Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-08-29

- r.w Wsrns - - sans An1Asss
Csana.A usasy RrassA
Tspcciai CcrssspoadsnceAl
NV YoRx. Aue. -t-Ihe succsssful nov
Ella % far this year have ben the hiseuEicAA
romance entitled The Refugees,n By 4.
Consn Duyle, and Thu Heavenly Twina.'
by a hitherto unknown writer. Nine Sarah
Grand. which Is believed to b nom -
plume. and It b something Of . cotncidence
that only two or three yeArs ago both o.
these writers were unknown and eher
manuscripts were being passed from pub
Usher TO publisher to meet with tho same
experience which the story Of jane Eyre~
encountered in its manuscripts drso tor
nearly year before publishes was found
bold enough TO print IL.
A. Conan Doyle Is now esteemed, per
haps, the most popular Of the English 70
ms acers, although he cannot be called the
greatest. THREE years ago be had yet 70
| learn what the exquisite delight Is Of ~.
ceiving payment in royalties from the sales
Of a work Of fiction. Today his income u
estimated TO lie nearly $4,000 year. The
manuscript Of one Of his novels, The
White Company" was offered IN the
United States not only to publishers Of
books, but TO those who buy for syndicate
dealings serials to be published chiefly IN
the Sunday newspapers With single ex-
cepsion every person who had oppor
| tunity to buy this manuscript refused u
| The editor Of the New York Sun. however,
having examined the story and being de
| lighted Whit, bought it and published II
serially in the Sunday issue of his news
| paper. Before many installments had been
| L.. hnA xxt Aner
| lea lust As he did about the same time in
England. Now the magazine editc's ap
pruach him with propositions, and { has
contracts SO FAR ahead as TO occupy the next
| five years
The authoress Of THE Heavenly Twins
Notwithstanding the very striking q ),
| passed her manuscript around anon" ne
| English publishers until it BEGAN 20
| thumbworn and illegible that she -
| Obliged to have it recopied. But sheT -
| yerei and last winter found publisher
| who, with some hesitation, accepted the
novel. and who is now reaping rich reward
| for his daring. THE Heavenly Twins" is
| colnpared with Mrs. Humphry Wards
novel. The History of David Grieve," as
work Of high literary talent, and "rhe
| Heavenly Twins themselves are Regarded
as quite as unique and fascinating crea
tjnus as were those children whom John
| Habberton created and presented to the
world under the title of "Helen's Babies
The experience OF DIR. Doyle and Nine
| Grand is, however, not an unusual one, and
| il seems to be almost u law in the develop
| ment of great literary success that manu-
scripts which. when they appear in cold
type have attracted the attention OF the
| literary world should be at first refused by
| publisher after publisher who could per
| ceive no business merit i'll them. Habber
ton himself offered the manuscript Of
| Helen Babies" to a number of New York
| publishers " hose readers confessed to the
humor of the story in every instance, but
advised against its publication on the
| ground that there would be no market for
| il. 1t was only when Boston publisher,
rather against his own judgment, eoiissnted
to undertake it that "Iielen's Babies" be
came the literary event of summer some
~ years ago and reached sale OF nearly
| 10000 copies.
| Mark Twain went about with the maui
script Of THE lnnocents Abroad" uDdcr
| his arm, giving almost every publishey In
| New York an opportunity To reap the rich
| pec,,niary Profits which were then concealed
| within this manuscript, and II was not un
Il
| u book subscription house that it was ao-
Copied, and even then against the advicr Of
| "A ma jority Of the directors of that corpora
| ton. 1t has paid Mark Twain over 500,
900. and after the first rush had passed
away there followed a steady sale for il
| which nettesl hiIA some $40 Il week.
| A year aaS Mr.. James l.. Ford, who has
since gained some repnte as a writer OF hu
morous tales received back from pub
| Usher the manuscript of story for boys.
| IL was the eighth refusal OF the story. AIR
FORD determined to make one more effort
| and placed the manuscript before another
| publisher who accepted IL. The story was
| published and has had the largest sale OF
| any story for boys published within the
/ past 10 years
Mr. Howe, the author Of THE Story OF a
| Country Town" being in despair because
| If his experience with publishers, put 1t
| into type in his own printing Office after
| the daily work of issuing his paper h'id
| been done, aud in this dress the story re
manned unnoiioed for more than two years
! and would probably he unknown to this
| day had net Mr.. William d. Howells
| picked up n copy Of it by chance in "A sec
| ondhand boo kstore, and being delighted
with it praisJl it in The Atlantic Monthly
| IN "A day Nv. Howe found himself famous,
| and his otbE stories, although not compar-
| ing with that for merit, have been gladly
accepted By the publishers.
Ben Hur' was only accepted after pro
| longed negotiations and for two years after
| it was published was unrecognized. 1t was
| not until President Garfield had publicly
and enthusiastically praised the work that
| the attention of the public was called to it,
| and it is a tact that this novel, which has
| returned to Its author the largest pecunisry
rewards received by any writer for single
| work in thu present generation excepting
| Mark Twain and Mrs. Stowe, was for two
| years covered with the dust Of neglect in
| the booksellers stores.
Some Of Hawthorne's stories went beg
| ging, and Thackeray could not find pub
Usher for VANITY Fair" until he had prom
ised to risk some of his own hard earnings.
and Rudya,d Kipling's stories were de
clined by ~. American publisher who aft
erward priated them without Kiplins's
consent froGn an English publication Of
them l.. j. EDwAgDA