Larry Brooks tells the story of how he was invited onto the Lifetime Channel on their "author's corner" segment to talk about his novel, which was published by a small company a year ago.
Exciting stuff!
Until they mentioned that there was a licensing fee...of $5900.
Huh? Licensing? Why not call it a vanity fee? Or just a plain old fee?
And I wonder whether viewers are told that the authors interviewed have paid to be there? Probably there''s a bit of fine print that goes past at 120 mph.
Is illegal? No, you could consider it another form of advertising. But how many copies would you have to sell to cover that $5900 plus your travel and accommodation expenses? If you're on a contract with a publisher, it's likely you might clear a couple of dollars per copy. Let's say your outlay is a total of $7500. You'd have to sell an extra 3750 copies. Would that happen? Who knows? But Brooks cites a publisher who placed a client on a regional TV program (for free) and the result was that the author sold....seven copies.
Lately I've been coming across more and more ways that people are trying to squeeze money out of aspiring authors, and I find it pretty sickening. Yes, you do always have a choice but when people have spent years working on something that means a lot to them, it's not surprising that they'll leave their better judgment behind at times. (Brooks is a pro and didn't fall for it.)
Just to be clear, when you go on television or radio to talk about your book, it's a win-win deal and no money should change hands. They win because you will be entertaining or informative or both, you win because it's good exposure for your book.
(for friendly guidance in writing and marketing your book, get a copy of "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)
