Authors report 'worst ever delays' with advances and royalties as some forced to survive on loans — survey

Many others also voiced frustration with timescale changes, due to editors’ capacity, staff changes, last-minute contract alterations or cancelled hardbacks. Another novelist said: "Major delays to advance payments as a result of long wait for edits to be returned (so months to wait for delivery advance) and also postponed publication dates/cancelled hardback causing close to a year delay in publication advance." 

An author urged for more fairness in the system: "If an editor or copy editor is late and misses their deadline, the author’s payment should still be made on time—[it] is outside of the author’s control. There’s very little accountability in publishing around money—publishers rely on authors behind too grateful and too scared of rocking the boat to speak up. Anyone salaried can’t understand the precariousness of an author whose payments are dependent on the efficiency and co-operation of the publisher."

Many described the staggering of the advance as a huge barrier to financial stability and a few respondents only receiving the signing advance after publication. "Advances should perhaps be called ‘eventualities’," one author said. "I waited more than a year for any of my advance, had to make a fuss, and was then in a situation where I got it all in one lump, so it was in one tax year instead of two. Infuriating."

A longtime novelist was one of several to describe resorting to loans to get by. "After being with [a publisher] for over 10 years they changed the terms of my new contract without notice and made me wait two years to receive bulk of advance that used to be paid on signing," they said. "I had to get a hardship loan from SoA to pay my mortgage."

Another novelist revealed problems with both advances and royalties lasting around three months. "I’ve lost a lot of interest and had to resort to borrowing off friends to tide me over because payments were late," they said.

The same writer flagged how the industry’s emphasis on reputation means many do not fight harder—or negotiate on behalf of their clients—for money owed, echoing some others’ frustration with agents. "I know too many authors this has been an issue for. I know one author who is visiting food banks despite being owed over £2,000 by her publisher. Her agent won’t challenge them in case this jeopardises future deals with other authors."

A ghostwriter, echoing concerns with this aspect from earlier this year, said: "I had to take out a bridging loan to cover my mortgage waiting six months after a contract was signed [with a ‘Big Four’ publisher] had to chase payment of an advance for a ghostwritten book... the book was completed and submitted before I was paid."

Another author said of waiting almost a year for an advance: "It has meant a large (for me) amount of earnings missing and a very sparse summer when I could have taken the kids on a family holiday if I’d been paid on time." 

The ghostwriter was one of many to outline the major emotional cost. "Not only did it leave me financially disadvantaged, having to request payment over and over again is so degrading," they wrote. "At times I felt as if I was begging—which is ridiculous but publishers need to realise how precarious finances can be for some authors. This was a book with a lightning fast turnaround and I worked my socks off to meet the demands of my publisher. The very least I expect is to be paid in a timely manner."

Others described how they felt the publishers and agencies were tone-deaf to the financial struggles faced by the drip-feeding of money. "I had £30,000 held up through my publisher’s world rights deal with Germany for over 18 months," an author said. "That was literally food off my table, and apparently the head of the imprint has no idea. I saw an email where he responded... with a simple "ooops! Awkward". Which was devastating... all a big joke to him."

A longtime novelist of 18 published books said: "There is nothing more galling than a publisher loudly crowing about huge profits when you’re an author who hasn’t been paid for months for work they are profiting from."

They added: "With author advances shrinking, payments on time are more crucial than ever. Authors shouldn’t be living hand to mouth because publishers can’t manage to pay money they owe on time.

"I’ve been a published author for 15 years and the delays now are the worst I’ve ever known. My savings have disappeared to make up the shortfall... One of my publishers has never paid me on time. It’s impossible to pour my heart and soul into my books when I’m so worried about bills every single month."

Many respondents discussed how the relatively low level of advances and royalties was frustrating enough but that waiting for or chasing funds added insult to injury. "Authors should not have to wait for their wages," one writer said. "People who are salaried might not appreciate the hardship of having to wait months for money to pay bills."

The lack of clarity and accountability was a major theme with many criticising the lack of clear royalty structures, statements and sales figures. An independently published fiction author wrote of a seven-month delay: "It wears down your health. Publishers never tell you when you will be paid which is basically financial terrorism."

Some issues were attributed to smaller publishers being bought by larger ones, and processes subsequently going awry. A children’s author wrote of a year-long delay: "The illustrator and I both picked up on the missing payment, which had got lost when our small independent publisher was acquired by a much bigger independent."

The fragmentation of earning across the industry—through translation and audio—also appears problematic for streamlined payment, with some questionable practices apparently exploiting the holes in the system. A fiction author wrote: "Agent told me I hadn’t earned out for an audiobook deal we did with Amazon, despite it being a couple of years in... the books had been Audible’s own bestsellers. After going directly to Audible behind my agent’s back, I discovered I was owed over £10K."

Another novelist described receiving payment from their literary agency like "awaiting a Lotto ticket". They said: "When I complain, I’m told that (in this very large agency with lots of superstars) ‘the biggest payments are dealt with first’ and then they work their way down the line. If anything, the authors due the smaller amounts are in need of their payments more."

While most the survey focused on more negative responses, it is notable that around half the respondents to the survey faced no problems with payment. Bestselling romance author Cressida McLaughlin has published 15 books with HarperCollins and revealed she has never encountered problems. Fiction author Laura Pearson reported the same experience with her indies, as did novelist Sharon Maas.

Novelists Harriet Tyce and Imogen Matthews (both published by corporates) reported no problems, while Antony Johnston, who has been published across indies and bigger publishers, described no late payments. Another respondent who had published 60 children’s fiction titles said there had never been a problem with payments.

While some criticised the lack of advances from digital publishers, many praised their use of a monthly payment system—many asked for other publishers to follow suit. One novelist wrote: "I think it is important to state here that I am a digital first author with Bookouture and they are totally transparent with royalties and monthly reporting."

While some called for "naming and shaming", The Bookseller has chosen not to publish criticism of individual companies at this stage, though some trends were evident. It has gone to the industry for comment, to be included in an update later this month with suggested solutions.

While the survey focused more on authors’ experiences, The Bookseller is asking for illustrators to email their experiences to heloise.wood@thebookseller.com and matilda.battersby@thebookseller.com.