The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-29
THE MAKING OF BOOKS.
Interesting Chat About Authors,
Their Books and Their Incomes.

Interesting Chat About Authors,
Their Books and Their Incomes.
From the New York Press.
This is the age OF why we do things"
"Why we did things" and IF We did
things" Writers have not only inflicted
on us their books, but oral statements in
pallation of the offense. There was a day
when the preface did all that was neces-
sary by way of apology or excuse. The
successful writer of this generation must
WELD not only the pen but the tongue. He
must be able to illustrate his style on the
lecture platform and illuminate his pages
with the art of the actor.
F. Marion Crawford, one of the immor-
tai "pronfics," is about the smoothest of
American writers, inasmuch as he was
born in Lucca, the city of oils. Recently
he explained at the Astoria the reason
why he wrote Mr. Isaacs.'' and it is pos
sble that new edition of the book that
established his fame as an author will be
published 1t is an old trick of the pub
fishers to advertise their wares. / would
rather hear Marion tell why he wrote IAN
American Politician and how he managed
to sell the manuscript for $1,000.
1t is said that Ian Maclaren took back
to Bonnie Scotland in his inside pocket a
neat sum which he received here for tell
Bush" Anthony Hope a relative of the
celebrated Mr. Justice Hawkins of Lon.
don, made little a. the law and took to
authorship. He has just returned to Eng
land, having had successful and Jolly
time explaining his books to American au-
diences. Why he wrote The Indiscretion
of the Duchess remains a mystery hut
we like him for THE Prisoner of Zenda'
Wherefore does not lola appear before us?
This is his age-the age of nastiness. He
would pack the gilded halls of the Astoria
from floor to ceiling with an explanation
of LA Confession de Claude" or any
other old thing he has written in the line
of naturalism. He could make ST. goo 900
here in little while. No other living
writer could cope with him on the lecture
platform.
Paul Potter has told us why he wrote
THE Conquerers," but not why he stole
il. Garrett p Serviss has not informed
us why his great story about the storm
ing of Mars, in cola boration with Thomas
A. Edison, was not published on Sunday
as advertised to the extent of half page
in one OF the yellow journals. with pic
lures of himself and the Wizard in the
foreground, but we assume that Edison's
letter to the editor of the Sun had some
thing TO do with it's suppression. Kip
ling has a strange following. All of his
ardent admirers look alike, and take great
pleasure in advertising him. He keens
them talking and guessing Max Nor
dau has not told us why he became a
degenerate, yet / think there would be
money in it.
one of the versatile geniuses of the
times is f. Hopkinson Smith, author and
other things galore He used to travel
from house to house in this city with a
pair of pumps in his overcoat pockets for
which he exchanged his shoes on enter
ing parlor to tell why he wrote Col
Carter of Cartersville." one of his IA
vorite books is "Wellworn Roads, the
excuse for which was that he. being
contractor and builder, had repairs on
the brain aud hoped to secure the ioh
from the city. Thomas Nelson Page made
a good deal of money giving the reasons
for Mars Chan" "The Old South" 'Meh
Lady" etc. Archibald Clavering Gunter
st. Louis reporter made a fortune nv
publishing Mr. Barnes of New York :
because no one else could be induced 10
issue the story to the public. His exne-
riences would be fun of interest to the As
toria set.
1t is said that out Of every 100 manu- |
scripts submitted to publishers. not more |
than one reaches book form. Ninety-nine |
are returned 10 the authors, most OF whom |