Question re: previously published work

[Aurelius]

Your site and these forums have a lot of very helpful information, so first off: thanks!

Second, I am having a lot of trouble finding information on what type of advance one might expect for a fictional work that has been previously published in another country but not the United States. The work was originally published a few years ago in England by one of the big publishers. What sort of offer might be expected if it's accepted for publication by another of the big publishers in the States?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this!

[Nathan Bransford]

The most comprehensive answer I can really give you is "It depends."

[Aurelius]

Thanks, I know it's a broad question. I guess what I was wondering mostly was a) whether book advances in North America vs. other countries are generally similar or larger (for instance, let's say you had a first-time author, would the industry standard for a first-time author in both countries be comparable? North American is one of the biggest markets, so I wondered if generally advances here are larger in comparison); and b) if a book has been previously published elsewhere with a decent but not fantastic record of sales, would the expectation be that the offer in North America would be less than for a book that's never been published, or comparable, or greater?

If it's impossible to answer due to the variables, I understand. I'm just looking for some sort of benchmark for expectations, I guess.

[Nathan Bransford]

But the biggest variables in determining the size of an advance are a) how many publishers are interested and b) how enthusiastic they are. Since it's impossible to know that in advance it's not really possible to guess at what the advance would be.

[oliviaviavia]

I have a non fiction book that was previously published in Spanish and a revolting English translation outside of the US. It is, nonetheless, still considered the definitive work on a certain aspect of an iconic American writer's works by banned word around the world. Now, a university press is contacting me to publish a chapter, but I would like to explore commercial (trade) publishing. Any ideas? Any suggestions? Thanks