The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-07
MSS. ARE THEIR WARES.
TIE BUSINESS CARRIED ON By
THE LITERARY AGENTS.

The literary agent Is one form of the middle
man against whom little complaint has been
heard. Maybe this comes from tho fact that
bo deals with writer's who arc apt to Know
little about business methods. However that
NAV be. Il is certain that the writers accepted
tho middloman with enthusiasm. with MS
advent the traditional antagonism between
publishers and writer's lost its sharpeSt edge.
Nor does tho old spirit vent itself on tho agent
who serves as buffer between the opposing in
terests. The writers swear by him. The pub
fishers are not unfriendly to him.
The literary agent is not altogether now. The
dean of literary middlcmen, in fact, began
hia work nearly twenty years ago, when ho
undertook to sell a manuscript for a friond.
Ho Ind been IN assistant reader Of manuscripts
for n publishing firm. His chief was dis
charrod, and naturally the assistant also had TO
20. While unemployed n friend asked him as
n favor to dispose of n book for him. He was
able to make 80 satisfactory an arrangement
that the Idoa OF founding a literary agency
occurred to him. In this way tho first OF the
literary agents as they exist began business.
In spite Of tho fact that this first literary
agent began work nearly twenty years ago, the
industry in It's present form Is now. His field
10 described In these words:
1.-THE work of The Literary Agent is to con-
duct all business arrangements Of every kind
for Authors; that Is to say, to place MSS. to
the best advantage; to watch for all openings;
to sell Copyrights, either absolutely or for a
| limited period; to collect Royalties. and to re-
| ceive other moneys duo; to transfer Literary
Property; to value Literary Property; to OBJ
tain opinions on MSS. &c, &c"
Notwithstanding the imposing distribution
of capitals throughout this announcement,
| practically the same work is undertaken by all
- - r-.
land. Selling the manuscripts to publishers Is
in reality the most important branch of the
business. 1t is the increased facility with
which they have proved themselves able to do
this that has endcared the agents to the writer's.
That Is probably the greatest achievement OF
the English agents, just as it is of tho mon en-
| gagged In the business here, although owing to
the fact that the American agents have been
but q comparatively short time in the business,
few of them are able to show such a class of
clients as those who are quoted in q book re-
gently published In London by an agent. In 1t
he prints a collection of letters from authors,
including writer's as famous as William Lack,
Rudyard Kipling, the late Wilkie Collins, Elan
Maclaren. Conan Doyle, and Anthony liope.
All Of these writer's praise the agent and his
works. None of them does l. SO appropriately
for quotation here as Rudyard Kipling. He
writes In q letter:
"what can 1 sayi You've only doubled my
income and given me good advice into the bar
gain. Thank you seems rather an ineffective
return, doesn't It'll Sincerely yours,
"RUDYARD KIPLING."
This letter was written to A. P. Watt, the
first OF the literary agents. Anthony Hope. in
a letter to Mr.. Watt, summarizes the advan-
tagcs Of the agent in these words:
"A writer must be grateful who finds his life
simplitied anu His income amplided-and these
agreeable things 1 have experienced from
you"
Stanley Weyman wrote in these words of tho
advantage which he had experienced through
his dealings with the literary agent:
Looking at the date Of the first letter I re-
ceived from you, l find that seven years have
slipped by since 1 found my way to your office
In Paternoster square, where ! diffldently
placed in your hands a MSS. that, like Ulysses,
had known many men and cities and was the
shabbicr for much voyaging. Ploted by you,
! nave since that day travelled as far as the
serial Antipodes: / have even, following rosy.
tinted hope. taken, to the wings and appeared
before the gods of London and New York. Nay,
thanks to your skill and experience. / have re-
turned from those distant attitudes bearing
some few locks Of the Golden Fleece behind
New York has no literary agent of the emil
nenee Of MIR. Watt, but, Of eou sc, there has
were able. as Anthony Hope wrote, ito sim.
plify the lives and %ainplify tho incomes, of
their stories. The discouraging round Of the
writer who did not employ an agent that gave
utterance not long ago TO this COMPLAINT.
We'll, I've sent thai story to ali the fret
class magazines, and here 1t is back with me
20, 80 circuit and see what can be done with il
critic and knew that tie expression 10, 20.
30 referred to the circuits OF cheap theatres
''The success of tho literary agent here Is
easy enough to understand. said an author to
z Sun reporter, for he relieves the writer Of
the work which the latter was least capable OF
acquainted with facts which the Writers would
knows. for instance, where books or stories OF
a certain kind are needed and how badly they
buying material and spending its money and
which Is using only stuff that was bought
kong know. 0e @5f:b Among T% + IN the sod pGbIis 81 = ,oh he
wanted, what Kind it should be. These are
out even If he could learn them. Knowing the
situation as well as he docs. the literary agent
times that a magazine may have enough storios
OF adventure or travel to last for two or three
years a s9d yet be entirely without stories Of
site condition may exist. The writer does
not know this usually, and it Is a waste OF
liilS. W cSiiNl ! lileoO IlttNSb IA SUIT VI lllltIIli
which is not needed. But writer's do this. and
It OF course means a loss OF time; The agent
knows just where to place material SO that 1t
Will have a show.
One magazine has for the past two years
paid out absolutely nothing Tor fiction and
has used the large supply on hand. But
writers are not supposed 10 know that, and the
magazine had no IDEA OF allowing it to become
known. So writer's continued TO send stories
right along, and the manuscripts wore always
returned. BY placing work where 1t is most
wanted and by attending to the business OF
writers, with a care which the writer's thom.
selves are not likely TO show, tho agents can
get better rates and insure the sale OF more
matter. Since l have had an agent to-tako
charge Of my work | have as many orders as /
can al and get u cent moro a word than ] ever
did before.
Tho publishers are not averse'to the agents,
and some In New York have written TO the mid.
dleinen asking for stories of "A certain kind, and
they are nearly al well satisfied 10 deal with
them as with tho authors directly. Some flea
lures of the agency business are amusing. One
editor of a large magazine knew an author In.
tinaloIy: Sometimes tho author would refer
to a book that no wau writing aud speak OF its
character casually. But Notwithstanding the
great intimacy Of he two. he would never make
the, slightest reference TO his plans about the