The Dog Sitter Detective Earns Out
No, not the title of the next book đ I recently received my first royalty cheque (not literally a cheque, this isnât the 1990s) for The Dog Sitter Detective, which means the book has earned out.
But what does that mean? âEarning outâ is a phrase youâll often hear from authors and others in the publishing world, but as a term of art it can be confusing. So allow me to explain:
When a publisher acquires a book, they normally pay the author an advance. Youâll have seen announcements like, âDebut thriller from Anne Author nets a six-figure advanceâ â though be assured that the vast majority of advances are not six figures! Most are actually in the range of âvery low five figuresââŠ
Advances are a non-refundable payment (thatâs important) from the publisher to the author, often paid in instalments â part on signing the contract, part upon delivery of the manuscript, part when the book is published.
That contract will feature a royalty rate. This is a percentage of the revenue received by the publisher, from each book sale, which goes to the author. The publisher keeps the rest.
So when you buy a book, a portion of that money goes to the author⊠except, at first, it actually doesnât. The publisher keeps the authorâs portion from each sale â the royalty earned â until the total of those royalties matches the advance.
When that target is reached, we say the book has earned out. From that point on, any future royalties from the book are paid to the author.
(Iâm simplifying a little. For example, certain things like rights sales for audiobook or large print versions can also go towards paying off the advance. But you get the idea.)
Remember I said the advances being non-refundable was important? Thatâs because most books donât earn out. They never earn enough royalties to pay off the advance. Fortunately, the author doesnât have to pay back any of their advance to the publisher. Phew!
Does that mean the publisher lost money? Not necessarily. Remember, publishers keep a much larger proportion of revenue from sales than authors do. Itâs possible for a book to be profitable long before it earns out for the author.
âŠAll of which explains why earning out is a big deal! I honestly thought it would take several years for The Dog Sitter Detective to earn out, or even that it might not do so at all (because, again, most books donât). To earn out so soon after publication is a great feeling. Thank you to everyone whoâs bought a copy, whether for themselves or as a gift. It means a lot.
PS: Dog Sitter US release date
Iâm told the paperback of book 2, The Dog Sitter Detective Takes the Lead, will be released in the US next month. Itâs of course already available there in hardback, ebook, and audiobook.
Death in the Dales
Last weekend I attended Death in the Dales, the inaugural crime fiction festival in Sedbergh, Englandâs official âbook townâ. It was a small affair, but really great fun, both well programmed and well organised. I moderated a panel on villains (which some attendees declared the best of the weekend, a fine compliment) and took part in another on heroines.
Local bookseller Westwood Books had an on-site store at the event, and by the end of the weekend theyâd all but sold out of copies of both Dog Sitter Detective books.
Everyone who attended is hoping Death in the Dales becomes a regular annual event; if so, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Bark!Fest
Shortly before that I took part in Zazie Toddâs online event Bark!Fest, as seen above on a panel with Louisa Scarr and Dr Philipp Schott to talk about crime fiction featuring our four-legged friends. There were some great questions, and lots of fun chat.
In fact, the whole event was so popular that Zazie has been fielding questions about when next yearâs Bark!Fest will take place⊠even though this was supposed to be a one-off đ
Watch this space, I guess. In the meantime, Zazie tells me she intends to put the recording of our panel online soon. When that happens, Iâll link to it in a future newsletter.
Still to ComeâŠ
November sees the second Farsley Literature Festival, just outside Leeds. As you can see from the above graphic, for a relatively small festival only in its second year, the festival punches well above its weight. Much of this is down to Amanda Truman, owner of the excellent Truman Books in Farsley.
November 10 is âcrime dayâ, and at 3pm Iâm appearing on the cosy crime panel with JM Hall and Josie Lloyd.
Later that same day thereâs a panel featuring Saima Mir and Lesley McEvoy, and the evening sees Elly Griffiths in conversation. All well worth sticking around for if youâre a crime fan. Go here for more information and to book tickets:
In the Year 2025
Iâve already got some dates booked, or being discussed, for 2025 (which is much closer than it should be, how rude). In the new year Iâll be out and about around northern England for the following:
Giving a talk at Barnoldswick library
Giving a talk at Leigh library
Hopefully doing an event with Criminally Good Books in York for the launch of The Dog Sitter Detective Plays Dead
Almost certainly doing something with Serenity Booksellers in Romily, also for the launch of âŠPlays Dead
Definitely attending Stockport Noir (also being organised by Serenity) where Iâm moderating the âCrime With a Twistâ panel featuring Sarah Moorhead, Jo Callaghan, and Adam Simcox
And thereâll likely be more set up between now and then. As always, subscribe to this newsletter and follow me on social media (see below) to be kept up-to-date.
New music: âVoyagersâ
Last week I suddenly realised I havenât published any new music in almost 3 years (!) since RITUALIS OBSCURA, which was released for Samhain 2021. Not for want of trying, but since then Iâve been so busy with deadlines (see various newsletters passim) that I just havenât had the time to properly sit down and compose an album.
So last week, when a melody came to me out of the blue, I decided to put it right and snatch what free time I could to work it up into a full song. The result is the space-themed single VOYAGERS â one track for now, but if I can find time in the near future I might do a full album along these lines.
VOYAGERS is free to stream, or pay-what-you-want to download from Bandcamp. Enjoy!
(And of course you can see the full SILENCAEON catalogue at https://silencaeon.bandcamp.com)
Wait Until Darkness
Which social media platform will eventually win the ongoing battle for supremacy? Who knows? For the moment, you can find me on most of them â simply search for my username @antonyjohnston, or check the Contact & Follow page of my site for links to the most popular networks: https://antonyjohnston.com/contact/