An advance is a payment before publication to the author by a publishing company in exchange for the right to publish a book. As a new author without a history of sales, it is unlikely you will be able to receive an advance of more than $5,000-$10,000 unless you are a well known name in the industry or have a special talent such as a famous movie star writing a cookbook. The advance is based on the estimated sales a publisher thinks will be for a book.