Advances range from $500 to millions. (All will be USD in this thread). You can see examples on the Publishing Paid Me spreadsheet, and you can also see that different genres tend to have different averages. 3/
#PUBLISHINGPAIDME
docs.google.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Advances range from $500 to millions. (All will be USD in this thread). You can see examples on the Publishing Paid Me spreadsheet, and you can also see that different genres tend to have different averages. 3/
alt (part 2) : some years ago on Twitter, people compiled a document called Publishing Paid Me. It is still available online, and can be a handy reference:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
#kidlitart
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
#kidlitart
#PUBLISHINGPAIDME
docs.google.com
September 26, 2025 at 1:26 AM
alt (part 2) : some years ago on Twitter, people compiled a document called Publishing Paid Me. It is still available online, and can be a handy reference:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
#kidlitart
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
#kidlitart
can we bring back #publishingpaidme and #comicspaidme ...... asking for a friend 👀
April 23, 2024 at 11:44 PM
can we bring back #publishingpaidme and #comicspaidme ...... asking for a friend 👀
A good thread on the real ins-and-outs of being trad-published. And I don't know if there are still tweets out there about it, but a lot of authors went in-depth about this as well on the bird app with the tag #PublishingPaidMe.
On paper, a big fat advance; in practice, if your book isn't particularly marketable and is earmarked for the midlist, you're looking at let's say a $12,000 advance that will be paid to you over 4 installments across 2-3 years. Yay, $4000-6000 a year!
So like what even does traditional publishing offer over self publishing anymore?
July 31, 2025 at 7:17 AM
A good thread on the real ins-and-outs of being trad-published. And I don't know if there are still tweets out there about it, but a lot of authors went in-depth about this as well on the bird app with the tag #PublishingPaidMe.
I'm just saying, we need to bring back #PublishingPaidMe
January 24, 2025 at 7:56 PM
I'm just saying, we need to bring back #PublishingPaidMe
Every so often I think about the #PublishingPaidMe discourse back on Twitter, how enlightening that was. If we don't talk about these things (read: money), people will continue to be taken advantage of, or misled.
November 26, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Every so often I think about the #PublishingPaidMe discourse back on Twitter, how enlightening that was. If we don't talk about these things (read: money), people will continue to be taken advantage of, or misled.
Is anything like #publishingpaidme still happening? I need NUMBERS
May 12, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Is anything like #publishingpaidme still happening? I need NUMBERS
We did no go through #PublishingPaidMe for people to still believe this word salad, right? Right????
April 25, 2024 at 8:15 PM
We did no go through #PublishingPaidMe for people to still believe this word salad, right? Right????
Only two match-ups remain before we move on to the final round! Vote in our What Was Literary Twitter? bracket to determine the greatest moment of the literary internet.
What Was Literary Twitter? The Bracket *Day 5*
Day five and only four remain! Pour out a cold plum for yesterday’s runner-ups, including “This Is Just To Say,” bad art friend, and the transparency and advocacy campaign #PublishingPaidMe The fou…
buff.ly
November 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Only two match-ups remain before we move on to the final round! Vote in our What Was Literary Twitter? bracket to determine the greatest moment of the literary internet.
Made a #publishingpaidme video for THE FREE PEOPLE’S VILLAGE, because some of my friends thought my new bestseller status would equal a change in my financial status 😂😂😂😅 no. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR7kkXCR/
September 29, 2023 at 7:20 PM
Made a #publishingpaidme video for THE FREE PEOPLE’S VILLAGE, because some of my friends thought my new bestseller status would equal a change in my financial status 😂😂😂😅 no. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR7kkXCR/
Note that white male authors usually get anywhere to 200% more than white women.
If you doubt this, you can look up the keywords "Publishingpaidme" on Google (if that still functions).
I've been tracking it for a number of years.
If you doubt this, you can look up the keywords "Publishingpaidme" on Google (if that still functions).
I've been tracking it for a number of years.
March 10, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Note that white male authors usually get anywhere to 200% more than white women.
If you doubt this, you can look up the keywords "Publishingpaidme" on Google (if that still functions).
I've been tracking it for a number of years.
If you doubt this, you can look up the keywords "Publishingpaidme" on Google (if that still functions).
I've been tracking it for a number of years.
Named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African-Americans of 2020, A writer and a poet, L.L. McKinney is an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing and is the creator of the hashtags #PublishingPaidMe and #WhatWOCWritersHear.
