The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1889-03-30
TRIALS OF AUTHORS.

Something About the Iron-Clad
Contracts OF Publishers.
Tho Difference Between Fame and Popu-
larity-Thc Publisher as u Manufact-
urer-Talent Outwitted by Business
MISUNDERSTANDING 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
el Of which over 10000 copies have
been sold. The sale of the works Of well
known nove]ists 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 Tor woman either) goes to
trade away the children of the brain, writes
Z correspondent Of the st. Louis Globe, the
publisher is gong to drive hard bargain ;
and genius ought to have q good bargain
driving faculty.
When you have had your book accepted,
you will be asked to sign formidable doc
ument, from which l am going to make quo
tations. It is printed on beautiful paper
and presents somewhat the appearance OF .
mortgage ION your brains) and somewhat
the appearance of passport Ito fame).
After the usual ssagreement'' 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, ''shal
have the exclusive right to print and pub
iish the said book during the full term OF
she copyright thereof, and also during the
full terra 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 q SIM
uar character thus delivering after
thoughts and preconceptions along with his
whole mental product and equipment-his
children of the brain, shoots, horns and tai
ow.n That done, the author must further
Hgree that he will ''protect and defend" the
publishers "against all suits and other &C.
lions at law in consequence OF any infringe
ment of copyright" After making COM
plete surrender he must become protector,
and fight for the hand that enslaves him.
On. the second page Of this beautiful
piece Of parchment the publisher, on his
part, agrees simply to print and publish
and report sem-annually the sales and to
pay the author-here blank space is left,
which is usually filed with the words 'sten
toll ~ <ho Inn Ira
actually sold''-" provided that the said
party Of tho second part (the publisher)
shall not be required to make any such pay
pents until they shall have sold q sufficient
anmber of copies Of the said books to reim-
burse them for all moneys expended in
manufacturing and publishing the same"
The climax OF this series Of "provided
hewevers' is this: 'sIf after the said book
shah have been published two years, the
vaid party Of the second part can not sell
Tho, said book at the cost Of the paper,
printing and binding, he shall then have
Inc privilege Of disposing Of all copies for
waste paper, and thereon to cancel this
agreement without paying the said party Of
he first part 1.-THE author) the sum of money
hereinbetore provided or any other sum-"
This is the torn Of the agreement made
with the authors by one of the largest pub
Nsh1ng houses in New York. With differ
enco in details all forms are nbstantially
like this. It is not once in two years that
q copy of this interesting kind Of document
finds it's way into print, for the very excel
lent reasons that no author after he has
signed it cares to have it made known, and
the publisher before it is signed does not
care 10 brighten off all writer's whom he has
not thus bound 10 him.
It IS but fair to say that those extra rigid
provisions are seldom carried out. The up
shot Of the whole transaction generally is
shat an author ntrusts himself to his pub
Usher with the child like faith that distin-
cuisines 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. It is on the second
and third (if there ever came second and
hird) semi-annual reports that he must base
his hope Of cash payment. 1t 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 q book is not enough to
buy pens, ink and paper.
The most difficult question to answer,
therefore, in modern life is this: "Why do
50 many people insist on writing hooks?"
The only answer that is ever given is tho
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. paint ings, or even of silk hats. The gold
pen with which it was written in most cases
outlasts a novel.
II men and women desire fame, they
should build houses or change from one po-
htical 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 /. Do YOU remember the name OF the
writer of the new novels you read last sum-
mer?
SCORES OF SKELETONS.
Unea.thing of yeritable City OF the
& Dead In an Indiana Village.
Six miles north Of Waynetown, Ind, is
the village o. Whitlock. Some time since
the citizens and farmers of the surrounding
country combined to build gravel roads on
~, evil