re: How do you get paid if you sell a ST book?
- Thread starter Cheapjack
- Start date
You should probably have your agent ask Marco.
Seriously, you get an advance on the royalties to begin with, payable in installments. Part due on signing, part due on delivery and acceptance of the manuscript, part due when CBS approves the ms., etc. Later, if and when the book earns out its advance, you start getting royalties.
As for the size of the advance and the royalty rate . . . well, that IS between your agent and Pocket Books.
As for the size of the advance and the royalty rate . . . well, that IS between your agent and Pocket Books.
Mr. Cox is full of it. We get paid in quatloos from the Provider #2. Provider #3 pays the Star Wars writers and Dr. Who writers get paid by #1.
Since, as you know, quatloos can only be exchanged on Triskelion and only after extended combat with other thralls, writing for Pocket is truly a labor of love. As far as I know only Ward, Mack and DeCandido have managed to make the trip AND survive to make such an exchange.
But those could be rumors.
Since, as you know, quatloos can only be exchanged on Triskelion and only after extended combat with other thralls, writing for Pocket is truly a labor of love. As far as I know only Ward, Mack and DeCandido have managed to make the trip AND survive to make such an exchange.
But those could be rumors.
In small, unmarked bills.
No, seriously, as Greg said, it works the same way as 90% of the book contracts out there: you get an advance against royalties, which is divided into either two or three installments (one is always on signing; the subsequent ones are at various stages of completion: approval of proposal, delivery of manuscript, acceptance of manuscript, and/or publication of book).
For Trek books, there is a royalty, also (a percentage of the cover price), but you don't see any of it until the book sells enough that your royalty earnings equal your advance. Once you do that -- what's called "earning out" -- you start getting royalty money.
There are, of course, exceptions, but that's the usual manner.
No, seriously, as Greg said, it works the same way as 90% of the book contracts out there: you get an advance against royalties, which is divided into either two or three installments (one is always on signing; the subsequent ones are at various stages of completion: approval of proposal, delivery of manuscript, acceptance of manuscript, and/or publication of book).
For Trek books, there is a royalty, also (a percentage of the cover price), but you don't see any of it until the book sells enough that your royalty earnings equal your advance. Once you do that -- what's called "earning out" -- you start getting royalty money.
There are, of course, exceptions, but that's the usual manner.
I thought they got a bar of gold pressed latinum. 
We're supposed to get paid?!?!?
Emphasis on the supposed...
Paul
No. Go back to the mine. How the hell did you escape your chains?
Lowest bidder. What did you expect, buying from a Ferengi. Weren't you warned about them at the Academy?
It could be worse: What do tribble pelts go for these days?
^ Bit of fluff...
Hey Lieut. Arex! You've made your time jump at last! Cool new uniform!
Here are some additional questions. How likely is it that authors will see money from "earning out?" Does this happen on many books? Just curious. Thanks.
Depends on the book, the deal the author had, whether he or she is the only writer in the book, and a myriad of other factors.
A couple for instances for you.
In all three Strange New Worlds volumes I made it into, I received an advance totaling .10 cents times the number of words in the story. In addition, I would have earned 1/23 of the royalty rate, whatever it was, once the initial advance had earned out. Between the sales numbers of the books plus the 1/23rd split, I'll never see a royalty on any of the SNW books--they'll never sell enough copies to cover the advance.
Now, one of the writers in one of the SNW volumes wrote a very short story, like 2 pages, I guess 900-1200 words or so. His advance was very small in comparison to those of us who wrote 4000-6000 word stories or whatever. Since his advance was so low, he actually picked up a royalty check since the sales volume and the 1/23 cut were more than his advance.
Writers who write novels alone don't have to split the royalties of course, so some books may have earned out already. I imagine the books that have gone into multiple printings may apply here.
I seem to recall Marco mentioning that one or both of the Mirror Universe books went into multiple printings, so it's possible the three authors in each of those books have earned out as well. Not sure on that, though for the sake of my story in Shards and Shadows, I sure hope so. I'd like to see what happens to my bi-annual S&S statement when a book actually starts to earn out.
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