Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-01-26
OUR LONDON LETTER.
The Business OF Book Making sad Profits
OF Authorship.
Millions Cheap but Immortal Wcrk aud
Scotps successes.
Trellopc and Other Modern Writers Of
Fact md Fiction.
special Correspondence Of tho Gazette.

seeing there the original Dill OF sale by
which all the right, title and interest
OF the author to u certain poem en-
u led Paradise Lost was passed to q
certain publisher for the consideration
Of five pounds. In the IN ne letter, 81
l mistake not, mentioned several
other sales Of noted literary works, by
the authors. for next To nothing, NO FAR
"a money goes. I believe 1t used to be
the case here that no as of workers
were 80 poorly paid M authors, con-
dltion of things that does not exist
here now, though still exists 10 too
great an extent in the United Stntes.
had 10 dear friend once who, with
intinite tact and pains, wrote book
| for boys that, am reliably informed,
| has since melted TO the publishers Ia
Boston ilrm) "A large amount of money.
My friend was In poor health and un-
fortunately needed money sor,ly, and
When he WAS Offered $l00 only.
for the copyright OF his book, he had
to sell IL. Only tbiuk OF i'll One
hundred dollars for work that repre-
scented years of Thought and study,
and weeks or months of actual pains
taking manual labor. I never think
OF this hard bargain without feeling
that it would do me goodsto be able TO
saw some ugly words To that firm of
Boston book-jobbers. My friend IL
now in his trave, poor fellow. and be-
yund the reach OF such wants rs make
hearts sore and life miserable in this
world, but IL here IL any hereafter,
aud there the spirits have 10 answer
aud atoho for the wrongs zone here,
me party to that bargain IL going to
suffer, aud IL W, mt be the rad and
sick writer whose Framework Is
now banning out'' In hard cash
for the benefit of Boston. never
"ranp much with them literary
chaps" as have often heard authors
termed, sometimes in JOKE. but often
er In dead earnest; hence haven't
much knowledge of their ups and
downs 1.-THE latter numerous, the for
MGR less nunlerous), but | doubt not
that where one deserving American
author gets value received Tor his
work, ten get mere chips and whet-
stones. IL il gratifying though to
know that even the few are properly
treated, II the many are ovcr-reached
by shrewd publishers.
| have Just bren reading up some on
this subject, and l have ascertained
that certain British writers during the
past balf.century have been well paid
benefited the world ut large. IL NAV
los that such Information Ia not caicu.
lated to please observation-disclosures
who seem destine never To meet with
the appreciation they are sure In due
them, but perhaps the outside crowd,
readers OF the GAZETTE. will be inter-
ested To know that Anthony rrullope.
la n little over twenty years, nude
$3.50, 900 10y his pen. His autobioera.
ply has recently been published here.
aud | notice he relates that for twelve
of theae twenty years his averag. in
come from Literature was SD 500
year, result which no describe, ms
being comfortable but not splendid.D
Some men have curious notions zen
orally, aud few have ever hsn much
the advantage In this Particular
of the author of the "Chrunirles of
Barsel," and no one of his Gu ious no.
ions Is altogether more curious than
that $500 for twenty years Of liter
AIRY work, which was supplemented by
much and fairly well paid official
work, is Comfortable merely. and
mot splendid" | fancy there are
just nine hundred and ninet, -iliue of
every ONT Thousand nspirants for liter
nry success and fame who would be
more than willing To compromise with
fnte on the bilsls of much less than
twenty-five per cent. In ,ash of this
amount, FOR the work of lifetime.
However, fate h IL hard t,lsb-luaster.
(or what Is called "fitenj and the one
Of the thousand may, but tue chances
are win not realize half what Tiollope
realized. And yet he WAS ID no sense
n unan of genius, AN opinion honestly
venture to
say, by even his most cordeil udmirers
II they are NJ discriminating ~ well
as ardent Considered from a peeun-
larry standpoint be WAS u successful nu-
thor, nnd really got quid pro qua (and
morf) Tor all he aid in The way of
book-mnking. According To his own
sisiemeDts on the hutj,ct lie made
50, 035 in the pggr.gut, by The War.
der" aud "Barcheeter Towers. Nv
some Of the best Judges of our time
held u toe by far his best works. For
. The Three Clerks" he got $3.50 and
about 5000 for DIR 1horne.n
'Tromiy Parsonage, realised him
about 5000 and for "Can You For
give Herr lie got no less thnn Sl7. %.
his being the highest price paid Lin
FOR single book during his e.:tIre lit
erary career.
These are attractive figures 70 those
who, ike myself, have only known
bools-Inakers who got very
much smaller ptic.s Tor their books.
But even these figures are "toppedr
~ those put down In his ca- h. book 10
.he credit side OF the line by
SIR WALTER SCOTT.
At the very start of his career ms n
~riter he got $500 for .WnverIy,p
ma u " s'med that during the nine
Years which followed lis publication
Constable, his publisher, paid him
$50, 900 for eleven novel Of three Vol.
IN each, and three, series of "'rales
u MY Landlord" making nine vol
Imes more. During the Remaining
light years OF his life Scott wrote
,lght more novels of three volumps
ash, us well as the Life Of
Napoleon" and for Que of tb.su nov
'Is II aiii not certain which, he re-
ctived the 'c0mfoftAi,I..n rum of $40
No. Duisng one period OF nj steen
months. from November, 1879 10 June
1877, his earnings amounted 10 the AZ
most in'I.hiblr SUM Of $3.50. OlO. No
wonder Mrs. Walter INDUCED In such
complaeeut faith ia Sir Walters capa-
biliiy Ion money -ninkIiig. Is " re-
lated Of her aud him that she had no
proper appreciation of his nivTits hs
writer and only regarded his work
from u peculiarly standpoint. Hence
IL was ihnt when thu family ''casll
bnlancvn ran short, as N Ind an ll)'0r-
tunAte habit OF doing IN spite of the ca