How much money can a writer expect to earn from his/her first novel?

Question

Say this first novel is published, taking into account advancement fees for printing and copying how much gross profit can a writer make from a successful first novel. Not a hit but a moderate sucess.

Say this FIRST novel EVER is published, taking into account advancement fees for printing and copying how much gross profit can a writer make from a successful FIRST novel. Not a hit but a moderate sucess. Which in any case may be rare.

It just want a rough estimate. Min to Max. Not a lot of "well if"'s and so on.

Answer 1

Hi there. The biggest hurdle in getting a book published is finding a good agent. Once they accept your work, they take your manuscript and show it to various clients (publishers) to see if there is any interest in your material.

Finding a reputable agent is very difficult. Most agencies have thousands of manuscripts sent to them every year and typically, they only select a few that are worthy to represent. DO NOT submit to anyone that requires up front money or "reading" fees. Good agencies will read your book for nothing if they think it's good. Reading fees are a rip off.

You can check on legitimate agencies at the Preditors & Editors website. They keep an up to date list of current agents and any problems writers have had with them.

Now, once you find an agency, you need an excellent query letter to get their attention. Search the web for examples. If your query letter is sloppy or has misspelled words, you're TOAST. Get a good copy editor to help you, if you can afford one. Then, once the agency reads your query and agrees to look at your manuscript, MAKE SURE IT IS PERFECT before you send it off. Again, grammar problems or poor spelling will doom you from the start. Pay an editor to proof your work--it's worth a few hundred bucks to get your foot in the door with an agent.

Then, be prepared to wait up to 3 months for an answer from the agency. And DO NOT submit to more than one agency at a time. That's the kiss of death with agents. If your work is good, an agency will then offer you a contract. From there, it's another 3 month wait (often) for them to find you a publisher. Once you get a publisher, it takes about a year to actually see your book in print. From there, who knows.

I hope this helps. If you're serious about getting published, you can make it happen. It takes time, patience and a lot of luck. And as a note of reality, of all the fiction books published in a given year, only about 13% ever sell more than 1,000 copies. Most (75%) sell fewer than 500. Contrary to popular belief, most authors don't get rich. I know--I'm a published author!

Jon Baxley, author, editor, proofreader and ghostwriter

THE SCYTHIAN STONE (a medieval fantasy eBook)
THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY (a medieval fantasy epic in hard cover from Thomson Gale)

Answer 2

That's an impossible question to answer. Some writers have to go on what the publisher pays--no ifs, ands, or buts--or a percentage of the gross sales. If it's self-published (your constant reminders of fees giving me this idea), then it does depend on how well the book does on the market. Some first-time authors hit it big, others drown and don't get a recognizable name until the fifth, sixth, goodness-knows-how-many book.

Answer 3

It also depends on the writer's track record. If the writer is already famous for something, he or she stands a better chance of making money with a novel (for example, William Shatner).

Writers who have already established themselves with other works, for instance, short stories, columns, or journalistic work, can expect a bigger advance from their publishers. Advances, of course, are counted against royalties so the marketing comes into play there.

Answer 4

I believe the average advance for a first-time novelist today is somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000. You don't start earning royalties on sales until your book "earns out" its advance - which sometimes doesn't happen. So that may be all the money you ever see. (Not a lot for several years work, huh?)

However, if you write a huge bestseller and wind up on Oprah's Book Club, you will undoubtedly earn much more.

Answer 5

Youtube does pay consistent with view in case you become a miles spouse (you would be able to desire to get an AdSense account). the value is around a million/3 cent consistent with view (or around $a million consistent with 1000 perspectives). no longer all uploaders gets a commission however, basically persons that have enabled their video clips to be "monetized". YouTube has an internet site explaining the technique and their industry application. some ignorant individual below considers "10 million / month" for the completed of YouTube "too lots". i assume that is like Dr. Evil in Austin Powers, thinking "a million money" is a multitude of funds for the US to pay. in certainty, those with typical YouTube channels, like community_channel make north of $one hundred,000 consistent with month. right this is YouTube's website:

Answer 6

Write a book that questions religion, something along the lines of the Da Vinci Code, and all the God-haters out there will buy it and worship you.

Answer 7

None, not very many first novels get published.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

1. How good it is
2. Who publishes it
3. How it is marketed
4. Where it is sold.
5. For whom it is written for

Answer 10

How good it is has nothing to do with it. (Wikipedia Christopher Paolini and you'll see what I mean.) It just depends on how it's marketed and how well it sells.