This is a quick post to answer the question I have been asked several times recently, which is: how soon are authors paid for their work?

Oh, boy, I remember the day Marion Donaldson called me to confirm that Headline wanted to buy my first book, and that she wanted another two titles in the series. I danced a jig in my hallway, so thrilled that at last all my money problems were over … yeah, right. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

However, it was interesting later when I looked back on things, to consider that number. What would make the publisher think of a three book deal?

It was some years before that I’d been wandering around a bookshop, early for a client meeting, and happened to spot a book by some geezer I’d never heard of. The cover was interesting, the back intriguing, and I liked the writing…