The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-11-24
TILE BOOK BUSINESS.
TEIE FINANCIAL RELATIONS OF Au-
THOR AND PUBLISHER.
F'e Poor Chap Who Pays for His Own
Plates and Printins-Press Notircs-Pcr
Cent. on Salcs-Thc Subscription system.

Tir Poor Chap Who Pays for His Own
f!ttcS and Printins-Press Notircs-Pcr
Cent. ON Saics-Thc Subscription system.
No firm accepts Il book and buys it in man
script. unless it is sure that it will prove re-.
milnrlaiive. Several of the larger firms are
Also publishers of monthlies The custom is
I" bay "anuScrip; that can first ue used in
Ia" monthly or weekly, and then sen, out i'll
'o"k i"":n. In this way there is Il saving in
tAr expense of the magazine, and SO wide atl
NtEI se:nrnt given The story, or other serial,
that II Is sure 10 sell we'll when published sep
araielv But the poor chap who pays for his
own l.aieS aud printing gets very little atl-
se.'.slas The trm holds it to be its first
6@ty io!ush its own books 1t gets 80 per
cent for handling Jones ESSAYS and Re.
Views. tilat handling consisting in a,lvertis.
~, na2il!n2 to purchasers and distrbu.
ting I" tee press. Eut you may be sure that
- little advertising will he done US the
nu'hnr VIII submit TO endure \ sure way
OF determining, which of the ho, ks pub.
isI!"si 10y any firm are its own property.
ai.! Which the property of authors, is to note
~nrh receive by the firm, the most cxten
>!vr raIvertislnG lfa book is very thoroughly
ali le!>iStently pushed, it is owned by the
publishers or course there is difference i'll
firms. and this discrimination is not often
carried 50 ltr that the firm can he charged
wMh dishonesty But the 30 per cent charge
ia T. ~ 3 l. GGil,'>, and should secure for the
hn g. Il very earnest i'lsh Every reasonable
r.i' - Eli IT, ma'!e /" got it before the
T. HcVf ii ihrr AS "A rule it is
:,! d. + Il c.i.i lv OF mouths, at the
- II ii.'N AL rIrc:tion TO IL few
Il s.-i '....; II Is Lever e:'"l,'a of by the
~ ,'i - 81 ,ili''st interest taken in
l.. 4. ns. ....t, ,lC;.tiN locate it in their
G." Ii i r'&". II scc"nd edition, in
os q l,Hti .:.t!o"s, Their" is seldom
az as: 1t iN the publisher, but his
81 .. .'.>uH
/! .i..,na specie haSi, y book sci!
i'll 60; the author, for plat, !,
a., t"'r r". 'ls from $50 to s9Vl
ILL.,; Stock with the Plates. and
,;.,. ,.,.s..=-.. ,..>:, witilit He can pro!,a
b.. .n., N.;u-a; t,.iher and Of the
f.- lie h.rcs H!l., to hau'ilc the book;
-.,, s,.,.ms To the pres. for crlti.
c, -, ..,l h,pcupcs. Fatty copies more W i'll
l." a. s"vtNd III Ia" way of furnishing those
d thaSus."d people whose oYnioms vii! lc
y;t!tr. Won may deduct 200 copies from
$ 90" first edition, "haniicd' without any
an return Eut yo" ct Your press notices,
u,"tmlcs valunless and nonscnsicul, s,rnc-
li..c> antagomistic, but nrellul. Your sou
=. !t:mrs left presume To be sold, whi,il
M4-i net :,l2noo; you Will receive $500 0towal,l
d.iraNlms the cost of publication. In nine
cases ont of ten your book does not sell sN
copies III ten years. You can pocket your
,s~ and earn voi!r bread some other way.
G..t il u second edition is demanded YOU still
leave one half the sales with your publisher,
Ia A get out of the possible 81 800 500. You
y IL now he recompenscd for the original out.
Ia. and have from $500 to $500 over. Tho
nj. however, is Very large.
The other plan, whereby the publisher
gites an author ten OF other per cent OF,
-a!"%, is fairly and plciuresquely Shown uply
Nh Hawthorne. Let lis look at this lltlie
closer. a book, novel or otherwise. that is
ot readable value, costs not less than SIX
'uumths' close work. And there are "A few
to'p.s put on Tie market each year that onl
U"ty the research, experience and thought of
;a.Iy years. Suppose Il volume to have COS,
l> writer one year of thinking, study ard
otmuosing. Copying and proof reading may
added as the positive torture part of TIN
.aork-lhc appendix of fire. He then begin,
t. get his 10 cents II copy sold. You MAY
t.e your figures from this point from Haw
oine. AT the end of the first year after
,i!a Nr gets 500 "Or, If tic edition he the
r;.ti,,ial one Of 5000, the authors share III
ur 500 My Object in this article Is to h,i,.
ais!r the visions Of asprants to author
~. The successful novellsts pockc, ftu...
100 to $500 a year You will do much Lt
tor raising onion, at 81 per bushel III Come
,"gt bottom lands, or even corn III the rlv'
l. '''.:n, of Kansas. 1T is folly To fling your
;.niun, the Boacmians with only l.orce
;,i ,xcctations To pay your board bill.
p..c author III 500 is cnricuel; not ov,l
'..r!a! oge,sa competence, while wth many
out Of pocket TO lIli'sl!
.,r sure profit the subscription system of
n.rsl advantages. That is, IN" book rs
:; His is carried To am. urged on purchases,
" de III the other casts II Is left Oh the She.
wa,. for purchasers. lie sGusrriI,tl.ii,
/: u!tc.l reaches ~, UUD COPIES; ipt scl,".
% or $500 and in SOM" c,ises OF s!,e, p,
l. '.,priett, 1t passes to md above lHJ,t =
i4-rr arc ,:lanv things to t,. Sad III taHu. 4.
th!> system. bat with rare exceptions it is Me
f!.!,,!s.rr WHO reap the llarve>t He buy
h.:.li4s, and rct;tiis them III u market OF L,-
uHI inaeiEg. Ii is simply Il question with
IA ;.uthor whct!er lie can do better than
iil;;,.. tine sale II lie receive 10 cents u
{. Y on the sal. of 10000 col,cs he receive,
A.,> 1000. Tile custom IS to nlio,v the per
c, :,tage to diminish until 5000 copies or
more are sod, and Tie: lapse altogether
There are many forms Of contract entered
~, b4,"ee:! authors and publishers Of a co
:" crallye sort. Some f.nls arrange as fol
ia... The writer OF book shall pay for the
tIt..iny Of the plates, the publ her doing the
!: