June 2010 | Paula Wiseman

Sage Words – June 2010

Finally! Summer has arrived! School's out and we'll be spending our mornings at the theater and our afternoons at the pool. During the school year, almost all of my reading is for class. Now, I get to work on my stack of books. What's on your summer list? Any suggestions?

Contingency Update

Publishing moves very slowly. For a publisher to take on a book, he must shoulder a considerable risk, so I can understand the need to weigh the decision very carefully.

Here's an interesting stat that came out of Book Expo America a week or so ago – 93% of ALL PUBLISHED BOOKS sell 1000 copies or less. (So, if you have a print run of 5000 books at $4-5 each, the publisher is investing $20,000-$25,000. Assuming a $15 book, he typically makes $7 or $8 per book. Doing the math, that's over 3000 books that need to sell, just to make his investment back. If he's paid the author an advance, that's even MORE copies that need to sell. If the author's book doesn't pay out (that is, sell enough to cover expenses) the chances of getting a second book deal are pretty slim.

Bottom line, I have no news. I understand why, but that doesn't make the wait any less frustrating. Someone said when patience fails, discouragement sets in. It's getting close.

Website Stuff

Thanks for checking out the Contingency site! I appreciate the comments and all the help pointing out the bugs and hiccups. I think I have them all fixed but don't hesitate to let me know if you find an issue. It is definitely a work in progress and right now, you, my newsletter buddies, are the only ones who know about it.

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Sage Words
606 N. Cross Street
Robinson, Illinois 62454

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