Alcatraz News

[Faster Master St. Pastor]

So let me see if I'm right; Their are offering 50k-60K? I'm trying to see if my mental math is as good as I want it to be. Or am I just way of in space?

[stacer]

And, finally, we have the Little & Brown offer.  They want four books, like Scholastic, but they're offering three times the original Tor offer per book.  In money, that puts them equal in advance to Houghton, but for fewer books.  (That's good, in a more per book way, but bad in a committed to fewer books way.)

They also gave us a very impressive marketing plan.  

If you decide to go with Little, Brown, be sure to learn their name doesn't have an &.

Are they suggesting the same editorial changes as Scholastic?

[Spriggan]

So let me see if I'm right; Their are offering 50k-60K? I'm trying to see if my mental math is as good as I want it to be. Or am I just way of in space?

you're off by a bit.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

Hmm, committed to fewer books? Or they just want the series tied up and done with at four books?

There's something to be said for series that finish up.

Of course, if you have six books, and they significantly sell past their advance, you'll end up with more than you would with four books that significantly sell past their advance.

[Lanternpost]

Forgive my ingnorance.  Again.  But were they intended to be children's books originally?

And congratulations on a big contract.

[Bookstore Guy]

wow, tough choices.  if Little, Brown is asking for similar editorial changes, then you have to look at the effectiveness of a solid marketing plan.  what are some of the goodies in the marketing plan, and who would be doing the cover art in the various cases?  I hate to say it, but nearly everyone on some level judges a book by its cover.

also, just a thing i have noticed in dealing with libraries and teachers lately at Waldens - there are many unhappy people with Scholastic right now.  Of course, maybe that's just when they compare Scholastic to my utter awesomeness.

[Faster Master St. Pastor]

you're off by a bit.

Thought so, am I higher or lower?

[stacer]

also, just a thing i have noticed in dealing with libraries and teachers lately at Waldens - there are many unhappy people with Scholastic right now.  Of course, maybe that's just when they compare Scholastic to my utter awesomeness.

Do you mean they're unhappy with the book clubs? I can see why--they're not very high quality printings. But the point is that it helps get the word out about books, and they're cheap versions of the books that kids get to get for themselves. Or do you mean they're not very happy with the books themselves?

Lanternpost said:

Forgive my ingnorance.  Again.  But were they intended to be children's books originally?

If you mean in comparison to being adult books, yes. EUOL didn't know which audience he should be targeting. He was saying YA (12-18), but I was telling him that the voice sounded more middle grade (8-12).

[Bookstore Guy]

besides the book-clubs, they seem to be unhappy with the people they have dealt with recently.  they feel a bit jerked around.  Libraries and schools do complain a bit about the quality as well.  A lot of people come to us now because we give nearly the same discount on a wider variety of books and dont charge shipping.  However, i agree on the point that they are great for kids themselves.  Parents generally love Scholastic.

I do agree with you on the side of the shear number of books printed.  They are monsters when it comes to that!

You were also right on the voice of the book.  it is definatly middle grade with some higher age humor in it - not unlike many of the computer animated movies lately.

i dont know really anybody here, but what do you do stacer?

[stacer]

I'm a children's book editor, and I have a master's in children's literature. So basically, children's/YA books are what I do.

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

Diamante, have you introduced yourself? because I couldn't find you on that thread.

nm, found it.

[Bookstore Guy]

way cool stacer!  that seems like an awesome job!  

and yes, i did the whole introduction thing as you found.  I know, boring stuff...I still do, however, own the glory for setting up Brandons's biggest signing (I think I still do anyway)!  Anyways, anyone can ask me anything if they feel I can be of help (or just come see me at the store!).

[Skar]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193503,00.html

Plagiarism aside, how come YOU didn't get offered a 6 figure deal with Little,Brown and Company?

[stacer]

Because he's not a teenaged Indian-American writing his first amazing book at the age of 17.

It's all about the "wow" factor. Look at Eragon. It's not like anyone (before discovering plagiarism) was lauding "Opal" for its originality, anymore than Eragon was. It's for the youth of the author. "Wow! Look! Isn't it amazing! They're so young!"

(And by the way, most people in the industry that I've talked to think that half a million is entirely too much for someone so inexperienced. Most great authors in YA don't merit that much.)

EDIT: I just read that they'd only shipped 55,000 copies. That's pretty low for a $500,000 advance, even with a second book in the works. They only sold through about 9,600 copies before they pulled the book. Even if she was making a 15% royalty, if they sold every copy on the shelves, she'd only earn out $139,837 of that advance at a $16.95 price point. Of course, I think they were marketing it as an adult, so perhaps the cover price is higher. Dunno. Can't see it on amazon now that it's been pulled--most of the used & new books from other sellers are selling for $12.95, but I don't think that's the original cover price.

[EUOL]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193503,00.html

Plagiarism aside, how come YOU didn't get offered a 6 figure deal with Little,Brown and Company?

Um, I did.  Of course, mine was six figures for four books--however, a lot of these deals that look really high are less high when you factor in how many books there were in the deal.  For instance, Terry Goodkind's first deal--which has an amazing six figures--was for three books.  (His numbers were still extremely good--higher than anything I'm likely to get for some time--but not quite as good as everyone thought.)