First novel payment?

Question:

First novel payment?

how much of an advance would you realistically expect to get paid for your first juvenille novel (say 15,000-20,000 words)? i've heard loads of figures, from a pityful ⣲500 up to a whooping six figure sum. anyone please help!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: You won't get much for a first novel unless the publishers are expecting miracle sales. Your best option is to take an advance but choose royalties as well so if the book does sell well then you're covered. You could get a bigger advance if you choose not to have royalties, but most people are willing to take the royalty gamble. Advances only tend to be a lot of money if you are a big name author who is guaranteed huge sales. I heard J.K Rowling accepted a ⣱500 advance for the Philosopher's Stone. Also you can get money from Public Lending Right as well- any time your book is borrowed from a library you get a small fee. I think this is paid annually.