THE CAREER NOVELIST
better—terms offered to you by someone else. If they "top," then
you are stuck. So what can you do?
The safest bet is simply to come up with an offer that is so much
higher than the sum that your current publisher is willing to pay
that they cave in. The initial offer they make for your option book
will give you a hint of what they think your book is worth.
A sneakier way to slip out of an option is to offer your publisher
a book about which you care nothing. That was done by the author
known as "]," who wrote the best-sellers The Sensuous Woman and The
Sensuous Man. She wanted more money, but her killer option clause
said that her publisher, Lyle Stuart, could obtain her next book on
the same terms as the first two.
What did she do? She offered Lyle Stuart a guide to Florida golf
courses. While this turkey was in preparation she went ahead with a
lucrative new deal with another house. This plan will not work,
though, if your option is for "the next in the series."
Actually, the best way out of a bad option clause is not to get into
one in the first place. Never agree to "same terms." Resist "match-
ing," which means the ability to match or top another's offer. You
have the right to publish with whom you wish.
KEEPING UP THE QUALITY
Probably the biggest challenge faced by authors who are climbing
to the top is that of writing good new novels. It is so easy to slip.
Temptations abound. One is to recycle old material. That can be
a joy, but it can also ensnare you in stories that are smaller in scale
and weaker in substance than your readers now expect.
It is also tempting to enjoy the many distractions that are avail-
able to successful authors. Writers' conferences, guest faculty spots,
ABA (the American Booksellers Association annual convention in
June), leadership positions in unions and authors' organizations, TV
appearances, literary feuds with other novelists... any of those will
eat up mountains of time if you let them. Sadly, some authors make
a second career out of distractions. (Norman Mailer and Truman
Capote come to mind.)
Writing quality can suffer. Of course, that is not always the
authors fault. Best-selling authors whose editors are top executives