The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-11-23
Rejected Manuscripts.


Persons complaining of the great nun.
bels Of books published should pause to
consider that the number of works annu.
ally printed is small in comparison with
those written, ready for the press, but
rejected by publishers. All of the larger
publishing houses have n "reader '---a
man who peruses al manuscripts offered,
nnd either accepts orrclects them. From
his decision there is no appeal. Ambl
tiOus young authors complain that it is
unjust to be compelled to abide by the
decision of single person 10 have 10
submit to one opinion, when an appeal
to the public is what the anxious writer
desires TO be enabled to make, That
can not be made without the types, and
the barren honors oi type can he ot-
tained only Ivy the consent OF the
"reader, who, as Il rule, is accurate III
his judgments. mtuitiycly be can tell
what will 10 acceptable t. the readtng
public.
The late James 7. Fields, while he
was an active partner in the firm Of Tick.
nor & Fields was waited upon hya Young
sugar merchant who had poetic aspTa.
tons. The mercantile man complained
that his manuscript poems had been re-
jectcl by the firm, and he wanted to
know the reason why, as all Of his friends
had heard the verses rea and unanl-
mously declared them to be an inyalu.
able accession 10 American literature.
"Our reader decides that, sali Mr.
Fields, i'll his Dlaudest tones, Then |
would like to see the "reader.' Always
the personilicution of niniability himself,
the publisher took the merchant upstairs
to the reader That mighty personoge sat
at desk heaped high with manuscripts;
he carefully read Il few pages OF each
package, then dropped it into II basket at
his side. Occasionally he became more
than ordinarily interested IN That case
he placed the package inside his desk,
"Why, he goes through 'em just as !
sample sugar. exclaimed the would-be
poet, in alnazemcnt. That because he
is rs familiar with literary wares as you
are with sugars, rejoined Mr.. Fields,
~ am satisfied, said the merchant, "let
us go. They went, and the disappointed
bard gave up verae-making, but he made
u large fortune iii sugar,
Since "readers are not intHlllb'e, be.
ing mortals, they commit mistakes. Miss
Evans novel Of "Buelah was rejected
by half dozen houses. At last Carrie
TOMS "reader" saw its merits, and on
his Judgment it was published without
delay, making So, 600 for the publishers
aud rs much more for the author. No
less famous Il work than the Sketch
Book" Of Washington Irving was re-
iectcd by John Murray,o Of London. Onc
Of the best "readers this country ever
produced WAS Henry j. Raymond, the
editor. who was "rcalGr for the Har.
pers before he started the n. Y. IimcS.
His Judgment was invariably correct.
Sometimes there is difference between
readers and publishers. Apple
tons "rcadcr" having first decided i'll
favor of an issue Of Lothair, the
brothers limited the edition to 1900
they sold 40, coo copies of the work
Readers for magazines and story
papers have IL hard and endless task,
OiIVCr Dyer, VINO IaS written Ru'"o o'|'
himself, is the "rcndcr y for Bonner
New York Ledgcr, and has filed the
place acccptably for number of year,
The reader" for Uajpcr'S .RonhH
peruscs, ON m average, fifteen original
contributions day, and, On IN average,
rel ct twelve Of them. In II single twelve
month the Harpcrs have rejected tn
manuscripts OF one thousand novels. Is
there any necessity for stating that the
ten hundred long stories were not rnad
through? ?
In consolation to aspiring youn" au-
thors remains the fact that money rem.
ders them entirely independent Of the
terrible "rcndcr. Ii they have tho
means to pay for the printing, payer
binding and stereotypIng, any publish
ing house will publish ion them on com
mission. Without the cash hecdri inr
these outlaws, all unknown readers mus