Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-24
TRIALS OF AUTHORS.
Something About the Iron-Clad
Contracts Of Publishers.
Tho Difference Between Fame and Popu.
larity-The Publisher rs . Manufact-
urer-TaIent Outwitted by Business
Shrewdness-Profits In Books.

| There is great difference between fame
| and popularity. W. d. Howells is said TO
be the greatest living American novelist,
| but it is not likely that he ever wrote a nov
ell of which over 10000 copies have
been sold. The sale of the works of we'll
known novehsts such as Edgar Fawcett and
Julian Hawthorne would probably fall be-
! low 5000 copies as an average for each
book. The rewards of authorship are not
inviting. The publisher generally has the
advantage.
| When man Cor woman either) goes to
| trade away the children of the brain, writes
correspondent of the ST. Louis Globe, the
| publisher is gong to drive a hard bargain
! and genius ought to have a good bargain
driving faculty.
When you have had your book accepted,
you will be asked to sign formidable doc
ument, from which I am gong 70 make quo
tations. 1t is printed on beautiful paper
and presents somewhat the appearance of q
mortgage ION your brains) and somewhat
the appearance of passport Ito fame).
After the usual agreement between the
party of the first part and the party OF the
second part in your landlords own phrase
ology, it proceeds to declare that the said
party of the first part, who is the author,
thereby agrees that the said party of the
second part" who is the publisher, "shall
have the exclusive right to print and pub
fish the said book during the full term Of
the copyright thereof, and also during the
full term or terms of any and all renewals
of said copyright"
The author then agrees that he will not
write. 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 sim
liar character thus delivering after
thoughts and preconceptions along with his
whole mental product and equipment-his
children of the brain, shoots horns and tai
low" That done, the author must further
agree that he will protect and defend" the
publiE;bers against all suits and other ac-
tons e. law in consequence of any infringe
ment of copyright" After making COM
plete surrender he must become protector,
and fight for the hand that ens)aves him.
On the second page of this beautiful
piece of parchment the publisher, on his
part, agrees simply to print and publish
and report semi-annually the sales and TO
pay the author-here blank space is left,
which is usually filed 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 required to make any such pay
ments until they shall have sold sufficient
number of copies of the said books TO REIN
burse them for all moneys expended in
manufacturing and publishing the same"
The climax of this series of provided
howeyers'' is this: eff after the said book
shall have been published two years, the
said party of the second part can not sell
the said book at the cost of the paper,
printing and binding, he shall then have
the privilege of disposing of all copies for
waste paper, and thereon to cancel this
agreement without paying the said party of
the first part (the author) the sum of money
hereinbefore provided or any other sum"
This is the form of the agreement made
with the authors by one Of the largest pub
fishing houses in New York With differ
ence in details all forms are subs tantially
like this. 1t is not once in two years that
a copy of this interesting kind of document
finds its way into print, for the very excel
lent reasons that no author after he has
signed it cares to have 1t made KNOWN and
the publisher before it is signed does not
care to brighten off all writers whom he has
not thus bound to him.
1t Is but fair to say that those extra rigid
provisions are seldom carried out The up
shot of the whole transaction generally is
that an author lntrusts himself to his pub
Usher with the child like faith that distin-
gulshes the craft and awaits the accidents
Of popular favor with what composure he
can. When the first semi-annual report is
made, the novice of an author concludes
that the whole first edition was given to the
press to be reviewed. 1t is on the second
and third Gf there ever came second and
third semi-annual reports that he must base
mis- hope of a cash payment. If you except
the few successful professional authors
land they are very few the amount Of
money paid over by the publishers to the
average writer of book is not enough to
buy pens, ink and paper.
The most difficult question to answer,
therefore, in modern life is this: "Why do
so many people insist on writing booksP'
The only answer that is ever given is the
hope of reputation. Yet few things lin the
modern world at least) are more transltorY
than book. a smaller percentage of them
last ten years than of sets of china, or Of
oil paintings, or even Of silk hats. The gold
pen with which it was written in most cases
outlas8s novel.
If men and women desire fame, they
should build houses or change from one po-
litical party to the other or engrave their
names on umbrellas All these things last
longer or give longer cause for notoriety
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 sum-
- AZ. .x,,.u.