Rebecca Eckler is one of Canada's most talked about newspaper columnists, the author of Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother to Be, which has been translated into nine languages. Also the author of the bestsellers, Wiped!, Toddlers Gone Wild, and Rotten Apple, the first in a YA series. Random thoughts on life in the competitive world of modern mommyhood. Blog will be loved by trendy mothers who still feel, or often feel, that the most important word in "mommee" is ME!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Another Miracle!

It's difficult to explain to people how the book publishing world works.

A LOT of my parent's friends, for some reason, are very interested in how I get paid.

They always seem to think that I get paid "royalties" for each book sold. (Which is ironic because a lot of them go to the library to pick up one of my books for free....anyway...)

The first miracle that happened this week you can read in the previous post (I'm still in shock!)

The SECOND miracle that happened was that I actually received, out of the blue, a fairly nice size cheque yesterday in the mail.

It was a....ROYALTY cheque.

The cheque was from my first book, Knocked Up. I actually earned out my advance, and then some, from my US publishers.

Let me explain. Publishers pay you an advance to write the book. The larger the amount they pay you in advance, the harder it becomes to "earn" back your advance.

Meaning - and I'm just throwing out a number here - if they pay you a $30,000 advance, enough people will have to buy your book to give back the publishers the $30,000 they paid out in your advance. I can't do math, so I have no idea how many books would have to be bought to make up what my advance was.

But, only after that, do you get royalties.

Knocked Up was published in 2004 in the States, so it's taken four years for me to earn back my advance, and now get royalties. This, in itself, is a miracle.

But totally fun too. I mean, how often does a cheque just show up in your mail box? (I'd like to say as often as your child goes to bed on their own....see previous post!)

The good news is that people are always getting pregnant, and, of course, being the author of Knocked Up, I think everyone who finds themselves with a bun in the oven, or who has a friend with a bun in the oven, should buy Knocked Up....And then the follow up, Wiped! Life with a Pint-Size Dictator, and then, the follow-up follow-up Toddlers Gone Wild.

And even Rotten Apple, if you have a pre-teen in your house.

After all, maybe in another four years I'll get another surprise in the mail!

But, mostly, this post is a BIG thank you to all those who bought Knocked Up, Wiped, Toddlers Gone Wild, and Rotten Apple.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

xoxo
R.

PS. Go to sweetmama.ca to look for more of my blog posts!

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Erm. I've been a bit of an Eckler-basher in the past. Just read your latest blog on sweetmama and then the others. I didn't realize you were officially single, and I felt bad for you. And then, seeing you're such good friends with the Ex ... are you sure you shouldn't still be together? I mean, obviously 99% of what goes on/went on you didn't write about, which is as it should be. But part of me wishes that two people who are such good friends even after a breakup, who have a daughter they both love, belong together.

I'll go away now.

4:52 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's awesome! What a fantastic surprise! Hope you went out and bought yourself something special. Keep on writing and blogging!

7:19 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Rebecca,
OK, I admit it. I'm officially a follower of your stuff now. A fan, even. I got knocked up 2 years ago - I bought Knocked Up, Wiped! Life with a Pint-Sized Dictator (which was my fave) and now, I'm into Toddlers Gone Wild. Considering that I have started reading hundreds of books in my life yet have rarely finished one, but have bought and finished 2.5 of yours, I must conclude that I'm a fan and you have the gift to turn the mundane into the hilarious.

Thanks for being the sole sane voice during the insanity of motherhood. I am one of those older "reluctant mothers" who can't believe how many opposing emotions motherhood brings: extreme joy/guilt/love/frustration/more joy.

Congrats on your success. Sorry about your bust-up from fiance. Although it's little consolation, you've always got us: the nameless, faceless mommies out there finding an ounce of sanity in your blog posts.

I'm enjoying the stuff on sweetmama, btw.

Keep up the good work!
Christine

7:44 AM

 
Blogger Maureen Lipinski said...

Congrats! I look forward to (hopefully) receiving some of those fab royalty checks myself sometime in the future.

And here's hoping you're right about people looking for funny books about pregnancy!

Maureen Lipinski

10:53 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just read Toddlers Gone Wild and it was like you were writing a novel about my own 2 year-old...who will only poop with a Toilet Hug, who can wreck our whole day with a 30 second car cat nap and who just told her dayhome provider that "no mommy burns eggs, she can't cook dinner". The similarities are endless. I will admit I took the book out of the library but will definitely be buying knocked up for all my knocked up friends in the future!

Katrina

7:55 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Unfortunately I haven't already read Toddlers Gone Wild, because (as I know) it is not published here, in Hungary yet, but I am bursting with curiosity and can't wait to read it!
I LOVED the first two books!

jaya from Hungary

1:43 PM

 

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