Multi-book Advance

[ddegreeff]

This is a simple question, but I can't ever remember seeing an answer to it: if someone is awarded a multi-book contract with a publisher, let's randomly pick three books with a $50k advance, does that $50k cover all three books, or is it awarded for the first book, and then reconfigured for the following titles? Thanks!

[Margo]

Details can differ slightly with negotiations. Generally, the advance is for all the books contracted in the same deal. You typically wouldn't get all the money up front. It would be split up and paid when the books are delivered and accepted - that is, the publisher is satisfied it's consistent with the quality they received previously. I'm not sure how sticky it might get if the first and second book in a three book deal failed to come anywhere near earning out. I suspect they could drop future books and scheduled advances.

It's getting a little more interesting with the new rapid-launch effort put forth for a few new debuts who already have the first three books in their series written. The books go straight to paperback and come out one a month for three consecutive months. Those contracts would probably read a little differently.

[Margo]

I should point out it can work differently for non-fiction. In that case advances might be paid based on a good proposal, before receiving the ms. Hopefully, those are going bye bye for authors who haven't proven in past books that they can deliver the goods. I hate hearing about authors who get an advance before ms delivery and still haven't delivered two or four years later. That's money that could have gone to writers who actually, I dunno, write books.

[J. T. SHEA]

As Margo said, it depends on the contract. What she outlines in her second paragraph is roughly how I might like my three book series published, though preferably hardcover first and perhaps two month intervals instead of one month.