No one has ever, to my knowledge, accused me of being cheap. Oh, sure, I spend more than my fair share of time at Target, but hey? Who doesn’t? (This is not, by the way, a paid endorsement, but if anyone from Target is reading this … call me, okay?)
Where was I? Oh, yes. I like bargains as much as the next person, but if a girl needs the occasional pair of expensive strappy shoes or, better yet, the fabulous seasonal purse, who am I to judge? Vacations and dining out? Same thing. Books? Please. Sometimes a little money must be spent.
Except … when it comes to my advance money.
Writers, as you know, get an advance when they sign book deals. Bill and Hillary Clinton got something like eleven and eight million dollars, respectively, in advances when they wrote their memoirs. My advances, and you’ll have to trust me on this, have not been anywhere near those amounts.
Maybe that’s why the money is so precious. And anyway, who knows when there will ever be any more money? What if I’ve already signed my last, best, book deal? What if my books don’t sell well, and my publishers come looking for me and ask for refund checks? That’s not supposed to happen, but who knows?
No, the best thing to do is hold on to the money. For as long as possible.
In theory, advance money for newbies should best be used for promotions, and to cover the necessary expenses (conventions, computers, printers, postage, and the like) that come with the business.
Promotions I understand. I’ve gotta have a web site, and I want a nice one, so I was happy–well, willing, anyway—to pay for one. Same with magazine ads, which are CRAZY expensive, and bookmarks, which are like business cards.
But necessary expenses … that’s where it gets dicey. What’s NECESSARY? I’ve done lots of soul searching over that one, let me tell you, and here’s where my heretofore-dormant miserly gene kicks into overdrive. A new computer with a really cool screen, I’ve discovered, is not necessary. Ditto with a laptop. A bigger desk with more arm room? THAT was necessary. Same thing with my wonderful laser printer. Romance Writers of America’s annual national convention? No question there.
Every potential expense is worth hours of scrutiny. A travel drive as an additional way to backup my precious manuscript files? Well … … okay. A twenty-dollar laminated wall calendar that shows the whole year and allows me to see all my deadlines at a glance? I’m sorry to tell you I walked out of Staples once and Office Depot twice before I finally sucked it up and made that major purchase. Printer paper? Do I really NEED paper? Do I really NEED to print?
Obviously, I’ve developed a serious problem. I hardly know what’s happened to me. But until Major New York Publisher comes knocking on my door offering me a million dollar advance, I’m going to be counting every penny.