The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-07
THE LITERARY OUTLOOK.
TIE AUTHORS AGENT AND HIS
GROWING IMPORTANCE IN PIB-
LISTERS AFFAIRS.

MIR. Cables story OF Ills triuiN bs u
YOUNG Newspaper Nriter-SOme
Personal Items Regarding the Poet
Edwin Markham-HamiIn Garland
in England-Nr. II. &. Wells ami
the Good Profits in Writing Won
der-Sfories.
New York. May 5.-The recent visit OF
Mt. \. p. Watt to this country TO look
after some OF the publishing affairs Of Sir.
Kipling and other similar matters. is a
reminder Of the importance into which,
little by little. the Office of authors agent
has finally grown Mr.. Watt himself,
more than any one else, was the creator
OF The office; and he is still much tAe most
important man in it. But others have
taken it up; authors have recognized h,
and find profit and comfort in IT. ana thus
it mas come to be as much an established
part Ct the publishing business as the
agent or cauvasscr Tor the sale OF the
printed book Mr. Watt himself drifted
into the business quite by accident. ana
without any idea al frst Of making II
his permanent vocation. In a converse
tion held with him a few days before he
sailed on his return 20 England, nc SAID
OF his beginning:
IL was ia is72 that | first did anything
OF the kind. My friend, DR.. George Nc
Donald. the author of Alexander FORBES.
had just completed a new book. and
undertook 20 dispose OF the serial rights
for him. This l did: but it was some
years after that before ] began to think it
was something 10 develop into business
Then another author came TO me and
asked me TO sell a book for HIM. and
Ia nasrH~
time the business has become so extensive
as TO include the handling of the work OF
the most prominent writer's IN England. 1
think IA was in 1873 that Wilkie Collins
came to me and asked me 10 dispose of
his books for him. For ten years We
worked together in this way, and upon
his death. in 1889. ! was appointed his lit
erary executor Now almost every new
writer comes to me TO dispose Of his work
the author finding it of tremendous ad-
vantage.
To-day Mr.. Watt has among his clients
Kipling, Anthony Hope, Conan Doyle.
Weyman, Crockett Sir Waiter Besant,
Rider Haggard, Ian Maciaren and, In
short, about every well known wriler Of
stories in England. as well as prominent
writer's of other kinds. With these men.
publishers and editors in England or in
this country have now no direct business
N'Ne-AtH-1s sNNA NtdAtliSs are ali conducted
through the agent. And all that this
means is not obvious at first view. one
thing II means is that the leading writers
OF England are in what Is practically a
sort OF trust" their affairs being so
largely under the management of one man.
he can and IN point OF fact does. conduct
them somewhat with a view to the ad-
vantage Of all. 1t has meant gradually
increasing prices to the authors; and 1t
has 4
10 sell out their product more clean
~" SO to say. than ever before As to
this latter advantage. even such men
as those | have named have their lapses,
and produce things that editors and
publishers, II they could always have
Tree choice, would certainly leave on the
authors hands The literary agents. in
the control he has of the market. and
MS business wdness-his clearance
sale sense-saves the author of good
commercial name almost entirely from
this form of loss. 1t would be an inter
esting story II one could tell of the work
by men of big names that American edi-
tors ana publishers have bought In Eng
iand at a pretty good price, and not
known quite how to use when they got
a. Ultimately such work gets published
IN one form or another. but often not
untn 1t has been shifted al and sworn at
OF groaned over for months maybe. for
years. as 1t came into view on the editors
or publishers manuscript files.
But what promises to be the most far
reaching effect of the authors agent Is
ore that is at present only just coming
into view. have said that the business
dealings are now with the agent ana
not with the authors. As yet this has
NOT resulted in dissolution of the old
ties between author and publisher. II
- - Esnaf
re in o.ose personal relations with an
thors, and authors with publishers: and
an Important part of the good viii of a
periodical or a publishing house is SIM
IT'S acquaintance with the leading an
thorSs And, probably. this viii never
cease 70 be the case, i'm considerable
measure. But any one can see that the
growth OF the authors agent must tend
hnaliy TO make il less the case. Already
any one IN this country wha has the
money 20 pay for IT, can get a story or
novel from wel-known English writer
lie needs no Connections" no specfal
reputation as a publisher. And this is
Hkely 70 become more and more the com
ultion OF the market as time goes ON
As yet, however, it is only in placing the
Work OF English writer's that the authors
aseht mas had any really decisive effect
The better known American writer's stl,
do their business direct with the editor
OF publisher, in the old way But there
are unmistakabie signs of a change.
How slowly literary fame comes ~
some men even OF the highest talent IS
wen shown in the case of Mr. Edwin
Markham, author of the poem .,rh,
Man With the Hoe" which within the
last two or three months has been NH
lished from ocean to ocean. rntu tha,
poem appeared Mr. Markham,s mann
was known only TO the most limited cir
cie yet he is man 46 or A years old.
he has been writing poetry since he was
Is; number of his poems have an.
reared In the leading magazines. ana
by dozen or more good judges who
CHANGED TO lake note OF him he has haar
REGARDED and pronounced a poet of ex-
traordinary quality and power Avail
ing himself of the reputation thar bas
at last come to him, as il were hetweer
night and morning. and In a way tha,
must nave been by him entirely nm
looked for. he is 10 bring out. in a Few
days volume of his poems. entitled
The Man With the Hoe. ana OH
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