1. An advance to tide the author over while the book was written
$18,000 advance from Penguin to do a Complete Idiot’s guide. Payable in 3 installments, begging required to be paid money owed.
15% to agent
purchase of all supplies.
hire 3 illustrators to do the artwork the publisher doesn’t provide but requires out of the blue. (Second one took off on vacation to Scotland without finishing the work and slammed her hand in a pub door in Glasgow so she was unable to finish. Paid third one double to meet deadline.)
purchase of camera to take photos publisher suddenly requires not mentioned in contract. Luckily I didn’t have to hire a photog.Don’t quit your day job.
Love the first comment, because sad to say, that's what "real" publishing is like.
I've no idea why new authors romanticize being published by a traditional publishing.
That said, you'll meet some good people in traditional publishing, but for me anyway, it's not worth the hassle.
Thank heavens for self publishing...
