The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-02

| now 1nLernaJlOp6I OOpyTlBut AoAPs'
Even so early as this the big publishing
houses Of New York are banking upon
the prospective international copyright as
they auxiously await the proclamation Of
its becoming fully operative with England.
Meanwhile they hold back a lot Of English
works that they have secured corner" on
subject to the operation of that copyright
bill. which still hangs fire" owing to som 8
unyielding rigidity Of certain provisions Of
the English law. In that exciting interval
the book magnates for whose benefit the
law was really enacted I'll in time by send
ing their agents abroad to buy up Ameri-
can rights to all the available books that
are at all salable. They may then be ex-
pected TO put up the price Of them so
high as to place all the books really worth
having beyond the pecunisry reach of the
average reader.
So far as fiction is concerned the world
will be much the worse for the monopoly
thus given 10 the rich booksellers. And
fiction is the greater part of the book trade.
When the booksellers make a contract with
an author they don't pay him any money
except in unusual instances. They simply
promise him a royalty Of so much per
centum on what the sales of his work
amount to- This is subject 10 their own
count and estimate Of the necessary attend
ant expenses, which are never put any too
low, you may be sure.
After these magnates have secured firm
hold upon all the English books in the mar
ket they will promptly shelve such as are
not readily salable, which are usually in
trinsically the best. Then they will put up
the price on those for which there is a brisk
demand to such figure as will pay them
an enormous profit and exclude all but the
comparatively rich from the privilege Of
novel reading and give them the largest
possible return for small outlay OF trouble
and money. This essentially cu-tails the
labor necessary 10 make many books and
disappoints the strong elements of labor
and supply manufacturers who were the
potent factors In the recently adopted enact
ment.
Under the protection of his international
copyright the publisher can shelve the ma
jority of English writers altogether, in or
der TO give scope to those he wishes to push.
Thus he measursbly benefits the few at the
expense of the many. Beside be is thus
placed in position altogether independent
of the American author. Without the in
ternational copyright the American author
was his only salvation, because he could
absolutely control only the copyrighted
works of Americans With the inter
national copyright in force he needs take
no chances at all. Works Of Americans
can be passed by or laid aside for English
books that have been introduced and ed-
vertised and approved all at somebody
else's expense.
With all Of these facts before US, it is
slightly difficult to see how international
copyright is 10 help either the American or
foreign author-unless every one shall be-
come his own publisher. Really it doth
appear that the adroit publishers have
played the native and foreign authors one
against the other with great skill and force
and effect. This is in reality only another
phase Of the injustice to the many for the
benefit Of the few by the operation of "the
of