SHOW ME THE MONEY – Advances in Publishing Deals (Part 1)

An “advance” is the money an author receives “up front” on a publishing deal. Not all authors receive advances, and not all publishers offer them. For many first-time authors, the advance is simultaneously a mystery and a treasure, “manna from heaven” that falls at the publisher’s whim. Not so. In most cases (though rare exceptions do exist) the advance represents an advance payment against the author’s future royalties. After publication, the author will not receive any royalty payments until the royalties earned exceed the amount of the advance. Yes, this means we’re doing math. Stick with me. If Abby Author

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Suddenly…TURKEYS

I got home from work yesterday evening around 5:00 and went to my room to change clothes. I had barely finished when Tesla yelled, “MOM, there are turkeys in the front yard!” I wasn’t sure I heard him right. “The feathered kind?” “YES. Come quick.” Sure enough, a pair of very large turkeys was strolling across the yard. By the time I grabbed my iPad and reached the door, the feathered visitors had crossed the driveway and started hunting for food in the neighbors’ lawn. I walked over (very slowly) and started filming. Turns out, wild Sacramento turkeys are not

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A Bear of a Day

Jan Berenstain’s passing has left a sad little bear-shaped hole in my heart today. The co-creator and co-author of the Berenstain Bears passed away last Friday after suffering a severe stroke the day before. My brother and I loved the Berenstain Bears. We read all their books. My mother bought them for my brother (who was four years younger and more into bears than I) but I read them all. I even read them to him (partially to have an excuse – my fourth-grade ego couldn’t admit to liking them on my own account). The Berenstain Bears had an impact

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Introducing Author Interviews

In March 2012 I’m adding a new feature to the blog: author interviews. The interviews will feature both traditionally-published and independent/self-published authors in a variety of genres. Beyond the entertainment value, interviews give readers a chance to meet new authors, and authors an opportunity to talk about books – their own and the ones that inspire them. From my perspective, that’s win-win-win. I already have some fantastic interviews scheduled, and I’m looking forward to many more. In keeping with the family-friendly nature of the blog, interviews will not include profanity or obscenity, and will feature authors of books in the

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It’s not You….It’s Your Imaginary Friends – Breaking Up With My First Manuscript

I recently posted about my mystery series, which sold in a three-book deal. In many ways, my experience with this series has been the Cinderella Story authors dream of – the first agent I pitched it to signed me as a client, and the series sold in less than five months. It’s the kind of story that alternately inspires others and turns them green with envy. I know. I’ve been there. But what that story doesn’t tell you is equally important. Important enough that I’m talking about it here. This wasn’t my first rodeo. Before I realized I should be

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WHO done it? The Use of Pen Names in Publishing

Today’s entry will take a look at authors’ use of pseudonyms (aka “pen names”). The arguments for and against pen names are numerous, and I won’t take the time to go into them today. An author who chooses to publish using a pseudonym should do so after full consideration of the business-side pros and cons. Instead, let’s take a look at the legal issues pen names can raise for authors who choose to use them. The legality of using a pen name isn’t in question. Famous (and not-so-famous) authors have used them for years. The bigger question – and one

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Woodworking 101: The Quarterstaff

Over the weekend, Tesla started his newest project – making a quarterstaff by hand. He’s using traditional techniques, including wood chisels, planes, and lots and lots of elbow grease. We expect the project to take several weeks, so I thought I’d chronicle it here. Traditional quarterstaves measure six to nine feet in length and are made from saplings, usually hazel, oak or hawthorn. The term “quarter” staff is believed to refer to the practice of making staves from the quartered hardwood (trunk) of a tree, rather than from branches. The trunk wood is stronger than that of the branches, which

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In Honor of Battery Day

In looking over the list of 2012 observances, I noticed that tomorrow is Battery Day. As I reached for my quarterstaff (yes, I have one), I realized that I might have read that wrong. It turns out that Battery Day actually celebrates the handy devices that power our toys, computers and automobiles. It also appears that no one knows exactly when the observance originated, or why (and there’s no act of Congress establishing the observance as an officially recognized event). February 18 is the birthday of Alessandro Volta, who invented the first electrical battery (and shocked a lot of frogs

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Grants of Rights, Part 2: Many Formats! Handle it!

Last week we looked at the “big 4” concerns for authors where grants of rights in publishing deals are concerned. (To review, those are exclusivity, geography, languages and “forms and formats.”) Today, we’re taking a closer look at what, exactly, publishers may mean by all “forms and formats.” Many publishing contracts contain a grant of rights to the publisher that includes “all forms and formats,” or “all forms and formats now known and hereafter developed.” (The latter is more common.) Most writers (and others) assume this means printed books and e-books – and it does. But the clause includes much

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My Bladed Valentine

Last night I came home from work to find an unusual sort of pre-Valentine’s gift waiting. My son (known here as Tesla) had taken a broken-handled kitchen knife and re-purposed it into a pretty fantastic little utility knife. The results of his handiwork: Basically, he removed the broken handle and wrapped the tang with nylon rope. But he didn’t just wrap – he taught himself to actually do this properly, and the result looks and functions great. A closeup on the wrap: He even burned the ends of the rope to prevent the wrap from fraying. He left the ends

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