return for an advance on royalties (that the author does not have to pay back). The author is on their own to write the book, some- times with editorial help from the publisher, sometimes not. The publisher then manages and controls the whole publishing and distribution process (the second and third steps). OWNERSHIP AND RIGHTS A publishing company always owns the print license (which includes digital), while the author always owns the copyright. All other rights (movie, excerpt, etc.) are negotiable. This means the publishing company has final say over all aspects of that book. TYPICAL ROYALTY RATE 15 percent hardcover, 7.5 percent trade paperback, 5 percent mass market. ADVANCE AGAINST ROYALTIES The amount varies greatly depending on the author. There is no “average” advance, but at this point, most traditional publishers don’t give advances less than six figures, because if they don’t think the book will sell enough to justify a six-figure advance, they don’t want to publish it. WRITING AND EDITING This is typically the author’s job. They give very little help, limited to some editing and copyediting. Note that a publishing company usually has the absolute right to change your content and writing as they wish, this is part of what they are buying with their money. PUBLISHING SERVICES AND DESIGN They do (usually) everything for publishing and design, though hOW TO PiCk ThE righT BOOk PUBliShiNg OPTiON · 315