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PUBLISHING INDUSTRY CONTRACTS - It can be very hard for new illustrators entering the profession to get their heads around things like what they should and shouldn't expect to find in a contract. It certainly was for me starting out. I wanted to write a short (long) #thread...
... about what I personally think is a fair deal & what to avoid. I got my first book contract in 2011. It was really tough to get it and the idea was rejected by around 7 publishers before it finally found a home. I got paid a £3500 advance and 5% royalties.
I didn't have an agent at the time so had no idea what was a good deal. Advances obviously differ from one publisher to another and you can expect smaller advances from smaller publishers but working with smaller publishers definitely has many pluses.
I would say now for a brand new illustrator around £5-6k and around 5-7% royalties is a fair offer. As you have no sales record the publisher is taking a bit of a punt and you can absolutely expect these advances to increase as you publish more. That said if many publishers...
...are interested in your book you can get higher. Some publishers may have a section in their contracts regarding not working with other publishers or letting them have first refusal on your work. Personally I would always push to have this removed as it can tie you..
...into things which can be uncomfortable. That said it is incredibly important not to have a similar project with a conflicting publisher. Many would look down on this and you may burn bridges. I work with many different publishers at once but make sure schedules don't clash...
...and that I am working on very different things with each. I have always layered projects. I find it is hard to make a living without doing this! I also worked 2 jobs for the first 4 years of my illustrating career. These were in bookshops and within publishing which I loved.
I have heard of illustrators being given contracts for as little as £1000 advance for an entire 32 page picture book. I personally think this is exploitative. It took me 6 months to finish my first book and no one can live on £1000 for that long. It is such an utter privilege..
...to work in this industry and many people are so desperate to be published but this shouldn't mean being taken advantage of. It took me years to actually start to see good royalties from my books so advances are important. After 18 books, things are now going well but it has...
...been hard to keep afloat at times. The very best line of defence is to TALK TO OTHER ILLUSTRATORS!! Lots of strangers reach out to me to ask advice about who to work with and to ask about contract advice. In general I would say most illustrators/authors would be happy to help.
Also listen to your gut. You should never feel like you are signing your life away or are in any way trapped. This goes for agents too. I am very lucky. I completely adore my 2 agents and have complete trust in them but unfortunately this isn't the case for everyone.
I pay my agents 15% & 20% and they are so totally worth this. I really believe you shouldn't be giving away much more than 20% to any agent. I got my wonderful UK agent by asking for advice from people in the industry I knew, about who had a great reputation and her name came up.
...many times. It can be very worth checking who has a good reputation with illustrators/publishers if you can. Also be aware of agent contracts that mean if you leave the agency then you can't work for a set amount of time after. In my opinion this is unethical.
Like I said the best line of defence is to reach out for advice. I often find it hard to balance my own work and lots of requests/questions from new illustrators but I always try my best to help where I can. I hope this has been helpful to someone out there. THREAD OVER!!!
