The morning news., 1889-02-04
SECRETS OF THE PUBLISHERS.
An Author's Contract-Agreeing to
Sale OF Waste Paper-The Publisher
La q Manufacturer.

NEW York, Feb. 2-Tuere is q great
q ference between fame and popularity.
w D. HoweIls is said to lie the great st
living American novelist, but it is not
likely that he ever wrote novel of which
over 10, 900 copies have been sold. The sale
of the works Of ell-known novelists such
as Edgar Fawcett and Julian Hawthorne
would probably fall below 5000 copies as
an AVERAGE for each book. The rewards of
authorship are not inviting. The publisher
generally has the advantage.
Whel a man Tor wom IN either goes to
trade away the children of tue brain, the
publisher is going to drive hard bargain;
and genius ought to have good-bargain
driving faculty.
When you have had your book accepted,
you will be asked b sign formidable dOcu-
ment from which / am going 20 make quo
tations II is printed on beautiful paper
and presents somewhat the appear
ance of mortgage) on your brains)
and somewhat the appearance of
passport to tame) Alter tue usual "agree-
meut" betwee the party Of the first part
and the party Of the second part, in your
landlords own phraseology, it proceeds to
declare that The said party OF the first part,
VINO is the author, hereby agrees that the
said parry of the second part" who is the
publis ler, "-hall have lhe exclusive right to
print and publish tae said book during the
during the full term or terms Of any and
IN rene walls of said copyright"
The author then agr es that he will not
writ, print, or publish, or cause to be
written or published any other edition of
said book, revised, corrected, enlarged,
abridged or otherwise, or any book Of a
similar character thus delivering after
thoughts and preconceptions along with his
whole meotal product and eluipnent-hiS
children of the brain, ''hoofs, horns and tai
low That done, the author must further
agree that ne will protect and defend" the
Publisher "agains5 all suits and other
actions at law in consequence of any In
fringement Of copyright" After making
a comp lete surrender. be must become pro-
tector, and fight for the hand that enslaves
him.
Ga the second page of this beautiful piece
OF parchment, the publisher, on his part
agrees simply t. print and publish aud re-
port semi-annualy the sales and TO paw the
altuOr-here blank spac9 IS left, which is
usually h,lei with the words ten per cent
OF the retail price of the books actually
sold provided that the said party of the
second part the publisher shall not be re-
qured to make any such payment until
they shall have sOli sufficient number of
copies of the sac book to reimburse them
for all moneys expended in manufacturing
and publishing the same. "
The climax Of this series of "proUided
holoeuers'' is this-"If after the said book
shall have been published two years, the
said party of the second part cannot sell the
said book at the cost of paper, printing
and binding, he shall then have the privi-
lege Of disposing Of all copies for waste
paper, and thereupon to conceal this agree
ment without paying the said party of
the firt part the authOr) the sum OF
money herein before provided or any other
sum-
This is the form Of the agreement made
with authors bv one of the largest publish
ing houses IN New York With difference
in details all forms are substantially like
this. 1t is not once in ten years that a
copy OF this interesting kind of docu-
meat finds it' way in print, for tho very
excellent reason that 10 author, after he
has sig led it, cares tD have it made known,
and the publisher before it is signed does
no caro- to friguten OF all writers whom he
has not thus bound TO him.
lt is but fair TO say that these extra-rigid
provisions are sellom carried out. The up
shot of the whole transaction generally is
that an author entru5ts himself to his pub
li,her with tho childlike faith that distin-
guiSheS the craft, and waits the accidents
Of p0puar favor with what compOSure he
can Whel the first s4mi-mnual report is
made, tue novice Of an authO. conclud S
that the whole first ed ton vas given 10 the
press h. be reviewed. 1t is on the second
aud third iii they ever come sec md and
hird) semi-annual reports that he must base
his hope of casa payment 1t you ex-
cepr tho few successful pro essional authors
(aud they are very few the amount of
money paid over by the publishers to the
average writer of a book is not enough to
buy pen ink aud paper.
The most difficult question to answer,
therefore in modern life is this-"Why
do so many people insist on writing
bookSf
The only answer that is ever given is the
hope # reputation. Yet few things lin the
modern world at leGSt) are more ira STORY
than Il book. A smaller percentage of them
las, ten years than of sets of CHINA or of oil
paintings or even of silk hats. The gold
pen with which 1t was written in most ca .es
outlasts novel
If men and women desire fame, they
should build hon ,es or change from one
political party to the other or engrave the r
uameS on the umbrellas. All these things
last longer or give longer cause for notofi-
ETY. than the writing Of half the books that
have been published in the United States
since May l. Do you remember the name
Of the writer of the new novels you read
last summeri
The average book pays the publisher a
small margin of profit on his work, gives a
trlhlng return to the writer, aud then
goes the way of all other ephelneral things
AID it is by the publication of a great
many books that the publisher keeps his
factory t0r it is a mere factory he has
going.
There was time not oaly in British but
also IN America literature when the pub
Usher was the dlscoye or aad sncourager of
literary talent. Ever body knows the SER
vice rendered Oy James 7. Fields in his d ",
IN the encouragement, of all the great New
England writers aud in the discovery of
one or two of them. Something like this is
done by the publishers OF to-day, but not.
us rule, with tae same results. A great
proportion OF modern books originate ia the
brain of publishers and they are then writ
ten 70 order. But no book written to order
IS likely 90 turn o I 10 be great literature
The numberless ''serie,n are nearly all order
made books and SO are those sold by SUI
scriptilu
Ali these great changes that have come
IN the mGcal.ery of literary production
aud diifasl n show how easily we may
deceive ourselves about the subtle tn ag
we call literature These tons of volumes
are not lite ature They are a manufac-
tured product TO auuse mankind-a sort Of
toy.
The men and women who make money
by writing, and twuat Is mors importaul
WELD au Influence, write chiefly for the
press. The press has not yet got the literary
sancuiv that the printed b OK used 10 have,
but II is perhaps Il, near t. being litora-
- 49, aHN - a... . N..a ! N.a