publishing a novel?

Question

could somebody just give me basic information here 'cause I'm totally inexperienced

1. can I publish a novel in US even though I am not an American citizen (I live in Europe)

2. what's the deal with a literary agent? do you really need one? what if I can't afford it?

3. can you send your work to various companies at the same time

4. how much money goes to you and you only. let's play a little. if you sell app. 100 000 copies and the book's worth like 6 bucks.

thanks so much

Answer 1

1. can I publish a novel in US even though I am not an American citizen (I live in Europe) --- YES

2. what's the deal with a literary agent? do you really need one? what if I can't afford it? --- It helps, but to get one, you have to have some kind of track record to get one. They work off of a percentage of your royalties. I'd try to get published in your own country first.

3. can you send your work to various companies at the same time --- Not advisable. They usually want first crack.

4. how much money goes to you and you only. let's play a little. if you sell app. 100 000 copies and the book's worth like 6 bucks. --- It depends on your contract with the publisher.


Get a copy of Writer's Market. They've got lots of useful information in it.

Answer 2

1. Yes

2. If you can find one that is willing to represent you then go with it - they have all the necessary contacts that you could not possibly even hope to have - it's a good way of getting a "foot in the door" so to speak. They are generally comission based, if you find one, check out what their rate is and try and negotiate a good deal.

3. Yes and I disagree with the previous post. Many authors manage to secure a much better deal if several companies have an interest - you could start a bidding war! If you drop into conversation that blah-blah publishing house have already shown an interest then this will generally pique theirs - if your book is good enough for one publishing house then it must be something worth looking at?

4. That would depend on your contract, some may offer a lump sum payment or you could have a royalties deal, which you or your literary agent would have to negotiate. Be careful if the deal involves film rights, however, it's better to have a lump sum than a percentage deal - percentage deals can sometimes never materialise if there are arguments over what a film actually grossed at the box office - this can take years to sort out - if ever.