The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-30
AUTHORSHIP AND BUSINESS.

Mr.. kipling having recently spoken Of his
calling as a "business'' is taken to task
therefor by a literary Journal The writer
bases his remarks on the theory that au-
thorship is belittled by reducing it from the
rank OF profession to a coarse commercial
pursuit-the latter being implied to his mind
in the word business. Imagine he says
"how the airy phrase, our business, in
connection with such a subject would have
shocked the gentle Longfellow, the courtly
Lowell, the dreaming Emerson, and you
have to confess that the tone of the letter
Adequately represents the change in the
attitude Of authors themselves toward liter
allure now as compared to the respect and
even diffidence with which they lovingly APP
preached her years ago."
That authors have changed their attitude
toward their occupation is certainly true
but 1t is a mistaken notion that the dignity
of literature is impaired thereby. The
change amounts simply to this, that au-
thors, having produced their work, stop
to consider it's mercantile value before CIV
ing it over into the publishers hands to
abide humbly and unquestioningly by their
decision as in former times. 1t has been
customary for the reading public to picture
an author as a being with his head in the
clouds, competent to think great thoughts,
to produce entertaining fiction or pleasing
verse, but incapable of the attention to his
own affairs exercised by nonliterary men of
the most ordinary capacity BY pleasant
fiction the artistic temperament was held
to imply everything else but common sense
as applied to everyday matters. The author
was supposed to know little of business and
to be in need of a guardian when financial
interests were under consideration. By
| common consent they were given over into
| the hands Of the publishers the only per-
| sons qualified to judge of these interests,
| and in their hands they remained until it
| finally occurred to certain bold and enter
| prising writer's that they might be better
served by exercising measure of indie
| pendence. 1t dawned upon them that if
| they produced good literature it was they,
not the publishers, who deserved the chief
| reward; they not the publishers, who were
| the public benefactors. They thereupon be-
| gan to investigate copyright laws, to in
| quire more carefully into the specifications
| of the contracts offered by the publishers,
who are businesslike to an extreme degree
| without losing caste, and to look out for
their own interests generally. That they
have benefited by the course there is no
doubt. Mr.. Kiplihg has written many fine
things, but do his critics suppose he would
have the fine income he now enjoys if he
had not driven close bargains with the
| magazines and the book publishers? The
| quality of his work has suffered no de-
terioration by such proceeding. 1t can hard
ly check an authors enthusiasm or inter-
| fere with his inspiration to know that he
will be well paid for what he writes. There
is but one Kipling, but there are others who
also know their value to the publishers and
make their contracts accordingly. These
men have lreally raised the standard of au-
| thorship by increasing the monetary re-
wards and proportionatey increasing the
| self-respect of the authors and the respect
of the public for them. A business is not
| less honorable than a profession if it is
| conducted with skill and honesty.