Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-07-31
WORKED SIX YEARS.
But Gen. Wallace viii be Well Paid
For His Labor.


Nsw YosK, july 3G--Gen- Lev Wal
lace. the author Of ''Ben-Hur." has re
Gently been spending some days in New
York, being called thirher by the sugges-
tion Of his publishers, who are about ready
10 issue his new novel II Is likely that
nothing less important than this ener-
gency could have called General Wallace
TO New York. since he is entirely unlike
Charles Lamb or Henry Wa,terson aud
other distinguished men. who are the most
zejoiceSi when they are able to spend their
days amid the pleasures. intellectual and
social, Of great city. General Wallace
detests cities. and as New York is the larss-
sst city he particularly detests that one.
not that be does not admire the magniti-
cent eyidenees Of enterprise, nor appreciate
the ADVANTAGES which await those who
live in great city or dwell there temper
aYiiy bat be feels choked. crowded, I'M
comfortable and restrained the more be
cause for many years he has enjoyed the
peace, freedom and independence which he
has experienced in his country home in
Indiana.
General wallace's new novel has been
written with even more painful labor and
exacting care than was ''Ben-Hur," and it
il will b.. pu blishesi in two volumes. Ii is
more than dozen years since General Wal
lace conceived the idea Of the story, for he
had il in mind vaguely soon after Ben
Hur" was published, but in the actual work
of writing il he has been engaged a little
over SIX years.
This story il bound TO be success pecu-
niarily, whether it meets the popular favor
which "Ben-Hur" did or not. The pub
fishers already have evidences of that, for
they have received orders which will make
il necessary for them to publish an edition
OF 50 600 copies, the largest first edition Of
any story ever issued in America, and
with the exception of two Of George Eliot's
stories and one or two of Dickens the
largest edition Of any English story ever
issued
There is ore exception To this statement,
however, for Mr.. \. c. Gunter who is the
publisher a. we'll rs the author OF the sto
rics which appear under his naIne, frequent
ly issued editions Of more than 81, 90 copies
General Wallace j., il the sales OF his
works are considered and the profits there
from, the most Successful Of living authors
with the single exception of Harriet Beech
ct Stowe One Of the partners in his pub
fishing house said recently that the nc
counts had been written up of the sales of
Ben Hur" and the royalties paid and due,
and il was found that General Wallace had
earned in royalties from that single book
something over SlO0On0. The book has sold
over go, copies aud no American novel
excepting Uncle Toms Cabin" has
equaled that sale.
If Mrs. Stowe had received all that she
ought to have been paid in the way Of
royalties for Uncle Toms Cabin" the
work would have Melted her over 81 ,0OoOU.
But when the novel was published she not
only had no idea that it had any dramatic
possibilities but as she was at that time
no great friend of the drama she probably
would have paid no attention TO such sug
gestion had il been made to her. Therefore
the dramatic rights In the story were not
secured to her by copyright, Had they
been. her royalties would have probably
amounted to several hundred thousand dol
lars. No play has ever made the money
that "tncle Toms Cabin" has, and in some
parts of the country to this day it remains
the favorite drama Many persons go to
see that who would not witness any other
dramatic production.
Mark Twain probably stands next To
Mrs. Stowe and General Wallace in the
his works His Innocents Abroad" Melted
him considerably more than Sl0o,D0. That.
however, WAS sold by subscription. His
story of The Gilded Age" brought in some
$1,000, and then the sale Of it stopped As
suddenly rs though the plates of it had
been destroyed but he received in royalties
from the story as dranatized and played
| by he late John T. Raymond some 10000
Miss Alcott probably comes next to these
three in the amount of earnings she re
ceived from her work When Little WON
en- was published, she was SO poor as to be
entirely dependent upon income from her
pen, which did not exceed 5000 n year
The ROYALTIES which she received from Lit
tie Women" and its successor, Little Mem
together with the guarantee and royalties
for some Of her later works, brought her
wealth beyond the most splendid dreams
she ever had When she was poor, SHE
thought $1,000 would be sufficient for her
vet her earnings from these books brought
her nearly SlHo0o0.
The largest sum in royalties ever paid In
this country, equalng the enormous earn
ings of Walter Scott and exceeding the
vast sums that Dumas received for "Monte
CristO" and The Three Guar1smen," was
hat received by Mrs. Grant rs her share OF
the proceeds of the sale Of General Grants
memoirs. 1t amounted to nearly 5000
and she still receives something of an in
come from it. But there were such pecu
liar reasons for this success that il is not
fair to mention it in comparison with other
works, for in the first place Mrs Grant re
ceived GO per cent Of the sum the publish
ers took in, and besides that the sentimen
tai and pathetic circumstances which at
tended the writing of the book account in
measure for its great sale
F.. p. Roes royalties average about SIS,
800 a year. Edward EQgleston's, together
with the sale OF his stories for serial pur
poses, net him about 81 600 for each story
iowells royalties for his novels are not
very large, since the sale of these stories i'll
book form IL not great, but he receives a
handsome sum for the serial rights