If ever a first timer is lucky/successful enough to get taken up by a publisher and get their book published, then what kind of payment would they be likely to be offered? I have read that you may be lucky enough to get 10% of book sales, but i imagine this is 10% of whatever the price is that the publisher supplies the retail outlet at which i suppose is quite low at less than half the retail price? Example: .... Where i live a book may start life at 9.99 and then if not a great seller? (guessing here) ends up in the 3 books for 9.00 euro catagory. So i imagine that the retailer may just be covering costs and guessing that the book was sold to the retailer at 3.00 euro? On that basis 10% of the publishers selling price could be as low or as high as .30 cents? Would this be a fair estimate or do i have it completely wrong?
I actually don't have any idea how the publishing world works in the UK. Here in the US when you make a deal (preferably with an agents assistance) a publisher will make an offer on your MS. A part of that offer will be your advance (what you're being initially offered for it). Typically 15% of that amount will go to your agent and the rest will go to you. That amount will be paid in 3-4 installments to your agent when certain milestones are reached in the publication process of getting your MS out there in the world, the final one usually paid on it's release date. Your agent takes their cut and then sends you the rest. You need not worry about royalties unless you actually make your advance back (which many writers never do) although how it will be handled will be detailed in the contract. Now again, I have no idea how it works in the UK but this is my understanding of how it works in the US.
