Yes, it is that time of the year. What time you may ask? That time when the air is cool in the mornings but the afternoons are sunny and warm? That time when the honeysuckle, wysteria, and banana shrubs are blooming and you simply want to stand and inhale their sweet scent?
Uh…no. How about it’s time to show me the money. :$ It’s royalty time! There are lots of things that drive me to write and much as I love to tell a good story, I also have bills to pay. I’m fond of getting a paycheck as much as the next person, except mine doesn’t show up once a week or even once a month. (e)
I get an advance for each book that’s broken into increments of signing the contract, presenting a proposal, and then delivering the finished manuscript. Twice a year I get royalties based on how well those books have sold. It’s now spring royalty time. The sort of freaky part is I never know how much my check is going to be from one royalty period to the next so I never exactly budget that money cause…well, I don’t know how much it’s going to be. Instead I have a wish list of stuff I want to take care of with the stuff at the top of the list being the most important. Top of the list so far is a couple of doctor bills and The Girl’s braces. Down near the bottom of that list is having my bathroom floor tiled.
Maybe next time I won’t make a list because the money is never quite as good as I hope it’ll be and the stuff on the bottom always gets shuffled off. ;( Oh, well, such is the fate of the starving artist….
