All Questions
52 questions
15
votes
4
answers
4k
views
How can my book purchase get the most money to an author?
I'm a reader, not an author. But, when I buy books (in whatever format) from authors I enjoy, I'd like as much of my purchase prices as possible to get to those authors.
So, I'm wondering: do authors ...
- 253
0
votes
2
answers
185
views
Why would a movie studio pay for a script?
If someone sends a movie studio a movie script they wrote and the studio likes it, they presumably like the idea, not the exact setting and character names. So why not change those and call it their ...
- 103
0
votes
2
answers
116
views
Need help with currencies and numbers/numerals in fiction
How would you write the following in fiction given that my style guide says write out numbers up to and including 99?
From the till, she robbed six 50,000-won notes, two 10,000s and eight thousands.
I ...
- 1
5
votes
2
answers
923
views
Self published cost of books as a tax deduction
I sell physical review books for a certification in my professional field that are starting to pick up on Amazon, about $2000 per month. I am paying a publishing company to print my books and then I ...
- 51
3
votes
2
answers
141
views
How do I price the ghostwriting of a memoir?
I'm a professional writer, but I've never written a memoir. I've been asked to submit a proposal to ghostwrite a memoir. The person whose memoir I would write knows I've not written a memoir before, ...
4
votes
4
answers
5k
views
How much should I pay the copyright holder for the right to translate a book and sell copies?
Suppose I'm a local publisher. If I want to translate a book, print it and sell translated copies, how much should I propose to pay to the copyright holder? Is there some acceptable percentage of book ...
- 141
5
votes
1
answer
229
views
Do writers need a business bank account?
My question is simple: do writers need a business bank account? Or can they use a regular account for saving and declaring tax on their earnings?
Further, do writers need to declares themselves a ...
- 530
10
votes
2
answers
485
views
Is a professional editor worth the cost?
The pros and cons of alternatives to professional editors have already been discussed here. It has already been established that nothing can quite replace the many alternatives that exist, as these ...
- 1,475
6
votes
3
answers
203
views
Comics marketing: focus on issues or collections?
Situation:
5 year comic book series (by my spouse; I do marketing, website, etc)
4 issues a year (in theory...it's been slower)
Issues are available as e-comic only
Every 4 issues is collected into a ...
- 32.4k
3
votes
1
answer
287
views
As an author, how can you ensure that your agent/publisher isn’t ripping you off by pocketing your money and giving you false info about sales?
Agents typically demand that authors sign over complete control of their royalties to them so that their money comes from the agent rather than from the publisher directly. I know a certain author ...
- 2,174
6
votes
1
answer
78
views
How is the monetary value of a single submission determined?
I have read couple of submission guidelines and publisher notes that pays on the "word" unit for descriptive essays, articles and lists. (For ex, 2₹/word). Then there are different guidelines for ...
- 1,987
6
votes
2
answers
720
views
Do I have to pay royalties if I include excerpts from other works?
In a lot of books, at the beginning, the authors include quotes from poetry or songs that are relevant to the theme of their story or to their characters' situations. Obviously I would have to ask ...
user34214
11
votes
5
answers
1k
views
How overcome the budget constraint while building a fiction writing career?
Recently I was exposed to several sources that suggest that writing one novel a month is possible:
The book 2K to 10K by Rachel Aaron,
"Write. Publish. Repeat", and
my old statistics file that shows ...
user23411
37
votes
10
answers
14k
views
How to prevent ebook piracy from stealing your livelihood?
I'm a part-time writer, still working on my novel (with a long term goal to make a living as a writer). My partner is also a writer, full time, with a couple dozen novels in ebook format, who makes a ...
- 5,292
2
votes
1
answer
308
views
Getting paid from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing while maximizing profits
I'm writing my first book now and my idea is to publish it on Amazon KDP as an ebook. Let's be real, I'm no Shakespeare, so I'm expecting modest sales.
I want to maximize the profit and there are a ...
