When reviewing submission guidelines, you might come across some terms or phrases that are unfamiliar to you. However, publishers expect you to know what they mean or, if you don’t know, to find out prior to your submission.
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Advances
An advance is money paid to an author when a contract is signed. This money is not unearned, but rather an advance on your future royalties. Publishers who pay advances then do not pay the author any royalties until the book has sold enough copies to earn back the advance. Many small and electronic publishers do not pay advances.
Traditionally, publishers paid authors advances, most of which were determined by the author’s previous sales. The more popular an author, the higher the advance. Literary agents hired by authors helped negotiate the advan