Learn more at "Pearl's & Ruby's."
Learn more at "Pearl's & Ruby's."
21 Feb.: L.L. McKinney
Celebrating L. L. McKinney!
hubs.ly
February 21, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African-Americans of 2020, A writer and a poet, L.L. McKinney is an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing and is the creator of the hashtags #PublishingPaidMe and #WhatWOCWritersHear.
Learn more at "Pearl's & Ruby's."
Learn more at "Pearl's & Ruby's."
or "very nice deal" or "good" deal?
Here's my book announcement for POISONS. Not all book announcements will say if it's "nice" or "major." That's why Black author movements like publishingpaidme matters. Transparency is a rare finite thing.
Here's my book announcement for POISONS. Not all book announcements will say if it's "nice" or "major." That's why Black author movements like publishingpaidme matters. Transparency is a rare finite thing.
September 15, 2026 at 11:28 PM
or "very nice deal" or "good" deal?
Here's my book announcement for POISONS. Not all book announcements will say if it's "nice" or "major." That's why Black author movements like publishingpaidme matters. Transparency is a rare finite thing.
Here's my book announcement for POISONS. Not all book announcements will say if it's "nice" or "major." That's why Black author movements like publishingpaidme matters. Transparency is a rare finite thing.
WLP Associate Professor John Rodzvilla spoke on a comics business panel at the San Diego Comic-Con last month. He discussed the recent trends in author advances, drawing from his research paper, “Who Gets Seen? Who Gets Paid?: Graphic Novels and the #publishingpaidme Hashtag.”
August 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
WLP Associate Professor John Rodzvilla spoke on a comics business panel at the San Diego Comic-Con last month. He discussed the recent trends in author advances, drawing from his research paper, “Who Gets Seen? Who Gets Paid?: Graphic Novels and the #publishingpaidme Hashtag.”
Joyce Carol Oates did best Bad Art Friend!
I kinda thought that scrappy little kidney might bring her down. Shows what I know.
Don't forget to make your picks today, #WritingCommunity!
lithub.com/what-was-lit...
I kinda thought that scrappy little kidney might bring her down. Shows what I know.
Don't forget to make your picks today, #WritingCommunity!
lithub.com/what-was-lit...
November 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Joyce Carol Oates did best Bad Art Friend!
I kinda thought that scrappy little kidney might bring her down. Shows what I know.
Don't forget to make your picks today, #WritingCommunity!
lithub.com/what-was-lit...
I kinda thought that scrappy little kidney might bring her down. Shows what I know.
Don't forget to make your picks today, #WritingCommunity!
lithub.com/what-was-lit...
Obviously, a lot of folks are going to be afraid to do this because they fear retaliation for telling the truth. And so I think the conversation should include that too.
Go look up #publishingpaidme for a good example. I think we probably need a routine version of that in every creative field.
Go look up #publishingpaidme for a good example. I think we probably need a routine version of that in every creative field.
July 3, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Obviously, a lot of folks are going to be afraid to do this because they fear retaliation for telling the truth. And so I think the conversation should include that too.
Go look up #publishingpaidme for a good example. I think we probably need a routine version of that in every creative field.
Go look up #publishingpaidme for a good example. I think we probably need a routine version of that in every creative field.
#PublishingPaidMe 50K for my debut duology, HEARTSEEKER and RIVERBOUND and 8k for my upcoming picture book, THE QUEEN'S PANGOLIN.
November 27, 2024 at 7:54 AM
#PublishingPaidMe 50K for my debut duology, HEARTSEEKER and RIVERBOUND and 8k for my upcoming picture book, THE QUEEN'S PANGOLIN.
For you, Kelly, I would say read their romance novel YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY (also very much about making art & also grief & pulls no punches) and/or their epistolary memoir (which is also a #publishingpaidme masterclass about writing) DEAR SENTHURAN.
July 4, 2024 at 10:39 PM
For you, Kelly, I would say read their romance novel YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY (also very much about making art & also grief & pulls no punches) and/or their epistolary memoir (which is also a #publishingpaidme masterclass about writing) DEAR SENTHURAN.
Well now I'd like to see that become a thing. :)
Be nice to see some of the numbers on pay disparity in prestige mag venues. PublishingPaidMe did a huge amount of good...
Be nice to see some of the numbers on pay disparity in prestige mag venues. PublishingPaidMe did a huge amount of good...
