(Reposted from my blog, Filling the Well)
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to accurately measure both the position and the velocity of a subatomic particle. You can know where it is, but not how fast it’s going, or you can know how fast it’s going, but not where it is. It’s one of those cool things that makes quantum physics so mind-breaking.
Getting paid as a novelist involves a similar principle. My payments basically come from two sources: advance money and royalty money. Advance money is what I’m paid from the contract, on signing and when I deliver the manuscript. Royalty money comes twice a year when the sales for the previous six months are tallied up.
I know exactly how much advance checks will be (it’s defined in the contract), but I have no idea when they’re going to arrive. Traditionally, cynically, publishers tend to put off paying the author as long as they can. On the other hand, I know exactly when the royalty checks will arrive — April and October — but I have absolutely no idea how much they’ll be.
Conclusion, or the Payment Uncertainty Principle: It is impossible for a freelance novelist to accurately predict both the amount and the arrival date of her paychecks.
