The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-05-01
PAY OF AUTHORS,
Roouniary Rewards of Present Day Story
Writers.
Especial correspondence


lar, her royalties have not been su11i-
cient for her to disdain the emolumcnts
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 the reports of
sales of the number of books disposed
to buyers over the counters of tho shop
Or book store, ut the newsstand or from
the hands of the canvassing agent, are
made mass of contradictions, confus-
ing to the ideas of tho ordinary reader.
Miss Frenzy rushes into print either
through the medium of paid advertise
ment or the kindness of some editorial
friend with the statement TINT 90, 900
copies of her work, price 20 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 the publishers, yet the latter
has made the most money, for tho prof
its OH Is, 900 81 books are the same or
dinarily as those on 70, 600 20 cent paper
novels. He has demonstrated also su-
perior grade of literary workmanship,
for few people, no matter with what
indifference they spend q quarter on
"leisure reading" will invest four times
that sum i'll n book, even if universal
opinion declares it to be good. 2"
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 the general figure is either 10
per cent on the wholesale OF retail price
nth 70
10 cents royalty OH Il 81 book The lat
ter sum has been paid only to very
few highly successful authors. Ten per
cent of the retail price of book is
very satisfactory arrangement to the
writer. The wholesale price is usually
from GO to rs per cent of the retail price,
though some 30 cent books sell for from
10 to 121 cents, especially when largo
edition is issued.
But the financial and literary stand
ing of the publishing house has much to
dowith 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 5, 10 or 20 times as
many books as tho last, owing to it's su-
perior facilities for advertising and its
energetic methods It's imprint alone is
conceded to be testimonial of the worth
of tho book
But III aio are exceptions to everything,
and it is possible that comparatively
unknown house on fremont OF Wash
ington street of this city, Fourteenth or
Twentythird street, New York. or
Wabash avenue, Chicago may be able to
do better with book than Houghton,
Mifflin & Co. Dillingham; is selling
many thousands of tho books of man
who writes under tho pseudonym of
Albert Ross, but many first class pub
fishers would not succeed SO we'll now if
they cared to handle his productions A.
Q. Gunter was forced by the rejection of
his first novel Oh the part of 10 Boston
and New York publishers to become his
own printer A representative of one of
the largest publishing corporations in
America has said that, although his firm
has millions invested, it could not have
made the success Of Mr. Barnes of New
York, " for the reason that the author
publisher gave his entire time and attcn-
ton to that one book, utilizing every
known method and originating now
ideas to have the people Of tho United
States know of its existence. 1t is inn
possible for publishing house, however
great, to make speciality of any one
publication when issuing from two to
dozen books weekly
All publishers are 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 profcs-
sion, or business, as you will There
are no more failures, no more successes
in this than i'll the jewelry trade or g--o-
cerles, Tor 9S men out of 100 i'll business
fail, but If the writer becomes Il succt s
he not only realizes Il large sum of MOI
ey Ill an incoMsidcrably short time, bu5
also achieves reputation and praise.
No writer i'll the United States is
moro extensively advertised, is moro
widely known than William Dean How
ellis, but there are dozens of bookmak-
ers who have realized ten times as much
money. j. w. Bucl has had sold 500
600 copies of a book that rctails from
two to three times the price Of any of
Howells' works, and this volume is but
one OF Buel's half dozen volumes
The largest firms of Boston, New
York, Philadelphia and Chicago have
list" of booksellers who guarantee TO
take from the publishers certain mum
ber-onc, two or five copies each--of
every work they issue This list extends
IN number from 1000 to 2, 800 copies
and thus the publisher is protected from
loss, as the number sold will cover the
actual expense Of publication. The book