The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-21
LIArIzs ron rHF LITERARY heESr.
The best MAS In the Business Csnnst Sell
star That mas Ne vaIue.

The literary agent has proved himself q DOW.
erful person In some respects, but there are
limits to his powers. He may be able 10 sell
more writings than the author, but he can.
not sell everything, even II he DO In touch with
publishers and knows the best methods to adopt
for selling material.
Every man or woman who has unsuccessfully
tried to get stories accepted believes implicitly
that IL he or she could get an agent to take
charge Of the business the manuscript would
be sold. That is tho feeling OF every Dor.
son who has a manuscript returned and
then hears Of q literary agent. As q
matter Of fact, the agent 10 as power.
less in such a case rs anybody else would
be. Writing of n kind that nobody wants can
find a market nowhere, whatever the ability Of
tho agent who handles 1t may DO. The agent
with matter of this kind can do very little more
than the writer can. He may send it to a pub
Usher or to u magazine editor, but that Is rs for
as he can go. BY an unknown author and un.
recommended. there is very little chance Of It's
receiving any more attention than It would IL
sent by the writer.
The literary agent works on commission, and
when no does not sell material there is no profit
in the transaction for him. So he Is not likely
to handle the business of tho unknown writer
on the same terms that he makes with tho
author who Is popular and in demand. The
agent who endeavorcd to recommend material
OF which he was either uncertain or which he
knew was poor would soon lose tho confidence
OF publishe s. and his activity would come to
an end. II 1t were tho work of O well.known
writer there would BIO less risk In attempting
such a course, as 1t might be explained as q
difference OF opinion. But when 1t comes to
urging tho acceptance Of writings of no value
the agent is not able to help any body.
Some OF the persons who become tho clients Of
agents are perfectly satisfied. next to having
their stories printed, with the feeling of real
business that comes from being in negotiation
with an agent. Their manuscripts are usually
returned to them with some conventional
phrase of refusal. To have their work read and
discussed or analysed is q pleasure for which
they are perfectly willing to pay. This is what
the agent can do for tho literary Rspirants,
and one establishment has been conducted
on that basis for n long time in New
' ork with results that were highly profitable.
Suggestions as to improvement, criticism, and
advice are vastly pleasing to the aspirants. 1t
gets them n step nearerthe goal, for there Is very
little encouragement from the heartless brevity
of the comment which comes from the publish
ers. The talk really makes it seem that the ex-
istcnce of their masterpieces was recognized.
But the agents who do this cannot of course
paid beforehand and receive a fixed sum. The
majority of the successful literary agents do not
care to undertake work Of this Kind. 1t is not
very profitable and 1t leads to nothing ulti-
mately. In the case Of the regular agents. the
only work that is profitable to them Is the writ
ings of popular authors who are In demand.
They can aid them. as has been shown. But tho
most expert agent in the world would mover be
able to sell material that had no real value.