Write Fast, and Make Up Pseudonyms

Science fiction writer Tobias S. Buckell asked a bunch of his genre compatriots what kind of money you get writing SF, and the median average for a first novel in sci-fi or fantasy is $5,000. (If you're looking to make a little extra, the mean average advance for a fantasy debut is $411 more than that for your rookie SF novel.) Having an agent will raise your median average by $500 (and the mean average shoots all the way up to $7,379). And do whatever you can to get Patrick Nielsen Hayden at Tor interested in your book, because they outstrip all other publishers listed with an median average advance of $6,500 and a mean of $9,484.