Marketing - to Publishers Contracts

9 October 2011, Marketing - to Publishers Contracts

Introduction: I realized that I need to introduce this blog a little.  I wrote the novel Aksinya: Enchantment and the Daemon.  The working title was Daemon, and this was my 21st novel.  Over the last year, I gave you the entire novel in installments that included commentary on the writing.  In the commentary, in addition to other general information on writing, I explained, how the novel was constructed, the metaphors and symbols in it, the writing techniques and tricks I used, and the way I built the scenes.  You can look back through this blog and read the entire novel.

I'm using this novel as an example of how I produce, market, and eventually (we hope) get a novel published.  I'll keep you informed along the way.  At this moment, I'm showing you the marketing material I put together for a novel.

Today's Blog:  I wrote about the types of contracts you can expect from a classical publisher.  Contracts from POD and electronic publishers are usually a little different.  First, don't expect any money up front.  In most cases, you will not get an advance.  However, you can expect royalties in the 15 to 20 percent range.  That is always 15 to 20 percent of profit on the book. 

Usually, your agreement will be for one to two years, and you will retain the copyright.  The publisher will take care of editing, cover design, marketing, etc.  You will not have to pay anything, however, if you want copies of the book you will have to buy them yourself.  You usually can purchase copies of your book at a 40 percent discount.

Concerning electronic publishers, the information above likely applies to their contracts.  You can usually expect a royalty of about 20 percent, but that may become lower as time passes.

I'll write about the two other types of publishers tomorrow.

I'll repeat my published novel websites so you can see more examples:   http://www.ldalford.com/, and the individual novel websites:  http://www.aegyptnovel.com/, http://www.centurionnovel.com/, http://www.thesecondmission.com/, http://www.theendofhonor.com/, http://www.thefoxshonor.com/, and http://www.aseasonofhonor.com/.