August 27, 2023 at 9:05 PM
Well now I'd like to see that become a thing. :)
Be nice to see some of the numbers on pay disparity in prestige mag venues. PublishingPaidMe did a huge amount of good...
Be nice to see some of the numbers on pay disparity in prestige mag venues. PublishingPaidMe did a huge amount of good...
Outlining for my panel on art vs money (I know ;) for AWP & while I’ve known the depressing disparities of
#publishingpaidme, returned to 2020 Twitter discussion & unsurprised to see WHO actually engages in transparency. Do we still hv access to that Google doc w advances?
Thx for any help you can
#publishingpaidme, returned to 2020 Twitter discussion & unsurprised to see WHO actually engages in transparency. Do we still hv access to that Google doc w advances?
Thx for any help you can
February 10, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Outlining for my panel on art vs money (I know ;) for AWP & while I’ve known the depressing disparities of
#publishingpaidme, returned to 2020 Twitter discussion & unsurprised to see WHO actually engages in transparency. Do we still hv access to that Google doc w advances?
Thx for any help you can
#publishingpaidme, returned to 2020 Twitter discussion & unsurprised to see WHO actually engages in transparency. Do we still hv access to that Google doc w advances?
Thx for any help you can
Thanks. I feel like artists and writers being open about that stuff is much more normal now, in a good and healthy way. Like that #publishingpaidme hashtag from a while back. It's much better that people are honest, rather than pretending we're all Gore Vidals living exclusively off our writing here
January 6, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Thanks. I feel like artists and writers being open about that stuff is much more normal now, in a good and healthy way. Like that #publishingpaidme hashtag from a while back. It's much better that people are honest, rather than pretending we're all Gore Vidals living exclusively off our writing here
I debated a little, but ultimately, I had to go with JCO and Cat Person.
What Was Literary Twitter? The Bracket *Day 5*
Day five and only four remain! Pour out a cold plum for yesterday’s runner-ups, including “This Is Just To Say,” bad art friend, and the transparency and advocacy campaign #PublishingPaidMe The fou…
lithub.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:00 PM
I debated a little, but ultimately, I had to go with JCO and Cat Person.
“Yes, We Need Diverse Books, But We Also Need Diverse Reviewers–Still*— by Erika Hardison
www.sfwa.org/2024/05/01/y...
www.sfwa.org/2024/05/01/y...
Yes, We Need Diverse Books, But We Also Need Diverse Reviewers–Still* - SFWA
by Erika Hardison Ever since Black YA Fantasy author L.L. McKinney set Twitter (now known as X) ablaze with her hashtag #PublishingPaidMe in 2021, the traditional publishing industry has been scrambli...
www.sfwa.org
February 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
“Yes, We Need Diverse Books, But We Also Need Diverse Reviewers–Still*— by Erika Hardison
www.sfwa.org/2024/05/01/y...
www.sfwa.org/2024/05/01/y...
“Unlike #PublishingPaidMe, the focus [of #ComicsBrokeMe] was not only on the monetary cost of creating comic books and graphic novels, but also the physical cost to our health.” —@shivana.bsky.social
https://www.thedailybeast.com/comicsbrokeme-movement-exposes-the-comics-worlds-abuse?ref=wrap
https://www.thedailybeast.com/comicsbrokeme-movement-exposes-the-comics-worlds-abuse?ref=wrap
Behind the Movement to Expose the Comics World’s Abuse
A young cartoonist’s recent death has prompted those in the industry to share their stories of poor pay, mistreatment, and burnout.
www.thedailybeast.com
June 26, 2023 at 6:06 PM
“Unlike #PublishingPaidMe, the focus [of #ComicsBrokeMe] was not only on the monetary cost of creating comic books and graphic novels, but also the physical cost to our health.” —@shivana.bsky.social
https://www.thedailybeast.com/comicsbrokeme-movement-exposes-the-comics-worlds-abuse?ref=wrap
https://www.thedailybeast.com/comicsbrokeme-movement-exposes-the-comics-worlds-abuse?ref=wrap
#publishingpaidme in case people are wondering, my advances were all between $1500 and $4000. I think all of my books have earned out. I think in my very best year I made around $12k off of publishing? Usually it's more like half that.
December 5, 2024 at 11:53 PM
#publishingpaidme in case people are wondering, my advances were all between $1500 and $4000. I think all of my books have earned out. I think in my very best year I made around $12k off of publishing? Usually it's more like half that.