If you’re going to get bigger cash advances you have to prove to the publishing world, agents, editors, publishers, distributors, booksellers and book buyers that your manuscripts are worthy. That LOTS of people will buy them. Not hundreds of people or even thousands, but tens of thousands. That’s when publishers will sit up and take notice. Other arguments I frequently see are: I’ve done the hard stuff, the writing, now it’s the publisher’s turn to print and promote my masterpiece; Even if my first book doesn’t do that well, there’s always a second book and other publishers. Besides, I already have the cash advance. If you sit back and wait for the publisher to promote your pending masterpiece, it’s virtually guaranteed to go nowhere in sales, perhaps not even breaking 100 copies sold. If that happens, your publisher won’t even consider a second book. After all, if you were a publisher, would you consider a writer on whom you’ve already lost a bundle of money? I doubt I would. Of course, that leads to the third part of the vicious cycle I described, that of no further advances. Excerpt from Self-Promotion for Authors
Other arguments I frequently see are: I’ve done the hard stuff, the writing, now it’s the publisher’s turn to print and promote my masterpiece; Even if my first book doesn’t do that well, there’s always a second book and other publishers. Besides, I already have the cash advance.
If you sit back and wait for the publisher to promote your pending masterpiece, it’s virtually guaranteed to go nowhere in sales, perhaps not even breaking 100 copies sold. If that happens, your publisher won’t even consider a second book. After all, if you were a publisher, would you consider a writer on whom you’ve already lost a bundle of money? I doubt I would. Of course, that leads to the third part of the vicious cycle I described, that of no further advances. Excerpt from Self-Promotion for Authors