What does that mean, consulting editor?
re: How do you get paid if you sell a ST book?
- Thread starter Cheapjack
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What does that mean, consulting editor?
In terms of Tor, being a "Consulting Editor" means that I'm not on the payroll, but handle certain editorial projects for Tor on a freelance basis. These days I'm mostly focusing on Richard Matheson, whom I've been working with for some fifteen years now. Recently, this involved working with Warner Bros. to coordinate efforts on I AM LEGEND, and I'm now doing the same for THE BOX, an upcoming movie based on one of Matheson's short stories.
Hope that's not more than you wanted to know!
Hope that's not more than you wanted to know!
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.
This is interesting. I'm actually curious now, though how would that one work, say for the first volume. Where there were three stories but six authors? Do they all split it evenly 1/6 or would say Mack and Cox get 1/3 each where Ward, Dilmore, and Sussman split the last third thereby getting 1/9 each? I would think it'd be the latter, but I suppose I could see an argument for the prior too.
Actually, you get paid by the weight of the finished product. This is why David R. George III is a very rich man. It's also why hardcovers cost more (proof!) and hardcover authors are always rich! (double proof!)
But the question is, what if two novel are by solo authors and the third is a collaboration of three people? Is it split solely by number of authors (i.e. they all get 1/5), or is it an equal royalty per novel (i.e. the solo authors get 1/3 each but the collaborators get 1/9 each)?
Indeed. Where it gets entertaining, and why contracts people get good money, is for Glass Empires. A third goes to Dave. A third goes to Greg. And a third goes to (combined) Dayton, Kevin, and Mike, and I have no frapping clue how that third gets split among the three of them.
Damn freakin' skippy....
Nope. That's great. Sounds like fun.
So, when, in this fantasy world, we do eventually get royalties, do they come with the statement or separately?
Well, not quite. In my (limited) experience, royalty checks come within a few days of the biannual earnings statements, but not together with them.
I'm guessing "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" isn't one of them.
If only...
This thread just made me think of another question...
For you freelancers (*looks towards KRAD's direction*), what do you do for health insurance? As I keep working on my craft, I keep wondering if, someday, I went freelance, how I would handle health insurance with two children and a wife?
Again, thanks.
For you freelancers (*looks towards KRAD's direction*), what do you do for health insurance? As I keep working on my craft, I keep wondering if, someday, I went freelance, how I would handle health insurance with two children and a wife?
Again, thanks.
I pay for a personal health insurance plan. It's expensive, but since I'm self-employed, I can list it as a business deduction on my taxes.
I'm on TerriO's health insurance, since her company allows domestic partners to be covered (and we'll be married this summer anyhow...). Prior to that, I was on my ex-wife's health insurance.
(Honestly, one of the main reasons why I felt comfortable going freelance in 1998 was because I was covered by my ex's insurance. In fact, I was covered by it anyhow even before that, since my employer at the time had incredibly shitty insurance....)
Now you know how all those non Trek cameos ended up in Greg Cox's Khan trilogy!
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