Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-03-08

MospAY.. .M.rcs .. sszs.
MIS-. ssushuerah.

Wherever sensational novels ara read
Mrs. Emme ID. f. N. Southworth Is known.
long time for a bare competeoc. bafere shc
Won even paying reputation, aai also lice
most OF those whose fame Is now world-wIie
arc fortune In itself, she is largely iastebtaxi
10 Der publishers for success Mrs Sasth-
worth Is comparatively a young voman AMI
yet her books number thirty Eight. aud her
snort stories for The periodicals OF the day
One day I'm 1854 Mr.. Peterson was sitting n.
his desk considering some new project when
observed, and introduced herself as a Mrs,
Southworth, an authoress In search OF a
publisher. She brought the mSnus ript OF
lodging that IL had been reject ted by several
publishers, confidently asserted her belief
IN It's future success. Mr.. Peterson knew
nothing about her stories at that time. and
probably at first supposed that, as in a good
many other instances, he was wasting pre-
cious moments TO crafty a needy scrib6ler
peS MIS- Mt, Souhworth presented her case
wei, she believed that her stories would b.
popular III they were properly presented to
the public; and Mr.. Peterson amer a hrief
examination snaa OF the work; thought that he
wards he made contract with Mrs South
worth. by which he was TO publish not only
5ls voIume, out all the other stories which
she might write for years 10 come. Further
than this, lie decided 10 purchase stcreotyne
aEo repuhlish in uniform size ali the novels
S s,i NAG already puoliShed by other houses,
BOOKS. This was apparently a rash under
taxing, for she had already put into the
marker mar SIX or seven large books, and u ey
had met with but indifferent success. Ucr
first long romance appeared in the OLD Ma
tlODal Era, about 1850, and was renubliShai
i'm book form by Harper & Brothers soon
Afterwards. This was the story 50 widely
known as "Retribution." Afterwards H.
Appleton a Company published her "De-
serted Wife" Mother in-law" and "Sha-
nondale; or, The Two Sisters" aud
Carey & Hart, of Philadelphia, her Course
of Clifton" and Discarded Daughter"
These publisher were not 10th tn sell these
MoTkS. and Mr.. Peterson at once bought the
stereotype plates and copyrights OF them
melted the plates aud maJe new ones of them
all In uniform style. After this his first
step was TO publish the one purchased from
Mrs. SouthwoTth, The Lost HeiresS" and
spend $1,000 in advertising IL before the book
was upon the market. This amount then
was equivalent To an expenditure OF $4,000
Tow Tor the same purpose, and was regarded
by many as waste of money. The new
volume had good sale from the beginning
the system of advertising adopted having
been apparently perfectly successful. More
over, The success OF this book created "A de-
mand for the prior volumes, which Peterson
had collected from other publishers, and new
edlGlons OF them were called for.
The result Of this experiment led Mr.. Pc
terson TO make extensive advertising part
of his business policy. he never allowed a
DOCK 10 sleep on his shelves, bat made con-
| tinuous efforts to inform the reading public
of it and its contents. Hisexample has been
followed since with success by many other
bookmakers.
a remarkable incident occurred soon after
MIR. Peterson became Mr.. Southworth's pub
Usher Mrs. Southworth was informed that
Mr. Robert Bonner was publishing her
noyel, the Course of Clifton,h in his weekly
| paper. This story, il will be remembered
was one OF those purchased and re pTinted by
Mt. Peterson. Mrs. Southworth applied 70
Mr. peterson 10 obtain an injunction against
Mr.. Bonner Mr.. Peterson, however, thought
mat there might be an explanation, and he
wrote TO Mr.. Bonner. Mr.. Bonner went di-
| rectly TO Philadelphia and met Mr.. Peter
son. II seems that he had procured the story
copied rom an English newspaper which
published IL as original, and Mr.. Bonner did
not Know that IL was an American copyright
story lie regretted copying it, and Offered
| TO pay Mr.. Peterson for the privilege of rum
nllg me story through his paper, and
him from issuing his paper with IL in, or
continuing the publication, because TO cut
| The story short in the middle wouli hurt his
paper. The explanation was honorable and
satisfactory, and il was arranged that Mr..
Bonner should continue the story without
paying either the owner of the copyright or
the author OF the story. The result OF this
was that Mr.. Bonner soon after made a con-
tract with Mrs. Southworth to furnish him
with her new works for publication first i'm
his paper. This contract has continued ever
since Her income from this source alone is
about six thousand dollars a year IL iss said
that Philadelphia newspaper Offered her
ten thousand dollars a year to transfer her
work 10 1t, but she declined. Mr. Peterson
however, continued TO publish all her works
in book form. The popularity of these books
is attested by The number OF them used i'm the
circulating libraries Throughout the country,
where they are perhaps In greater demand
Than any other writer's books