The High Cost of a Six-figure Book Advance
The six-figure book advance, like the New York Times bestseller, is the object of many a writer’s fantasy. Whether it’s also a realistic goal is something else again.
*Can you really get a six-figure book advance?*
When Susan Page wrote *The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book* in 1997, she included the following list of the qualities that you and your book have to have if you’re going to get a six-figure advance.
1. Your book is on a topic of wide general interest that could excite a large number of readers.
2. Your book has a distinctive angle and makes an original contribution to its field.
3. You have substantial credentials to write on this topic OR you have a co-author who does, OR you can get an extremely famous, well-credentialed person to write a foreword for you.
4. You have prepared an extraordinary proposal and are working with a competent editor already.
5. You have a show-stopping title.
6. You secure the services of a well-known, experienced agent who believes the book can earn such an advance.
7. You are both willing and able to promote your book on radio and TV and in print.
This is not a mix-and-match list. You have to have *all* of those things to get the big advance, unless you are an international celebrity or a best-selling author.
