How Do You Get A Seven-Figure Book Deal?

1. “Can you get me on (insert the name of the hottest TV/radio show or podcast about books)?” — This is invariably asked before I’ve had a chance to read the book, usually in initial consultations. The idea that someone can “get you on” whatever show regardless of the subject and quality of the book and the person of the author is unfortunately false. Yet, it comes up often.

2. “I don’t want to reveal anything about me. Can you just focus on the book?” This is a waste of any publicist’s time, even if paid. Very few media outlets are interested in “only the book.” Debut authors tend to ask this question, and usually there is some insecurity about their background. They worry that they don’t have enough credentials to attract interest, for instance. This is not the case. I always share plenty of ideas about what we could focus on, but inevitably, people who ask this question either decide not to publish or self-publisher without getting PR. It is a wasted opportunity in all cases.

3. “How do I get a seven-figure book deal?” Oh, boy! My favorite! First, I’m not an agent, so I’m not the best person to ask. Second, if I knew I would have my own seven-figure deal, but I don’t. However, in this blog post I will list a few books that recently received seven-figure deals and try (<— that’s the keyword here!) to figure out why they received them. No one really knows, but these are my guesses and what I tell people who ask me this during consultations.

First, what kind of books get these coveted seven-figure deals? Reportedly, less than 5% of books get a six-figure deal, and it’s anyone’s guess how many reach the seven-figure threshold, but I would venture a guess that it’s 0.01%. (Don’t quote me on that. I don’t know, and the data isn’t out there.)

Not surprisingly, big-name authors get gigantic advances. Jonathan Franzen and all the other Jonathans, Steven King, Nora Roberts, need I say more?

Likewise, celebrities such as the Obamas, Malcolm Gladwell, Aziz Ansari, Amy Schumer, and the like get well into the high seven figures.

Lastly, influencers with massive platforms can also secure these deals based on their built-in following. They are people like Tim Ferris, Neil Patel, Marie Forleo, and so on. Let’s take them out of the equation for now.

Who are the mere mortals among us getting their own coveted million-dollar (or more) book advances?

By industry reports, they are overwhelmingly white. See here and here.

They are also more often genre fiction authors. YA, thriller, and sci-fi seem very heavily represented on all lists that I could find about seven-figure deals.

Many of them are debut authors or had one very successful, usually award-winning book published. Rarely are these deals given to authors whose previous books didn’t sell well. Sadly, the industry still focuses on an author’s track record.

Below are some examples and my explanation about why they may have been given that high a deal.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris is one such book. Harris is a former Knopf assistant editor, which undoubtedly helped her debut novel land in the right hands. The book is “a cheeky blend of horror, suspense, and cultural commentary,” putting “an uncomfortable spotlight on the microaggressions and racism that many people of color say continues to be a staple of the publishing industry.” So a publishing industry insider’s story about the industry, with the addition of her being a person of color and having a unique insight into these issues, presented with humor to the very people it describes… I would say that’s bound to be a hit! And it was sold in a 14-bidder auction.

James Rollins’s Moon Fall, a fantasy series that’s been eight years in the making, is described as a riveting adventure taking place in a world trapped between fire and ice. Rollins has demonstrated his knowledge of the wonders found at the evolutionary fringes of scientific exploration in previous bestselling books, so it is little surprise that Tor Books paid seven figures for this series.

Kristen Roupenian’s You Know You Want This was given a seven-figure deal because of the viral fame of her story in The New Yorker, Cat Person. The other stories in the book explore subjects as contemporary as Cat Person does: consent, power, gender, and the line between fact and fiction. I happen to think Roupenian’s unique and easy to remember name also had something to do with it, but I may be off.

Jeanine Cummins’s notoriously problematic (to put it mildly) American Dirt was given a seven-figure advance for the very reason that #PublishingPaidMe trended. Because the industry is overwhelmingly white and often people in editorial and promotional positions do not have the cultural awareness to understand how racist or exploitative a book like this is, and assume that they will be selling to people similar to themselves, so books like this one seem very valuable to them. American Dirt was also backed up with a marketing budget of an equivalent amount, and a deal was struck with Oprah’s Book Club. The combination of these efforts propelled this otherwise mediocre book trafficking in racist tropes to bestseller status.

Angeline Boulley’s The Firekeeper’s Daughter was sold in a 12-bidder auction. There are several other recent YA sci-fi successes by authors of color writing about characters whose identities match their own (these are called #ownvoices books), which makes me think that the industry is finally recognizing the need for diversifying books written for young adults (and the adults reading them, too). It is a thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption among her community, the Ojibwe. The subject, lesser-known to those of us who aren’t part of the community is likely the reason this book received a seven-figure advance. Similar YA books include Tomi Adeyemi’s fantasy trilogy (which also received a movie deal right away.) YA is indeed having a moment.

I hope the above sheds some light on what kind of books get seven-figure deals. I certainly can’t say I can help you get one because, as above, no one really can. But this may put things in perspective.

Lastly, remember that the advance is not the end all be all. There are plenty of bestsellers on record that received small advances and took off after publication. Just write the best book you can, and let your editors, publisher, PR and marketing professional take care of the rest.

~ Nanda