Would you sell out?

Would you sell out?

Since I was 10, I've had this world running in my head, with characters and stories, etc. A few years ago, I finally got decided to make a book out of it, so I sat down and wrote out a novel and put it up on amazon. I thought I would be lucky to get 10 people to read it, but it's actually been downloaded a few thousand times. I haven't really made any money off it, just like $1500, but people really like it.

So, here comes the selling out part. I've been approached by a someone who would like to buy the rights to my book. They want to publish it as an actual book. They've also said they might even get it made into a movie. And, they want to pay me $100k.

Sounds good right? I know 100k isn't fuck-you money, but it would sure turn my life around. But here's the problem. I take that money and that's it. I don't actually see a penny from the book being published anymore. If it is made into a movie, I don't get any money from that either. And I can never write anything else using those characters again.

I don't know what to do. Do take the money and run? Sure, I can't write any more stories set in that world, but I'd probably earn some recognition for the next thing I write. But on the other hand, I literally don't have anything else to write about. This world was created over years in my stupid autistic little brain when I was bored in class and working shit jobs and I needed to make the day go faster.

Maybe I should wait for another offer. Or see if I can't get like an agent or something.

Fuck... I don't know...

Take the money.

Write another book.

I've done the same thing since I was like 8 just sitting around in class or at home using pens to create interconnecting plots and shit.. also post book nigga

See if you can get a better deal. Or at least make sure you get some credit.

You'd be stupid not to take 100k. Are you really going to make this money any other way? See if your name will be kept as the original author.

Like I said, I don't have anything else to write about. I wrote these stories in my head, worked on them for almost 20 years. I don't even know how to begin with something new.

>See if you can get a better deal. Or at least make sure you get some credit.
This.

I'd take the money and run, but I find creativity easy.
I can make another world and characters... like that.

This say 90k and 1% essentially betting 10k incase it goes big and if it does get made into a movie then that 1% will be worth a lot more than 10k

get an agent or whatever to help you get more money.

What's it called

Take the money and run! You are creative. It doesnt mean you cant make up another story line. Hell at least have a reference and become a writer off this. But definitely take the money.

I recommend to try to at least to get some royalties from it.

We're really going to need a link to your book before forming an opinion on whether 100k is a steal or you should hold out for a better offer man.

fake
why didn't you share the name of the book?

If you fight for something like this, make sure you've got a lawyer or agent drafting the terms. There are a lot of ways a percentage of a large sum can amount to nothing.

>And, they want to pay me $100k.

this post is the text of your fantasy novel, isn't it? if it isn't, then take the fucking money. you will never see that much offered for a book again.

I'd like to, but I'd rather not have my amazon reviews filled up by the likes of... well of us...

Well, here's the thing with that. They said they would probably do some re-writes to the book and it would say, "Written by Joe Shitface, Story by user." And if they did a sequel, I wouldn't be listed anywhere. And if they did a movie, it would be the same deal, my name would be somewhere in the credits, but I wouldn't get any money from it.

Take the money
Think of it like letting go of childhood.
Plan that money; invest in your greatness
Write a new stories because life must be lived forward

i wouldn't share the name either. tf knows what type of fuckery you'd all go about doing with even that bit of info

Negotiate you fool. ASK FOr a % of royalties. Tip: nobody's first offer in business is their best offer

Take the money, faggot. Assuming this is true, the guy on the other end is taking just as much of a risk by paying $100,000 for it. Either way, your book isn't gonna sell without a major publisher. So if you're concerned about that than start contacting those publishers and see how hard it is to get your book published/marketed. Otherwise, sell the fucking thing and invest the cash.

Get a fookin agent, period.
Also learn the art of story-telling and world-building deliberately so that you can churn them out like hotcakes.

work out a better deal you dumb nigger
there is this thing called royalties
make a deal for less money plus royalties

Nah man negotiate the fuck outta that shit. Say that you keep the rights to motherfucking book and you want motherfucking 30% of profit. Thats how you get fuck you money. And THEN you sell out. Write 5 bullshit stupid ass sequels and lounge around in your new York penthouse

If someone in the business is offering you $100K, they see a way to make at least $10 mil off of it.
Time to shop it around for a better offer.

Very tough spot to be in... A lot of people have this issue, a lot of variables that only you can be aware of.

You can add stipulations and still have credit. Shawshank redemption was written by stephen king for only 2,500 dollars and he never even cashed the check. Completely shafted for one of the greatest movies of all time.

But then the statistics a book gets noticed is also extremely low.

This. Get a good agent.

Link or op is a faggot.

So, for everyone telling me to get an agent... anyone know how to do that?

What kind of world we talking here OP? If it's something that toys or other merchandise can be made from, sure sell it off for $100K, but keep the rights to any and all merchandise. Likewise, have it so it's your name attached to it, and you retain the rights to your name's use.

You could also take less for less on their end. Maybe not 100%, but 75%, again with you retaining rights to your name and product, them being allowed to sell it and make a movie out of it.

Negotiate, damn you. Get royalties or more money, even if the rights are no longer yours.

And get an agent to help you pull it off. If poor, then just tell homeboy you want some royalty, and stay adamant.

