, before digital distribution, a vanity press author was unlikely to be able to get their book in many stores. Choosing to self-publish a book that couldn't get picked up by a traditional publisher was an indication that the author was doing something for their own enrichment more than for good financial reasons because they were unlikely to recoup those costs. But self-publishing today requires little capital investment and it's trivial for a self-published book to be widely distributed. That means it's much more possible for an author to be making a sound financial choice to self publish. > don't consider publication by a vanity press to be a valid criteria for membership in the Author's Guild, Science Fiction Writer's Association, Romance Writer's Association, etc. The Author's guild says: > Regular Membership: Traditionally published authors with at least 1 published book in the U.S.; self-published authors who have made at least $5,000 in the past 18 months from their writing; and freelance writers who have published 3+ pieces or made $5,000 in the past 18 months. SFWA says: > A published work of fiction of a minimum of 40,000 words either sold to a small press or self-published for which the author can demonstrate net income of at least $3,000 over the course of a year since January 1, 2013. Income can be in the form of advance, royalties, or some combination thereof or; RWA just says: > Per RWA policy, all prospective members must provide proof that they are seriously pursuing a career in romance writing in order to qualify for General membership. Either of the following serve as proof: One complete original work of romance fiction of at least 20,000 words. Multiple complete original works of romance fiction* which combine for a total of at least 20,000 words.
- Finnucane 7y ago
  >Advances tend to be very small and are a loan from the publisher to the author. No, not a loan. An advance does not normally get paid back if it doesn't earn out.
  - thaumasiotes 7y ago
    But it does get paid back if it does earn out. The payout profile looks basically the same as a non-recourse loan.
  - munificent 7y ago
    That just means it's a forgiven loan. The point is that the advance does not add to the money the author makes on top of royalties. Advances are not an additional cost to the publisher. They are an investment with some risk, but they control that risk by choosing the size of the advance.
- lastres0rt 7y ago
  ... but what about graphic novels?!

by tytso 7y ago

munificent 7y ago

> Publishers front nearly all of the deelopment costs of the book The largest development cost for a book is the labor to write the book, and the training required to be able to do so, and that is fronted entirely by the author. Advances tend to be very small and are a loan from the publisher to the author. Printing costs have been going down for decades. Print on demand now means that publishers have complete control over choosing a printing cost that minimizes their risk and matches their projected sales. Editing is a cost, but is relatively small compared to writing the book. > There is a name for that sort of arrangement; it's called a "vanity press". That term arose in the time before print-on-demand where an author really did have to sink significant capital into printing their own book. Likewise, before digital distribution, a vanity press author was unlikely to be able to get their book in many stores. Choosing to self-publish a book that couldn't get picked up by a traditional publisher was an indication that the author was doing something for their own enrichment more than for good financial reasons because they were unlikely to recoup those costs. But self-publishing today requires little capital investment and it's trivial for a self-published book to be widely distributed. That means it's much more possible for an author to be making a sound financial choice to self publish. > don't consider publication by a vanity press to be a valid criteria for membership in the Author's Guild, Science Fiction Writer's Association, Romance Writer's Association, etc. The Author's guild says: > Regular Membership: Traditionally published authors with at least 1 published book in the U.S.; self-published authors who have made at least $5,000 in the past 18 months from their writing; and freelance writers who have published 3+ pieces or made $5,000 in the past 18 months. SFWA says: > A published work of fiction of a minimum of 40,000 words either sold to a small press or self-published for which the author can demonstrate net income of at least $3,000 over the course of a year since January 1, 2013. Income can be in the form of advance, royalties, or some combination thereof or; RWA just says: > Per RWA policy, all prospective members must provide proof that they are seriously pursuing a career in romance writing in order to qualify for General membership. Either of the following serve as proof: One complete original work of romance fiction of at least 20,000 words. Multiple complete original works of romance fiction* which combine for a total of at least 20,000 words.

Finnucane 7y ago
>Advances tend to be very small and are a loan from the publisher to the author. No, not a loan. An advance does not normally get paid back if it doesn't earn out.
- thaumasiotes 7y ago
  But it does get paid back if it does earn out. The payout profile looks basically the same as a non-recourse loan.
- munificent 7y ago
  That just means it's a forgiven loan. The point is that the advance does not add to the money the author makes on top of royalties. Advances are not an additional cost to the publisher. They are an investment with some risk, but they control that risk by choosing the size of the advance.
lastres0rt 7y ago
... but what about graphic novels?!