So you want to be published? - includes a list of Black editors at various publishing houses - Career Opportunities

Black Enterprise, Feb, 1997 by Shawn E. Rhea

Because they have limited cash reserves, the average advance from a black publisher to an author is in the neighborhood of $500-$5,000. But Brown notes that for new writers the sum can be much smaller, or even nonexistent.

Large advances, reserved for best-selling authors, might reach as high as $25,000. At large publishing houses, however, it's not unusual for new writers to receive $15,000-$50,000, and best-selling writers to receive six- or even seven-figure advances. This disparity is even obvious in the deal that Mosley made with BCP to publish Gone Fishin' While he received a healthy six-figure advance from Norton for his last book, A Little Yellow Dog, Mosley agreed to forego an advance from BCP, which could not afford to pay such a substantial sum.

Brown offers this caveat for new writers hoping to sign with a large publisher and reap the big bucks: "It's very hard for a first-time writer to earn out a $50,000 advance." An advance, which is paid against a writer's future royalties, must be repaid to a publisher through book sales before a writer receives a percentage of those sales. If a new writer isn't able to earn out an advance, the publisher may decide that the writer doesn't have an audience, and become leery about publishing him again. According to many in the industry, this is a particularly important fact for black writers to know because most major publishers don't have a real understanding of how and where black readers buy books.

Large publishers tend to focus their marketing on sales made through chain bookstores. But a 1994 Gallup poll survey, commissioned by the American Booksellers Association (ABA), found that 26.7% of African Americans who made purchases through bookstores bought from independently owned stores--most of which cater to black culture. But this figure doesn't even begin to account for the number of books blacks purchased through nontraditional outlets, such as churches, hair salons, street vendors, social organizations and conventions. And while there are no exact figures, industry pundits agree across-the-board that the sales are substantial enough to keep many small publishers in business.

But, what does all of this mean to an unpublished writer, and how should you go about getting published?

PREPARING YOUR MANUSCRIPT

Within the black literary world, in particular, finding an agent and securing a publishing deal has become a much more competitive process over the past few years. The increased interest in black-authored titles among major publishers has led to the awarding of large advances to a handful of black authors. The allure of a big advance has created a rush to publish among first-time authors hoping to cash in on what has historically been a cyclical interest in black culture. In order to sway the odds in your favor, your manuscript or proposal must be properly prepared and presented.

A new writer first develops a manuscript (for a work of fiction) or book proposal (for a nonfiction work), then locates a literary agent to shop the work for a deal. Your manuscript or proposal should be professionally presented, and your query letter original, Brown stresses.