Contracts, Advances and a Stack of Paper
June 23rd, 2008 by --KALEB NATION--
There is something special in a writer’s first advance check. Many of you probably have an idea what that is: when a publisher makes a deal with an author, they lay down what is called an advance. This is money paid in advance to the author, in the hopes that his or her book will earn it back; following publication, the royalties an author earns off book sales slowly repays it. The original concept of an advance was probably so the author of old, being intrinsically penniless, might at least avert starvation long enough to finish the book.
Though I signed the contract a while back, and sent it in, there is such a long process on the publisher’s end that it usually takes a few months to get it back with their signature, as well as the on-signing advance. By getting those back in the mail, all has been signed and sealed, and now all that’s left is to prepare the book for publication! Some photos:
Me, signing the back of my first advance check. The Unwritten Manual of Authorly Proceedings & Conduct dictates (Section 2, Article C) that an author should always use a unique pen to sign their checks and contracts, as here seen in the pen-made-of-awesome my agent gave me:
While I was writing, I read dozens of writer blogs, and I always wanted to know what exactly a full manuscript looked like, before all the edits. Never finding one, I told myself I’d put one up for anyone else out there like me (by the time I’m through editing, picture about 2/3 this size):
There is one line in this book deal that represents 6 years of work, a box of notes, a dozen notebooks, two drawers in a filing cabinet, and countless days and nights spent with characters and ideas. That line is this:
AGREEMENT made by and between Kaleb Nation…hereinafter referred to as “author”
The signed contract, with the check hiding in the back.
Posted in About Me, Bran Hambric, Writing
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Congrats. I hope to one day be where you are so I am a tad envious.
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Congratulations, Kaleb. Maybe I’ll be there one day…
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Congrats! And thanks for sharing, I find it very usefull.
btw you look very handsome with that contract in your hand=)
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Sweetness!
Congrats, Mr. Kaleb-the-Author-with-the-check. 
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:19 pm
That’s awesome! Congratulations! And you are right, that is a pretty powerful statement after all that work.
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Congrats!
Thanks for sharing these parts of the writing + publishing process - especially since some of us have no idea how it all happens.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
That’s a lot bigger than I thought it’d be. Editing cuts it down, I suppose, and so does the fact that the manuscript is likely double spaced with wide margins and such. Still, that’s a big book. How many pages do you guess the finished edition will have when it’s all bound?
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Very proud of you…
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Congrats. How long is your book exactly?! Not that I mind long books, cause I love them but that is a BIG pile’o'papers…
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Hi people! The book now is about 140,000 words. I’m shooting for 100,000 when I’m done editing.
That pile of papers is because it’s double spaced with huge margins, and not cut in book format
I am expecting somewhere around 300-350 pages
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Hi Kaleb! Thanks for putting up visuals of the manuscript and the advance. I’ve always wondered what a finished manuscript looks like and oh my… that is a huge stack of papers!I did my own edits and I kept running out of printer ink. They get so expensive. And the black pen next to the manuscript is exactly the kind I use! Congratulations again! You must be so excited!:)
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I guess Twilight Guy stole some your normal fans. You really can’t blame them though. It’s a mix of you, who is hilarious, and TWILIGHT. It’s a recipe for awesome.
Anways, that’s really cool! I wondered what a manuscript looked like, too! How odd.
Anyways, very awesome.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 pm
AHH!!! This is so exciting!
i’m so happy for you.
MONEY IN DA BANKKK!!
ok, i’m good.
seriously, that’s so awesome!
Corinne!
June 24th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Congrats and nice pen!
Thanks for the manuscript pic, I’ve always been curious about that.
You must be so happy about this! Can’t wait to read your book someday!
June 24th, 2008 at 9:37 am
wow thats a *LOT* of papers!!! OMG Kaleb you are so cute too! your awesome, plz come to Cali sometime! I want to meet you so much! Will you go on tour when the book comes out next year??? if you do you have to come to san Fransisco! all my freinds are big fans of you, we would probly be holding signs XD
June 24th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I love the pen. did they let you keep it?
You know, as a souvenir. I believe that’s a very momentouos event for you, right?
how many pages is that manuscript exactly…it looks so….thick.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:01 am
I find everything you are doing and sharing fascinating. Congrats on your book deal and advance. May you continue to be as generous with your experience as you have been, and have all the success you so richly deserve!
June 25th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Money? Want to buy me a new car. Yes, yes you do. XD
No more comic-con for me. ;_;
June 27th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Wow Kaleb, that sounds like a lot of work! Thanks for the DEDICATION! I bet your really excited to get the book published. I know there’s one person who would buy your book!
June 29th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Very nice. I would like one of these pen-of-awesome pens. Congratulations on everything!
June 30th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Love the pics!! That’s so fun to see another author signing.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Congrats Kaleb!! I will be keeping an eye out for your book. It sound really interesting!!
P.S. I Love the Twilightguy.com!!!!!!
July 1st, 2008 at 7:36 pm
On a side note, your room appears to be clean still.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I like your pen.
July 5th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Aw! Congrats, author!
July 5th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
ps - you were in my dream.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Congrads! Hopefully, this will be one of many. I’ll make sure to display your lovely creation on a display in the bookstore I work in when it comes out. After buying a copy, of course!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
What an accomplishment. Congrats! I can’t wait to read the rest of it!
October 9th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Wow. That is one big pile of paper. I can’t imagine how I’d be able to cut any of it out. x_X
Congratulations! Can’t wait till it comes out, I’ll be sure to buy a copy.
October 12th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Congrats Kaleb! I hope to be in that same realm one day. I can’t wait to read the book.
October 26th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Congratulations Kaleb!
Can’t wait until your book comes out. It sounds like a really interesting book, very mysterious 