The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-17
PAY OF AUTHORS.
Pccunisry Rewards OF Present Day Story
Writers.

OF small town near here has again
aroused inquiry regarding tho pecuniary
rewards OF literature, for, though the
lady referred to is known to be ''popu-
lar, her royalties have not been suffi-
clent for her to disdain the emoluments
OF tho comparatively humble office for
which she made personal application.
There is wide discrepancy between
the facts and the general public belief
of the profits or lack of them attending
literary production. Even tho reports of
sales, of the number of books disposed
to buyers over the counters of the shop
or book store, at the newsstand or from
tho hands of the canvassing agent. nre
made mass of contradictions confus-
ing to the ideas of tho ordinary reader
Miss Frenzy rushes into print either
through the medium of Il paid advertise
ment or tho kindness of some editorial
friend with the statement that 80, 900
copies of her work, price 25 cents, have
already been sold Mr. Solid calmly
calls attention to the item that Is, 900
copies of his novel, price 81, have been
taken from tho publishers, yet the latter
has mado the most money, for tho prof
its on is, 600 81 books are the same or
dinarily as those OH ~, 900 25 cent paper
novels. He has demonstrated also SUI
perlor grade of literary workmanship,
for few people, no matter with what
indifference they spend Il quarter Oh
leisure reading, will invest four times
that sum i'll Il book, even if universal
opinion declares it to be good
Royalties on books vary from to Is
per cent on the retail price to from 10 to
10 per cent OH tho wholesale price, al
though tho general figure is either 10
per cent on the wholesale or retail price
Thus an author may receive from to
ID cents royalty on Il 81 book The lat
ter sum has been paid only to IL very
few highly successful authors. Ten per
cent of the retail price of book is n
very satisfactory arrangement to the
writer. The wholesale price is usually
from GO to rs per cent of tho retail price,
though some 25 cent books sell for from
10 to 121a cents, especially when large
edition is issued.
But tho financial and literary stand
ing of tho publishing house has much to
do with all this, and it is quite advisable
to accept per cent from one publisher
rather than 10, 10 or any other fancy
figure from another, because the first
named will sell 3, 10 or go times as
many books us the last, owing to its SUI
pcrlor facilities for advertising and its
energetic methods. Its imprint alone is
conceded to be Il testimonial of the worth
of the book
But there arc exceptions to everything,
and it is possible that comparatively
nnlxnnII-l
lngton street of this city, Fourteenth or
Twcnty-third street, New York, or
Wabash avenue, Chicago, may be able to
do better with II book than Houghton,
Miillin Sc Co. Dillingham; is selling
many thousands of tho books of Il man
who writes under the psoudonym of
Albert Ross, but many first class pub
fishers would not succeed SO we'll now if
they cared to handle his productions A.
G. Gunter was forced by the rejection of
his first novel on the part of 10 Boston
and New York publishers to become his
own printer n representative of one of
tho largest publishing corporations i'll
America has said that, although his firm
has millions invested, it could not have
made the success of 'NIr. Barnes of New
York, for the reason that the author
publisher gave his entire time and atten-
ton to that one book, utilizing every
known method and originating new
ideas to have the people of the United
States know of its existence. 1t is i'm
possible for publishing house however
great, to make n speciality of any one
publication when issuing from two to
dozen books weekly.
All publishers arc constantly refusing
manuscripts of books that are ultimately
great successes and accepting others that
are dead failures. They abide by their
readers opinions. They cannot do other
wise Literature is Il trade, or profess
sion, or business, as You will. There
are no more failures, 40 more successes
III this than i'll the jewelry trade or gro
ceres, for 0S men out of 100 in business
1all, but II the writer becomes IL success
he not only realizes IL large sum of mon
ey Ill an lnconsidcrably short time, but
also achieves reputation and praise.
No writer i'll the United States is
more extensively advertised is moro
widely known than William Dean How
ellis, but there are dozens of bookmall-
erswho have realized ten times as much
money. j. w. Bucl has had sold 500.
600 copies of q book that retails from
two to three times the price of any of
Howclls' works, and this volume is but
one of Bucl's half dozen volumes.
The largest firms of Boston, New
York, Philadelphia and Chicago have Il
list of booksellers who guarantee to
take from the publishers a certain num-
ber-onc, two or five copies cach-of
every work they Issue. This list extends
IN number from ] 900 to 2 300 conins