Interesting

[EUOL]

So...I got this email today:

Hi, Guys,

I've been flat on my back all week with the flu and ignoring the phone (or sleeping through it), but I happened to take a call just now and was delighted to be told by Ellen Asher that ELANTRIS will be a Featured Alternate of the SF Book Club. She really enjoyed it, and is looking forward to the next book, at which point I hope we can expect her to make it a main selection.

Cheers,

Moshe

Seems like a big deal to me.  

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

dude, you always have the coolest news. CONGRATS!

[stacer]

That's a really big deal, I think. Anything that gets you in with book clubs is a nice guaranteed market.

[EUOL]

So, it appears that the way this works is the Book Club gives Tor an advance to 'buy' rights to publish the book.  I get half that advance, Tor gets the other half.  Then, book club sales pay out a very small royalty.  (One that doesn't seem like it would ever be able to earn out the advance they pay.)  

[Tage]

So the book club has it's own printed version of the book? Or are they only buying rights to do so?

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Scott Card talked to me about that once... I think they actually print it themselves, they often have budget covers and are a lot cheaper quality wise... still you can get some cool compilations because they buy the rights for series and print 2-3 books in one hard cover...
Sounds like a sweet deal...

[stacer]

That's what Scholastic Book Club does. But it gets the name recognition up, too, and you get a lot of exposure that way.

[EUOL]

Stacer's comment is pretty much what my agent said.  Yes, book club editions are cheaper and lower-quality, but they're great for exposure and marketing.  Plus, the pay isn't too bad--the royalty is better than a paperback sale, and there is the advance aspect.  I'll know more once I find out how much they pay us up front.  I'm guessing it won't be more than a couple grand, though.

[fuzzyoctopus]

Stacer's comment is pretty much what my agent said.  Yes, book club editions are cheaper and lower-quality, but they're great for exposure and marketing .

And this on a first novel, too!

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

jerk  

[MoreDew]

Congrats Brandon.  I'll be picking up a copy through the SF book club.  I haven't bought anything from them in a while.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

I was in the SFBC back in early High School, and their books are nicer than paperbacks, but they don't beat a real hardback edition, that's for sure. Cheaper paper, cheaper binding, slightly smaller size (though there are some normal hardbacks that exact size; Diann Thornley's books for Tor were all that size). I like real hardbacks.

May is coming up, eh?

Brandon, very cool. How much did Moshe's SFBC history help?

[Captain Morgan]

Congrats EOUL, but I won't be going through a SF book club like good ole moredew. I need high quality print. And my wife says you better sign the book(assuming you ever come back this way) or else there will be trouble. (You know how she can be fiesty).

[Spriggan]

You can send it my way Capt and, for a small fee of a pound of plutonium, I'll make sure it gets signed.

[Captain Morgan]

You'll half to do with Uranium. The plutonium costs way to much to ship.