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curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2009-08-12, 18:18

Textbooks are their own ecosystem. Texas sets many trends for curricula, Arnie wants CA to look at digital books, blah blah...

edit: ah, Robo probably covered this better than I

Generally, a contract might specify royalty rates for hardcover, softcover, and international/translated editions. How optimistic/realistic/pessimistic are those numbers today/5yrs/etc?
A portion up front as advance is possible, with benchmarks or distribution thresholds possible for later achievement... but the larger the advance is, the lower the royalty rate tends to be.
Many authors publicize their books to drive sales... not sure how much of that happens in the world of textbooks.

In your case, it might be work seeking out an agent who specializes in textbooks for advice on particular quirks or industry assholes.

Is yours a 'fundamentals' text which will be evergreen, or is it a subject in flux with built-in need for updated editions?

All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.
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