Re: Digest Number 3147

Brenna wrote:

> But, unless you have an advance, there's nothing to pay back,  
> because all the money is flowing, as you said, from the publisher  
> to author, based on actual sales.

Returns, unless there's an adequate reserve. And returns can be  
tricky to predict. I actually saw a book that had **75%** returns,  
back in the early 90s. No reasonable reserve can protect you from  
something like that.

> Giving me one royalty check for all of the books listed as sold on  
> my royalty statement doesn't bother me, in the least. Why should  
> it? But, using the profits from book two to make up a shortfall in  
> sales on book one does bother me. That's the sort of "basket  
> accounting" you want to avoid. If there's no advance involved,  
> there is little to have to worry about, in this respect.

Joint accounting isn't cutting one check for multiple payments to one  
author. It's combining the positive earnings of that author's other  
books with the negative results (unearned advances and returns in  
excess of reserves) on other books. And it is to be avoided, from the  
author's point of view. From the publisher's POV, as long as you have  
solid accounting, you shouldn't need to care much. Except when  
catastrophe strikes, as in the example above. And that's not at all  
common, thank goodness!  I worked on something well over 1,000 titles  
when I was in-house, and work with more now, and I have only seen it  
once.

Marion Gropen
Gropen Associates, Inc.
By-The-Question Consulting, Inexpensive Tools for Small Presses, and  
Classes.
For info, visit http://www.GropenAssoc.com or call (888) 3GROPEN
NEW: Marion's BLOG has moved to her site. Come ask her your questions!



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