... published a novel: 1 - FAQs

There are many things nobody tells you about publishing your first novel, comb writers' guides and read author interviews as much as you like. Here's my top five, in case you're interested, and my answers, for what they're worth:

1. How much money do you get?
   
   
   Author advances (so called because you get the money – mostly – in advance of publication) range from a pittance to a fortune. Frequently, and especially for first-time authors, they equate to less than a year's salary (and not a banker's salary either … more like a shop assistant's). 
   
   
   
   

... been a hair model

One of the many advantages of having long hair (apart from the fact that men love it – just ask a stripper) is that it’s actually surprisingly low-maintenance. Wash it every few days, run a brush through it, shake it out (or put it up) and Bob’s your follicular uncle. Not for us long-locked ladies the endless snipping and trimming of those with more money than barnet: which is why I almost never go to the hairdresser’s – there being scissors in the kitchen – and have not had a professional cut since I was about 12. Why spend my hard-earned cash on haircuts (goes my reasoning) if I’m not going to come out looking dramatically different? In a good way, that is ...