The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-12-10
THE BOOK BUSINESS.
THE FINANCIAL RELATIONS OF AU-
THOR AND PUBLISHER.

HUN ANU fObllofch.
The Poor Chap Who Pays for His own
Plate, and Printing-Prcss Notices-por
Cent. on salos-Ihe subscription y stem.
No firm accepts 4 book and buys it tn man
uscript. unless it Is sure that II viii prove rc-
munerative Several Of the larger firms are
also publishers Of monthlies. The custom u
70 buy manuscript that can first be used ia
the monthly OF weekly. and then sent ont Ia
took form la tins way there Is saving Ia
he expense OF the ma .azine, and - vide al
vertisement given the story, OF other serial,
that it j. sure L. sell well when published sep
srately. But the poor chsp'who pays for his
own plates and printing gets very little al
yertising The firm holds X 10 he is first
duty to push its own books. Ii gets - per
cent for handling Jones Essays and Re
views that handling consisting IL adverti'-
ing, mailing Il purchasers and distrltl
ting 70 the press But you may be sure that
as little advertising viii be done as the
author will submit 70 endure. \ sure way
Of dctcrminin, which Of the books pub
lished by any firm are its 0wn property,
and which the property Of authors 4; 10 note
which receive ~ the firm, the most extea-
.ive advertising. If book Is very thoroughly
and persist-ntly pushed. II IS owned by the
publishers Of course there is a difference IN
hrms ami this discrimination Is not often
carried so far that the firm can be charged
With dishonesty But the ~ per cent. Charge
IN reality requires, and should secure for the
book. very earnest push. Every reasonable
effort should be made t. get it before the
public, and keep it there. A. q rule ii IS
thrust forward for a couple Of months, at the
most. / still allow Oh exception 70 q few
nrms. After that it Is never spoken Of by the
publishers. or the slightest interest taken IN
It, except 10 alphabetically locate II IN their
Catalogues Ii it reach q second edition, IL
spite If their hiudoranccs, there Is seldom
any note taken II It by tie publisher, ". his
81 per cent goes Oh.
Let us count up on specie basis. book sell
ing for Il 30 wlil cot the author, ior plates
ami printing w copies from ssVJ ~ esVJ
he now owns the stock with the plates. ami
can do a. be p.ea.es with it, lie can pr0ua
blv do nothing without further AID Of the
publisher lie hires him to handle the book
TN. includes sending to the pre.5 for crit
cisu saw 100 copies. Fifty copies more Viii
be absorbed IN the way OF furnishing tuose
distinguished people whose opinions viii be
Vi value You may deduct 2OO copies from
v0ur first edition. "haud!el without any
cash return. But sou get your press notices,
sometimes valueles- and nOnsensical some
times antagoni,tic. but Ieeilul Your 500
volumes left We presume ~ be sold, winch
vii net az. 900. YOU viii receive sUJJto"afd
defra,iug the cost Of publication. Ina nine
ea.e, cut vi ten your book does not sell 40
comic, ia ten wears You can pocket your
los, and earn your bread some Otnef way
But II a second edition j. demanded. you SUI
leave one bali the sales with your publisher,
and get out OF the possible 81 800, s'JO. You
will now be recompensed lor the original odt-
las. and have from eco to sfvO over. he
III. however. j. very large.
The other plan, whereby the publisher
gives an author ten or other per cent. on
sales. is fairly and plcturesquely shown up ~
Mr. Hawthorne. Let u look at this little
closer. A book, noyQsor otherwise, that -
Of roadable value. costs not less than SIX
months close work. And there ere few
books put OIL the market each year that en-
body the research, experience and thought q
many years Suppose a volume TO nave cost
is writer one year Of thinning study and
composing Copying and proot reading may
te aiSed as the positive torture part u tue
vork-fue appendix OF ire lie then besin'
to get lis 10 cents copy sold iou may
take YOUR figures from this point from haw-
tbornc At the end Of the first year after
% 81 f.|iff
unusual one Of 5000, the author STARE VIII
be $50 Ms object in THIS article IS 10 heip
10 dispei the visions Of aspirant' ~ author
ship The successful nOvclisis pocket II cii4
SlCO t. 500 year. You vail do much bel
ter raising onions at 81 per bushel IN Connec-
ticut bottom lands. or even corn in the river
bottoms Of Kansas. L. Is folly 10 fling your
s.if amongsths Bohcmian' Win only hope'
and oxpec~tions ~ pay your board blH
Not one author ia 5OO is enriched, not over
ouein 100 gets q competence while Win many
il IS out Of pocket to publish
For sure profit the subscription system Of
fer, most advantages That IS, the book by
agents il canisd to and urged on purc14ser' >,
while in the other cases It Is left On the NnelI
TO wait for purchasers. The subscription
book often reaches 25U00 copies; not seldom
5O.OOO or 70 Wv and in some cases OF special
uotorietv. 1t passes 10 and above IOO,Ooo
There are many things 10 be said IN favor Oh
this system. but Nth rare exceptions It IS the
publisher who reap tine harvest. tie buys
brains ani retaiis them IN market OF MS
osn making. 1t IS simply question Win
IN author whether be can do better tnan
rpake the sale II he receive 10 cents
COPY on the sale Of TO- 900 copies. ne receives
bi; 1900 The custom is to allow the per
c,-rage 70 diminish until 800 copies or
more are sold and then lapse altogether.
There are many forms 0! contract entered
into between author; and publishers OF CO.
operative sort Soma firms arrange as fo!'
lows. The writer Of book shall pay for the
MAKING Of the plates the publisher doing the
press work and binding, with advertising.
/ In this CASE tie author, not owning stock
receives What copies be desires Tor private
use at 4 large discount, say 60to ~ per cent,
and a ROYALTY OF IS cents on all copies sold
OF course this rlaD Is capable Of any amount
Of notifications IL IS not likely, however
ia any form 10 enrich the writer OF book.
tbs leaves Us the final, and not at al
agreeable. fact that he who writes boon
must seek something else besides cash returns
The equivalent Is often more than sufficient
in the honor received <'E. +. +. In Globe
Democrat