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This form of written art hinges on the corporate successes of those producing the books and periodicals. Every publisher in America is running a business. There is no such thing as a “cash machine profession,” where every new author receives six-figure advances. You will not be hitting the lottery with your first book. If you are only writing to gain fame, fortune, or a combination of the two, you should focus your efforts in more public arenas such as acting or music. The same end result rules all forms of art. The publisher or the record company will have to make any advances back before you will get any money from royalties.

The only exception to this rule is if you work for a newspaper or magazine and that is entirely non-fiction. When your article is written and is accepted with the paper, you can anticipate your pay. There is no connection between what the periodical makes from a day’s publication and your check. When working with a periodical, always get the details of your project and your pay in a written contract.

The latest survey of America’s authors showed that only 30% of all authors in the country make enough to support their household solely by writing. The other 70% are dependent upon their spouse’s income or other full-time work. Does that make you want to stop? If that deters you from writing, you should stop now.

An advance is any money you receive upon acceptance of your book. This is not a gift or bonus; it’s more like a loan. The publisher will need to recover this amount before you will see royalties from your book. If you go with a smaller or independent publisher, this initial figure will probably be the costs to produce your book. If the publisher does not recover the money given to you as an advance, or the cost of producing your book, you do not receive royalties.

This shouldn’t be intimidating because the majority of authors find their advances are far from what they expect. Your advances, for a first-time author, can be as little as a few hundred dollars or as much as a few thousand. Even reasonably successful published authors will only receive around seven to fifteen thousand dollars. J. K. Rowling received, for her very first advance on her “Harry Potter,” series, a whopping $1,500.

Book promotion will depend largely on you, regardless of your publisher. One of the biggest disappointments for writers is to find acceptance in one of the big “New York,” houses, only to find your book receives little or no promotional attention. Your book is your product and you will be promoting a product much like an entrepreneur would their business. Your work should promote itself more than you do. One of the biggest wastes in contemporary publication is the authors who are overzealous in promotion. If it's good, it will sell.

You should never view self-promotion as something an amateur does. That is strictly fictional propaganda and stated by someone who has absolutely no knowledge of how the publishing industry works. Self-promotion is the bread-and-butter of most authors. Publishers will never fork over thousands of dollars to help you promote. A standard publishing house will have already invested $10,000 to $25,000 in your book before it’s ready for the first commercial reader. It will go through an editorial department, art design department, and perhaps several other departments to ensure a professional product. To cover promotional costs for every author would equal bankruptcy for any publisher.

Are there ever exceptions to this rule? Of course. For the few authors whose book release promises a few hundred thousand dollars in sales, you will be extensively promoted. If you are a “mega-author” with a readership akin to the following of a rock legend, your publishing house will promote you. Otherwise, prepare to do-it-yourself.