- 21
4
votes
2
answers
114
views
Royalty rate for edition of estate-held text
I am the literary executor of my father's estate. A relative has started work on producing a (probably very) limited non-professional edition of my father's 1938-45 war diary. I need to strike a ...
- 299
4
votes
3
answers
137
views
Pay rate and terms for writing book series under contract
I have a guy that runs a very successful punk/oi! record label in LA. He has asked me if I'd be interested in writing a series of books for him. 60,000 to 80,000 words per book in the series.
I am ...
- 41
4
votes
1
answer
300
views
How to build break-even funnels for short fiction?
There are some internet marketing courses that teach you how to create break-even funnels for the product. "Break-even" means that for every dollar you buy ads for, you get at least one dollar in ...
user6696
3
votes
2
answers
192
views
Copyright Lyrics to Songs
I have written lyrics to which I would like to have music put to. What's the safest and most advantageous way to copyright the lyrics?
- 31
0
votes
1
answer
177
views
What is the WGA compensation when multiple writers work on the same episode?
I understand that if you want to hire a writer to write an episode there are certain minimums set, like $15k for a 20min sitcom story plus teleplay. But, what if there are multiple writers writing a ...
- 1
4
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How should book credit and profit be given for an individual editor?
I have no prior experience as an book/Ebook writer, nevertheless I've been able to write my first full book (which I feel that I did a good job on). However, I have an issue with my mom, who has been ...
Tom Fernandez
10
votes
2
answers
394
views
Can I make money from short fiction?
Can one still make money from short fiction, and what is the best way? I know in days gone past it has been possible to sell short fiction to magazines or papers, who would pay per word, or some such, ...
- 211
6
votes
1
answer
715
views
Reasonable income expectations from fiction book sales only
I have been considering writing as a fiction novelist. However, the impression of difficulty in making a reasonable living as a fiction author is quite pervasive. So much so, that I am constantly ...
- 163
4
votes
4
answers
464
views
Can you sell a book for money while having it published online for free?
I write novels, I'm not a big name publisher or anything else but I have ideas that I think should have a chance to be seen by others. Most of my work is for private use, like sharing with friends ...
- 80
-1
votes
3
answers
476
views
Traditional vs. Self Publishing... Show me the Money? [closed]
As a beginning writer, I need to have a broad view of the financial side of writing. How much to expect and how different types of publishing affect benefits.
There are no threads I am aware of that ...
2
votes
1
answer
66
views
How Much $ For Advances?
My friend and I are writing a fly fishing book about the renowned and unknown rivers in Oregon. There is a decent audience from this book and we have had two publishers say they might be interested ...
9
votes
2
answers
9k
views
How do you get paid for getting your book published?
I've heard that there are 2 ways to get paid:
The writer will get (for example) 3 cents per word. Then, even if the book is a huge hit, the writer wouldn't get any more money.
The writer will get ...
- 103
1
vote
2
answers
2k
views
How much do you get for publishing an article in the newspaper?
It's for a story I was writing, and in the story, there's a section of the newspaper in which people can submit stories/poems/essays to, and good ones were chosen to get published on the newspaper. ...
- 103
2
votes
2
answers
127
views
Who to ask questions on prices?
I want to get advice for my book and e-book pricing (telling that I am to advertise them with AdWords).
My question: What is such an adviser called? Maybe "marketolog", "counselor", "adviser", etc.? ...
- 748
-5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What is a good name for a character who loves money? [closed]
His name is going to be Mr. Price. What should his first name be?
- 101
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is writing even profitable [duplicate]
I know that money isn't a good reason to write, but I am wondering if writing as a new author is even profitable anymore.
What makes a book successful? It seems less that it is the story or prose and ...
- 149
1
vote
4
answers
3k
views
what is the best way to make money on the side as a beginning author?
I am a new author and as I am writing my novels, I need a little revenue.
Are there sites that would pay for articles being written?
Any suggestions would be great!
- 11
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How do screenwriters earn money, if none of their scripts get turned into movies?
