The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-03-26
THE BUSINESS OF sookmAKlNa.
Views OF a Veteran PubIisher-Suggestio
Eor As,;~;,., A,.ho.s

making book from the time the manu-
script leaves the hands of the original
writer until the completed work is placed
on the top shelves as a merchantable
ware.
There is no real secrecy about any
part Of the business" said the gentle
man, "and the steps are perfectly simple.
Some one has manuscript which he, of
course, thinks worthy of publication, and
a few kind friends encourage him in that
belief. His first STEP after reaching
such a conclusion, should be to write to a
publishing house, explaining the nature
of the manuscript-Whether novel, ed
vocational work, or what not-and ask
if the house will receive the manuscript
for examination. To this letter he will,
if the house is a reputable one, always
receive an answer, either politely refus-
ing TO accept the manuscript or stating
that it will be taken for examination, to
be returned if not suited to the purposes
of the publishers.
In most cases, especially where the
writer is unknown, the acceptance of the
manuscript depends altogether on the
style of the letter of inquiry. If that
letter gives a favorable impression the
manuscript is most likely to be taken;
otherwise rejected In many cases we
are convinced a$ a glance that the
writer would only waste time by sending
his production, and are obliged to cour-
teOusly but firmly refuse to receive 1t at
all For you must know that the re-
sponsibility of having large number of
manuscripts in our possession which we
can not use is very great.
"In nine cases out OF ten the writer Of
a rejected manuscript does not care
enough for it to pay the small expense
of its return to him, and never sends for
it. We can not destroy the manuscript
in that case, for fear some time a legal
question should arise and the written
sheets turn out to be worth thousands of
dollars, for which we would be liable;
and we are in an equally unpleasant
predicament about sending the matter
| back to the writer without his order, for
if it should be lost or destroyed on the
way we might again be liable. l have
in my Office a large number of such
manuscripts, many of which have been
there for years. We have notified the
writers time and again to call for their
effects, but without success.
Permit me to ask what is first done
with manuscript after its receipt2"
at is at once turned over to a
reader who takes it with him, and,
after examining it carefully, returns it
to us with his opinion of its merit or
lack of merit. We have eight readers
regularly engaged for this purpose. If
a reader returns a manuscript
with a strong indorseDlent, We
then consider the merits Of the work
from commercial standpoint, whether
it is likely to sell, how much it WlsfSsl,
for production, etc., etc. EEnn-1 61aently
turn the manrsn-igofIpC over 70 d seco
- all say, This is a strong work; think
To- 70 viii pay you to publish it, or words
nc that effect, of course their recommend
pa lions go long way in the question
Z publication.
~, ~. "What kind of persons do you gen
n ,1{ ally employ as readers2"
-, in many cases men or women
~ culture, who themselves have dc
10 literary work; sometimes a lawyer "
,os finds time from his professional dut
20 to give attention to literary pursuits,
,crb a doctor similarly situated, and son
2a times a woman of refined educati
,io qualified to do the work When we ha
of any manuscript on a speciality, as scit
rs tific medical, or other subjects of I
IRE kind, we engage some recognized p
fessional man in that particular.
nd our readers are trustworthy, and So
vet have been regularly engaged by us
I'M years. One woman has been reading
d. US over eight years"
ev "Do you publish the works at your O.
tn risk, or do the writers assume part
ITS the expense.
es- Nearly always the writer's are
res quired to bear part of the expense
is. the first edition; always when they {
)st new writer's. Sometimes they can I
re get into print without bearing the emit
IN expense 1t is a fact not genera
known that Longfellow paid within
Ir small amount of the total cost of pl
y. duction of his first volume of poem
We and James Russell Lowell paid all t
Is expense of his first work.
rs what is an ordinary edition, and
O. costa"
US "a book of 400 pages is considered
u edition at 1000, and the total cost,
es Guiding advertising, copyright, books
ey the press for reviews and all incidental
% is about 81, 250. The first edition, if
sold, will bring a net return of or
1915, leaving $3.50 unaccOunted for.
second edition will cost only $3.50, as t
plates are on hand, and there is no {
us pense on that score, and on this edit
OF the net return will again be 1915, leavi
~ still 1925 of the original expenditure
10 10 be gotten out of the work. On the ne
.. edition, if one can be disposed of, tt
NC shortage is cleared up and very smi
70 profit remains So it can be seen tn
~ to be a slightly profitable investme1
20 there must be at least three editions
TS 1000 copies of every book publishe
~ How can publishers be blamed for the
a. extreme caution"
" what class of manuscript do "
Is most commonly receive for examinati
no. novels, essays, Or"
IS Novels, by large majority. l su
pose we receive manuscripts or apple
lions to read manuscript for one novel
least every day in the year. The west
especially subject to the novel man
no Just now, and almost daily we hear fro
Id persons with novels to print as far out
es Dakota"
ed "And poems7"
ID Floods of them But poems are t
at very most unmarketable product in t
be literary line. 1t is a standing maxi
nv among the fraternity that poet mu
If have at least twenty years eXperien
and reputation before he can be eonsi
cred profitable investment for the pu
Usher = Boston Letter.