He'll budge, because the first offer in business between strangers is always the "if this guy is a simpleton, i can lift X off him for pennies" offer. Only the simpleton accepts the first offer.

Look it up, faggot.

For God's Sake, OP. Get an agent or an Entertainment Lawyer. They will take 20% of your fee but they will make your more than that and also give you peace of mind that you didn't get screwed over. If the characters and story are that precious to you, would you really want your name associated with it when some clueless mercenary fuckwit and rewritten it all? You're a creative. Trust me. More stories and more worlds will come to you. And your new agent may even be able to facilitate that. Good luck!

Hell yes I would. Think of it this way, would you choose 100k over someones opinion of you? I sure as hell would. I always see "Sell out" used as an insult when it most cases it's a compliment. That just means you be makin bank and they're just jealous.

BUT I wouldn't sell your shit without careful consideration. Get as much as you can and make sure you don't get fucked over. But yes, other than that sell the fuck out. I wish I could be a sellout right now to be honest but I have nothing to sell out.

this.

Have you confirmed that the people contacting you are legit? Lotta scams out there user, especially when dealing with naive authors self publishing their shiet on Amazon.

Get a fucking agent. Please don't make a decision before then, and for the love of god don't base your decision on Sup Forums's response. We're not trying to fuck you over, but there are people who actually know what you should do because it's their fucking job.

Fuck a book

Take the money and make two stories

OP what is the name of the book?

Theres a lot of good advice on here, but hopeful you read this. Do nothing right now. The person who approached you did it because you have a good product. He won't be the first or the last. Say you need time to think about it and I guarantee that you will be approached again.

This guy gets it.
You made the story, your name will forever be affiliated with it. Any changes you make to it will have that much more gravity to them because of this affiliation.
Royalties should get to you whether or not you continue writing more about your fictional world.

Perhaps try to sell rights while keeping intellectual ownership, in return for a fixed percentage of all revenue (royalties). Would not recommend you to completely give up ownership (even if this would result in more money), because it is an irreversible move. Definitely consult a legal adviser before making any decisions. Wish you best of luck.

If you can't write anything else then you're not much of an author anyways. Negotiate for sure, but do sell.

Getting royalties is pretty important in these kind of deals, in my opinion.

Counter offer, if they don't meet your demands, walk.
>If they can offer you that much, they can offer you a lot more.
It's YOUR work and if it's made into a movie you should recieve a portion. Stay involved, and btw, you won't actually be keeping 100k after taxes, think half that.
The way shit works is they belittle your entire existence to get you to buy into immediate gratification. If you hold out, you might have to deal with more shit but it'll be worth it in the long run.
>Demand 500k upfront and about 10 bucks for every copy sold and for royalties in the event it's made into a film.
>Know your market, if your book is actually selling you have double or even triple a fan base, think like you're a bank, they get 10 dollars and base 100 dollar loans on that initial 10 so to assume your following is 2 to 3 times larger than you're actually getting stats on isn't far fetched.
>If you know you're a good writer and what you've written is worth the read, you need to take that into account. Don't undersell yourself because the minute you make any amount of money everyone will suddenly remember you owe them some so account for the massive amount of favors and debts you owe.

Right now 100% yes. If I was already mildly successful I'd consider it first

Objectively speaking, are you confident your book would be successful ?
If so do a counter offer with a royality or don't sell out and start working on publishing it or a sequel.
Don't just sell out in the long term you'll regret it.

Literally just thinking about writing a book.

LOL fuck that you have to get a percentage out of everything in the deal. Fuck yeah get an agent!

Consider for what purpose you wrote it -- did you want to make money from it?
Is the 100k the kind of money you would have realistically hoped for?
Maybe this offer will burgeon your interest in the matter and potentially do even better for yourself.
Furthermore, you might think about writing a sequel, and developing the story further, and potentially increasing the amount you could sell it for.
I'd also consider whether or not it's something that will be of interest in the future -- that is, would people be interested in reading it if it was written by a big name like stephen king, or made into a movie directed by guy ritchie, or christopher nolan.
I'd seek professional guidance, even if it costs you a few hundred bucks to talk to someone for an hour or two about your situation.

> Sure, I can't write any more stories set in that world,
> I literally don't have anything else to write about.
> This world was created over years in my stupid autistic little brain

Don't sell YOUR world to someone bro, it's yours. This is really not good deal !

Well, I kind of have the same world thing circulating in my mind. I think, yeah, it's kind of a sellout thing. But I think you should do it. Take the money, and use it to get an education. If you were able to write a decent enough novel to be worth 100K, then you can certainly do better if you knew how to write properly, and as you mentioned, the novel you sold may garner you more attention.

Whatever, it's your choice. If you truly treasure those characters, and have more ideas, then don't do it. It's your creation, after all, and I assume after many years of building this universe, you won't give it up easily.

Very tough decision.

OP: Get a lawyer. Follow his advice. /thread

If you belittle yourself, you're lowering the standard for anyone else in your same position who actually wants to make it somewhere doing this. By you taking less money than you deserve, you're making it ok for everyone to assume everyone else pursuing the same should settle for the same or else they have unrealistic expectations.