The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-08-09
THE REWARDS OF LETTERS.

In the last number of the Forum Mr..
Walter Besani rethrashes the much thrashed
straw on the subject Of the inadequate re-
wards of literature. Speaking Tor Great
Britain, which contains 81, O00. O00 of people,
most of them readers, Mir. Besant says that
there are but half dozen dramatists. fifty
noyelists and a few compilers of educa-
tional works who make living which en-
ables them to bring up families in comfort.
He adds that, numerous as the monthly
magazines are, a writer cannot support HIM
self by writing for them. The position of
writer's for the daily press does not come
within the purv!ew of his article.
Mr.. BesanPs statements OF fact apply
equally to this country ard TO England.
Here, as there. the number of those who
make comfortable income by writing
books or magazine articles is small. \ few
eminent writers can command their own
terms from the publishers. But the great
bulk Of the books which people read are
published in pursuance Of a bargain by
which the publisher pays the author roy
atty Of 10 per cent Oh the retail price of the
book. Thus, if 5000 copies are sold Of a
book which retails at 81 the author gets
$500. while the publisher gets the difference
between the wholesale price and the cost Of
paper, printing. binding, advertising and
distributing the work. or most e the cur
rent novels OF the day less than 5000 copies
are sold and the authors reward for work
which probably cost some months to write
IS less than $500, less than competent
salesman or head boekkeepeT would get
for Two months work. How much the
D0bHsber makes is secret guarded by the
trade. But 1t came out in the course Of a
aai
Of 5000 copies of an ordinary dollar book
can be produced for 80 cents copy. Add
10 cents Tor the authors royalty and the
publisher produces for 40 cents work
which sells al wholesale for IS cents. If
the whole edition Of 5000 copies is marketed
the publisher stands to make $3.50, where
the author makes $780, Hence we find the
HarpeTs, the Appletons. the Lippincotts.
the Scribners and their compeers figuring
among the millionaires Of the East, while
the estates Of popular authors are gener-
ally too small 10 attract notice.
Magazine writing never was a resource.
Not that the leading magazines do not pay
literally for matter. But their space is SO
limited that no writer can expect to be
allotted many pages. This is one reason
why volunteer contrib utions to Eastern
magazines so seldom meet with acceptance.
Each monthly has its own staff of writer's
and to keep them in the ranks the editor
gives their matter the preference over
equally good or even better matter from an
outside source. The remedy is for each
locality to start its own magazines But the
ablest writers Of the day gravitate to the
literary center and thus local magazines
have to rely on the work of second-rate
hands, ana the public, noting that the first
class foreign article sells at the same price
as the second-class home article, pocket
their local pride, and buy the best every
time.
1t locks as though the kDell OF the
monthly magazine had sounded and its
place in letters was going to be taken by the
daily newspaper. The leading magazines
of to-day are nothing but pictuIe-books,
with letter press not much above the old
penny magazine What is best in the liter
allure of the day sees the light in the daily
papers, and now that all the leading dailies
are illustrating their articles they viii SOON
Attain the same level in art that they have
already attained in letters. But in this
country newspaper work does not pay much
better than book or magazine work. In
Paris the working journalist commands
high pay, mainly because he has been able
W uHdke HIWs6H KNOWN Dy signing ms
articles, and the fashion is growing in Eng
land and in this country. But, as a rule, at
this time the public only knows the name Of
the editor and proprietor of daily journal;
they get the credit of all that appears in il,
and if it commands public approval the
profit accrues to the newspaper and its
owner.
Mr.. Besant thinks that the pecuniary re-
wards Of literature in England would be re-
viSed If there were an English academy like
the Academic Franchise. Perhaps so. But
the French writers who have made the
most money are not always members of the
academy. Some more practical plan will
have TO be devised if the same measure of
intellect which leads to fortune for the law
yer or the doctor is 10 cease to leave the
writer poor. AS matters are now shaping,
the literature OF fiction is now drifting into
the condition which prevails in China,
where noyelists are in such low esteem that
publishers never think it worth while to
affix the authors name to his books.