I just saw a documentary featuring interviews with a few Hollywood screenwriters. Many of them said they had been working as screenwriters for around a decade, yet had never had any of their scripts ...
user5645
0
votes
2
answers
527
views
Where to check the income of the most famous US fiction writers?
Can I check that online? How much money e.g. Stehen King or some other big name is making a year?
- 395
6
votes
10
answers
2k
views
Is there enough money in writing for me to quit my dead end job?
I am currently working full time hours in a dead end job, I began writing a novel with a friend about five months ago now. It began really as a sort of 'bucket list' idea, something we had both always ...
- 543
2
votes
1
answer
225
views
Translation of my book "Babymoves" into Japanese
I have written and self published the book 'babymoves' in 2002. It is now in its third edition. I sell it through my website. I have been approached by a Japanese woman, wanting to translate the book ...
2
votes
2
answers
214
views
What are "industry leading royalties"?
In the breakdown description I received from a publisher, they mention that they also pay industry leading royalties of ##%.
What does that mean?
- 123
11
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is being paid by the word/page making American books longer?
I buy quite a lot of literature, mostly of academic nature. One thing I have noticed is that books by American authors always tend to be more explicit and contain more examples, regarding whatever ...
- 213
5
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why do authors usually put a reference section at the end of a book when they are not referenced throughout the entire book?
In the references list (usually at the end of a book), I've noticed that authors like to include references to other materials. However these materials are not so-called "referenced" or "linked" at ...
- 323
34
votes
9
answers
22k
views
Why do hardcover books retail for more than three times the cost of softcover books?
One thing I've noticed while browsing bookstores is that hardcover books tend to cost more than softcover ones.
Oftentimes a hardcover book that's five times the price of a paperback doesn't have ...
- 443
7
votes
2
answers
850
views
Best time to release a new novel?
More specifically, an e-book. I know some markets tend to have season changes which make a certain time of year more beneficial for sales, but I was wondering if anyone had noticed anything similar ...
- 10.6k
4
votes
3
answers
10k
views
How could I share my lyrics?
I've been writing lyrics for quite some time now (at least five years). Although there have been several of those moments when I've thought I'd have an act for music making, I'm just not sure I'll ...
- 151
19
votes
7
answers
58k
views
How many words/hour should you aim for when writing your first draft?
A couple of axioms here. Firstly, most people agree that you should write your first draft quickly, without too much care on quality, and get something down on paper first. The real writing begins ...
- 1,139
10
votes
2
answers
525
views
Who pays for lyrics or quotes?
Occasionally, novels will include song lyrics in the story, or start out chapters with songs or quotes. In many cases, these lyrics or quotes are from copyrighted materials and would presumably ...
- 4,765
6
votes
1
answer
148
views
How many queries do you send to editors a week?
How often should a writer be sending queries to establish a consistent flow of work? Currently I have a goal of trying to send out one query a day and at least two a week to places I've never worked ...
- 488
11
votes
2
answers
361
views
How should I go with hiring an illustrator for a webcomic?
I want to start writing a webcomic, but as my talent as an illustrator is limited, I would only write the scripts and let to someone else the task to bring my script into picture. The only problem is ...
- 519
10
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What are the advantages of incorporation for a writer?
I have heard of some (rather successful) writers incorporating - that is, creating a corporation of which they are the sole member. What are the potential advantages (or disadvantages) of doing this?
...
- 4,765
11
votes
5
answers
10k
views
If you get an advance do you ever have to give it back?
Do publishers give you an advance as some sort of earnest money for your manuscript? If your work doesn't sell very well do you have to give the advance back to them?
Do they ever just buy your work ...
- 1,353
11
votes
3
answers
258
views
Should freelance writers keep their online business separate from offline?
Freelance writers have a lot of opportunity to write online, but in some cases the rates are less than the same writing project might command offline. Assuming that there are enough advantages in ...
- 661
8
votes
2
answers
161
views
Journal subscription secrecy
Robert Darnton, an accomplished scholar and important name in the open access movement, has a piece in the current New York Review of Books, The Library: Three Jeremiads, where he mentions that
...
- 1,257