I almost did a deal to write a book for a well-known technical publisher. (A hurricane intervened.) The advance was only $8k, which would have probably worked o

I almost did a deal to write a book for a well-known technical publisher. (A hurricane intervened.) The advance was only $8k, which would have probably worked out to less than minimum wage. I'd check the advance amount pronto, as that will probably put you off the deal regardless of the dicey co-author problems. Don't expect to get paid more than the advance. (And "advance" is kind of a misnomer, as you'd get this amount after delivering the manuscript.)