Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Advance

Forgive me for being a little bit silly for a moment, but I must squee.

My first advance check came in the mail.



Like most authors, I don't do this for the money. I would write--and have been writing--no matter what. Regardless of whether it's read, whether it's loved, whether it's paid for, I am writing. But there comes a time in the life of a professional author when someone decides her ideas, her craft, her thoughts are worth paying for, and I have to say it's . . . sort of a whammy. In a good way.

There will be more of these checks, of course . . . this is just an advance, and if all goes well the book will sell awesomely and I'll be getting more of these thin sheets of validation, but this is a first in my life. I've been paid to write. Someone bought my book. A publisher decided my words were valuable enough to exchange for dollars. And readers will indicate that they want to digest my ideas by paying for a nicely packaged version of those words.

I'm a bona fide professional at the thing I most love to do in the whole world.

Clearly this requires that I demonstrate spotless decorum in the public arena forever after.

Okay, not really.

Yes, you're supposed to use the money to buy food,
then eat the food. But I cut out the middleman.


5 comments:

  1. Congratulations!!! That is so awesome! As an asexual I have to say there are not enough books out there on the subject and I await the publication joyfully.

    BTW: I think the food would be more filling. lol

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    1. Thank you so much. :) There are definitely not enough books out there. There's just a sort of low-key self-published one and a textbook. Made it kind of easy to suggest my topic wouldn't have much competition. ;)

      I'll try the food-buying thing with the next check, radical as it may sound.

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  2. Congratulations! That first check is always awesome. I didn't get an advance until my third book, but that first royalty check for the first book was awesome.

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    1. Thank you Alex! This is my first advance AND my first book published, so I'm dealing with a lot of firsts here! I'm looking forward to the royalty part. >:)

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  3. Congratscongratscongrats!!! :D I can't even think about what to say other than the obvious: this is awesomeeeeeeee. And you must be so proud and elated and and and and and--ahhhh.

    I'm so happy for you! :3

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