P&Ls and how books make (or don't) money

[alg]

Profit & Loss/Profitability & Liability: How Books Make (or Don't Make!) Money

A basic outline of what happens when an editor buys a book and wants to publish it. This is very much a basic look at publishing and publishing finance, with some explanation of terms commonly used by the marketing and sales departments.

Comments

[laast.livejournal.com]

ok, my other post didn't make much sense. small advances annon. answered more of what I wanted to ask. With all of the advance stuff, and the numbers you threw out there, it seems like there is a lot of shuffling. I guess this is where having an agent is a good idea so that they can explain what all of those numbers mean. I wonder if authors like a bigger advance or bigger royalties? I can't tell which would mean more. I never realized the advance was part of what the book is supposed to make after it hits the shelves. I love all of this info, Anna.

[alg.livejournal.com]

Anyone you work with in publishing should take the time to explain this stuff to you. If you have an agent, your agent should do it; if you don't, your editor should. That said, you have to ask -- no one is going to offer this information to you!