Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-12
london Cor. petroI. Free Press.l

London Cor Detroit Free Pressl
Some seem to be under the impression that
4 is easier to get book published here than
IL America. I think they must have very
little idea of the vast amount Of writing that
. done in England. The publisher viii tell
you that the getting out Of . three volume
novel will cost 300 pounds sterling and that
be is willing to stand half the cost II you
will stand the other half To person wto
know little Of paper or print
ing this may look like . fair offer,
but the fact Is that the publishing
af tho first edition does not cost anything
like half that sum and the 100 pounds
sterling you send the publisher will pay all
costs and leave him q handsome profit b.
idss whsthsr the book sells or not Il
amounts to this: You pay ths London pub
Hsher q good profit: il the book sells he
Eobbles the lions share Of tho income; II it
doesn't you lose all the money and he hes no
risk at all Perhaps American publishers do
business the same way; perhaps they don't
But there is one thing you have not in
America and that is the literary monstrosity,
The three-volume novel In your spare
moments thank your stars for that
presume you have never seen . three
volume novel have several Of them here
before me as l write. They are from Nudes
library. The three volumes cost 81 shillings
md pence. That Is about $780, You
might say the English were fools to pay such
. price for novel They are not such fools
q they look, for they don't pay It and tho
book Is put at this price so that they won't
pay it It seems a queer way Of doing
business that q publisher should delibsr-
stely put such q price on his book for
fhe very purpose Of preventing people from
buyingi it Whopays it theni Nobody. The
price ID SIMPLY q blind The libraries buy
tAs book at q much less figure than that
given above. I have II from apublishsr that
he price the libraries pay Is about g for Q
thres-volume novel and the chances are that
IN many instances they pay lea The pub
Usher generally gets out an edition Of 500
oopiea II 800 Of these aresod the publication
b called Q success The t.u the publisher
win show you Is $3.50 as tho total cost Of the
edition.
1hsn II 800 arc sold at $a00 each that
would amount to 500 and would leave about
5000 to divide between euthor and pub
tsher. II the other 400 ssl The author win
net about $500 from his book and will then
publish it in cheap bound form at o shillings
On g. so, thus appealing to an altogether dif-
ferent class Of readers II that, In turn.
takes and several editions are sold the book
will b published at shilling or perhaps six
pence.
Lady Brassey was the first in England to
issue her book at sixpence while the copy
right still held good Others have followed
her example Now, would say that tho
figures given In the above statement arc
copied from the bill Of genuine London
publisher and If any author is dssirous Of as
tonishing the great British public by appear
ing before them In print viii guarantee to
got up his three-volume edition for just
shout half what Is charged hare. I know
about - much about printing and paper in
London Is any publisher and will get out
the book in quite as good style q the one
Tor which the above bill was charged. Now
q to tho thrse-volums novel itself. l viii
take the ono for which the above bill was
charged Each volume measures five inches
broad by seven and half long, and this b
the general si1s Of the thres volumes There
are only i've lines to the inch on tho page
and each page Of print measures five inches
BY three. Largo type and big margins are
used to make up space. Volume I contains
s7l pages; volume II, 30, and volume III,
2SS.
On each Of these books Is pasted yellow
card which ssys: @Mudie's select library
Qimitsdl, 500, $40, 51l Now Oxford street,
and 20 and u Nussum street. London. Sim
gle subscription, guinea year." Nude d
the man who has dsmoralised the book-buy-
Ing propensities OF the BritisherA For . .
year you can get . new book every day II
you want 1T or you can keep It for two