The Penn's Grove record., 1886-09-18

widely varying positions in lite, opinions
upon a manuscipt which agreed in adj
vising its rejection, yet which s@vejrd :
ment upon its merits and dement's so
exactly agreeing as almost to coincide in
actual expressions.
OF course several opinions are taken
upon any book that seems worth it, and
before one is accepted a good deal OF
careful examination and judgment has
been done. The author is often advised
to make changes, sometimes not at all
to his liking. l once demonstrated with
a publisher upon an alteration he wished
made in a book of mine he was to pub
lish, and the conversation went on until
1 said, rather testify, | fear:
but | don't care if your readers do
advise it. | wrote the book; isn't my
opinion in the manner of any valuer'
ooh, yes" he returned coolly. 81 It's
worth something; say a tenth what 1t
would be on a book somebody else had
written"
And I dare say he was right. A book
being accepted, there are sundry and
divers things which remain to be con-
sidered in regard to its bringing out.
People are apt to cherish the impression
that when it is once decided to pr b
book the publisher simply sends IL to
the printer, heaves a sigh of relief, and
sets to work to End another. Were this
so, many a hard worked book-maker
would lead a life far happier and less
care numbered than fate now meets out
to him. There are consultations about
style, shape, paper, binding and
whatever relates to the mechanical
makeup of the volume; the author and
the professional proof-reades go over the
p~roof-sheets again and again, and sell
dom or never succeed in getting all the
errors out; the binder does his work;
and then the hardest part OF. the busl-
ness begins. ApropOs of pr~oof-readmg,
if | may be pardoned a personal expert
ence, the "Wheel of Fire" was read at
the printing office, a third revise and
afterward plate proofs were sent to me.
| | read it twice, II of the best proof
| readers | know went owe 1t carefully,
| and a friend accustomed to proof also
examined it for typographical errors
vet the first time examined the finished
volume, I CHANGED, quite by accident,
upon two i~nexcusible errors, and L have
| since had my attention called to others.
Nobody who has not tried it knows how
hard it is to bully the printing press into
being exact.
The book being made, the publisher
must decide just when and how 1t snail
be offered to the public. The season,
the announcements, the advertisements,
must oil be carefully planned, and often
seem to have as much to do with the
fate of a book us the nature of its con-
tents. Whether this month or next the
tickle public is more likely to give at
tention to a work whether the announce
ments shall first go out in newspaper
paragraphs, or in circulars to the trade,
with a dozen questions of this sort, have
all to be thoughtfully considered and
acted upon. Not infrequently it hap
pens that an author either deliberately
or inadvertently settles this question by
talking freely to some member of the
press, | remember once talking with
| MI. J. II. Osgood about the changes
which had been made in a popular novel
between the time it was first placed III
the hands of the house and its appear
ance in print. .
s'You seem to knowa good deal about
it." he observed at length. How did
you find all that out?"
"Oh, the author told me herself" l
answered.
''And did you go and print ity" he
querried. d,
"Print itP' was my rather indignant
retort. "Of course ibid not"
"Then," Mr.. Osgood rejoined, with a
| droll twinkle i'll his eye, "then you have
betrayed her confidence"
However it may have been in this
especial case, it is often true enough
to take a literary man or woman at his
or her word in the declaration that what
is said is n, 81 publication is to betray
a confidence which secretly believes that
the recipient of the confidence will print
what he hears.
How small a proportion of books sue
coed everybody knows and when one
considers the amount of labor expended
in writing failures, he must be pro-
foundly, melancholy albeit not half so
sad as when he considers the time taken
to write many books which in a pecuni-
airy sense are brilliant successes.
Il like to have a book fail" an old
and famous literary man said to me
once rather whimsically, sit relieves my
mind of a great load Of responsibility.
| have had all the pleasure OF writing 1t,
| need not be afraid that anybody Will
be hurt by it,"
Which is a view so largely and nobly
shared by few writer's.