Item 29 Read the passage. I’d figured my manuscript would land in the slush pile with all of the others that the publisher didn’t solicit. I’d thought that at best an intern would read it and email me something to the effect of “Thanks, but no thanks.” So you can imagine my astonishment when an editor called me and told me that not only had my manuscript been accepted, I was also going to get an advance. That early paycheck allowed me to focus on revisions (and there were plenty of them!) without worrying about how I would pay rent. The day my galleys arrived was surreal. I combed through the pages of words—my words—realizing that my book would soon be born. And even though the font wasn’t final and the illustrations weren’t included, I felt like I had finally become a real author. What does the word advance mean in the passage? payment for revising a manuscript payment before publication of a book payment based on the percentage of the sales of a book payment before a manuscript is accepted

From the given passage, it is evident that the speaker is talking about how he was relieved and happy to have finally got his book accepted. Moreover, he also revealed that he had been given an advanced payment for that same manuscript.

In this regard, the word "advance" refers to the advanced payment given to him before the publication of the book. An advance is something that is given before the actual execution of the deal or agreement between the parties, in this case, the publication of the book.

Thus, the correct answer is the second option.