advances

Woman sorting papers in boxes in old publishing company

The Ploughshares Round-Down: Publishing Isn’t Dead

ByEric Nelson

There’s an old joke in publishing about consultants, though it’s probably rooted in truth. A new executive hires a prestigious firm to spend months on an expensive deep dive, and they come back, excited, with one key insight: “You should publish more bestsellers, and fewer books that aren’t bestsellers.” Why didn’t we think of that?…

White cover with black and pink text reading "Not That Kind of Girl" by Lena Dunham

The Ploughshares Round-Down: Why Lena Dunham’s New Book is Worth $3.5 Million

ByEric Nelson

When I talk to a new potential client, one of the things we go over is potential advances. Most nonfiction writers get between $25,000 and $75,000; fiction writers, a fraction of that. Everyone who gets more than that did something remarkable to get there. During this conversation, many writers have joked to me that they’re hoping…