[Werthead]

SF author Alastair Reynolds has signed a £1 million ($1,634,500-odd) contract to stay with Gollancz for his next ten novels, to be published over the next ten years. This is one of the biggest SF contract deals I've heard of, maybe the biggest since Arthur C. Clarke's staggering deal in 1997 for 3001: The Final Odyssey. Given the state of publishing in general and SF in particular, this deal is a colossal show of faith by Gollancz and its parent company, Orion, in Reynolds' work.

Well-deserved, as Alastair Reynolds is definitely one of the most interesting, innovative and constantly entertaining SF writers out there, and also appropriate as the news comes in the tenth year since his first novel, Revelation Space, was published. His next novel, Terminal World, will be published by Gollancz in October.

[stone monkey]

Wow!. That's a fair bit of cash. Given his books, even the weaker ones, have been consistently interesting, imaginative and just plain all around good reading, it is very well deserved. Let's hope next ten novels are as much of a joy as his previous books.

[Yellow]

More interesting than the money is the news that all ten novels will be delivered in ten years... get in!

Plus, I'm jealous.

[Aptorian]

When an author makes a contract like that. Does he earn anything besides the initial fee? A percentage of the profit of the book sales?

For example if one of the books turned into Dan Browns Davinci Code, would he still only get a million pounds over the course of 10 years?

[Werthead]

Aptorian, on Jun 23 2009, 08:29 AM, said:

When an author makes a contract like that. Does he earn anything besides the initial fee? A percentage of the profit of the book sales?

For example if one of the books turned into Dan Browns Davinci Code, would he still only get a million pounds over the course of 10 years?

The £1 million will probably be an advance. Once the books have earned more than £1 million (and paid back the publisher), then the author will earn his percentage (which is usually I think about 10% a book on hardcover and 15% on paperback).

If it's not an advance but a pure contract fee (tying him to Gollancz for the next ten years), that will be seriously impressive, as he'll then have either an advance or will earn a percentage on the new books immediately.

In the UK alone, Reynolds has probably made about half of a million, maybe more, to date in royalties. Gollancz are likely figuring his steadily rising profile and sales, bolstered by slowly growing success in the United States and far moreso in Europe, and extrapolating that this will be worth it further down the line.

In terms of market share, Reynolds is currently either the second or third biggest-selling British SF author alive (behind Hamilton and maybe Banks, but it's unclear about the latter), which is impressive.

For comparison purposes, Erikson's advance in 1999 was £600,000 for the ten books of the Malazan series, which is still a record for an advance for an epic fantasy series. Interestingly, he and Reynolds have sold a similar number of books, which he may want to bear in mind next time contract negotiations are up

This post has been edited by Werthead: 23 June 2009 - 12:10 PM

[tickhill43]

Good for him.

In my view he is the best sf author still writing.

Also he's getting better all the time. House of the Sun is my favourite novel he has produced yet.

[Aztiel]

Good to hear! I like him a lot. Has anybody read his short story Diamond Dogs? I still find that one kind of frightening when I think about it.

[stone monkey]

I've got that in the Limited Edition print. It reminds me a lot of Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys, plotwise...

[Yellow]

It reminded me of some film or book I'd read before, but I don't know what it was.

[lord of tragedy]

chasm city is one of the greatest. knowingly pulp. tip top entertaiment.

well deserved.

[The Dark Wanderer]

While his novels are good, I personally prefer his short stories (which is highly unusual) and Diamond Dogs is mildly disturbing I will admit, but the latest collection (Zima Blue) just out in the UK has one of the best short stoires I have ever read in it. which is Understanding Space and Time and manages somehow to contain pop culture, hard sci-fi and fairly good characterisation in about 50 pages.

This post has been edited by The Dark Wanderer: 23 June 2009 - 09:51 PM

[RodeoRanch]

More Revelation space stuff or all new material?

[Werthead]

RodeoRanch, on Jun 23 2009, 11:59 PM, said:

More Revelation space stuff or all new material?

Both.