The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-24
THE LITERARY OUTLOOK.
HOW FAR is A PUBLISHER RE-
sPoNsIBLE TO AN AUTHoRf

" nv ~
More Dramatizations and Propos-
ed Novelixation-The Younger Gem
GRAFTON of Authors on Regular
saIary-The Good Fortune of CHAR.
Marriott-A story of Sir Walter
scott, which May or May Not he
True.
New York, Nov. 22.-Aside from the
question as to whether THE secret
Orchard" is a good book or not OF
whether it is fit to be ranked among
the successes of the season or not lts
publication in this country has prousnt
I'D a curious question in the etnlcs Oh
publishing. Is a publisher who con-
tracts for the work of an author 10 De
released from such a contract H. on
reading of the work in question ne
decides that its publication by MIN
would injuire his business? perhaps
the proposition is not fairly stated
since, of course, no publisher is ex-
pected to inhict injuries upon himseif
or his business by bringing out books
or publishing serials which would have
such a result. but it is a fact that at
various times and places publishers
have arranged to take a certain piece
of work, and then, when the manu-
script had been delivered and read,
they have slipped out of their part in
the compact. In many cases the facts
never come TO public notice: indeed,
the struggling author is unwilling to
stand up for the labor of his pen.
Whenever such a circumstance occurs
in the case of a well known author,
however. or an established literary
agent has charge of the negotiations,
the publisher is called to account and
frequently the affair is aired in the
courts Before 1.-The Secret Orchard
was completed the American firm,
which afterwards brought out the
book, arranged to dispose of the serial
rights to the Delineator Exactly the
same ethical question became involv-
ed. When the story arrived, the edit
ors of the Delineator refused to carry
out their contract, claiming that the
novel was not what they had agreed
to take. They admitted that they had
agreed to pay $500 for a novel by Ag-
mes and Egerton Castle, which was to be
entitled THE Secret Orchard" but
when the story came to them they de-
cided that it was not the kind they
could publish in their periodical. What
ever their reasons, the manuscript
was refused, and the book publishers
then disposed of the serial rights for
$500 to the Cosmopolitan Magazine. So
far as has been discovered, the edi-
tors of the Cosmopolitan found no
cause to reject the story. OF course,
they had had a chance to read the en-
tire manuscript before coming to the
decision to accept it. Curiously enough,
the Cosmopolitan had previously gotten
into the same difficulty in which the
Delineator now finds itself. The Cos
mopolitan, however, became more
deeply involved. Mr.. Walker, former
ly Of the Typewriter University fame,
and now of "up-Pike's -Peak-in-an-a u-
tomobile- Of his own-manufacture" no.
toriety, agreed to publish serially Toll
stofs Resurrection" in his magazine.
The astonishing part of the incident
was that he actually published few
installments of the story and then dis
continued II, because he was not al
lowed to edit it to suit his wishes. The
unfortunate affair was finally settled
without dragging 1t into the courts,
not been so fortunate. The case is now
pending, and will come up for a hear
ing in a few days. The book publish
ers are suing for the difference of s., 900
between what they were to receive and
what they actually did receive. A sim
liar case is now before the English
courts, the action being taken against
Pearson's Magazine for refusing to
publish Hall Gaines novel though here
che fnxn1xrod Sc Eve
great. Sir George Lewis, counsel for
the plaintiff, has been studying the
American case, owing to the close SIM
ilarity to that in which he is engaged.
Parsons took the same attitude as the
Cosmopolitan, refusing to continue the
story after having published three or
four installments.
Mr.. Harold MacGrath, author of
''The Puppet Crown" is now in New
York in the interests of the dramatiza-
ton rights of his novel. He expects
within a few days to have placed the
play in the hands of one of the lead
ing theatrical managers, in which case
the stage production will probably be
given early in the spring. Edward
Rose and owen Davis have combined
their efforts in the dramatized version
of THE Puppet Crown" and the au-
~ANA Va NhC SbOAy mas AiAluSCll TAKEN a
considerable part in the revision and
also the writing of much of the dia-
logue. Most of the readers who have
come to know Mr.. MacGrath through
this story are under the impression
that this is his first book. So far as
book success is concerned, II is his
first book, but about two years ago
he published his first novel, both Sc
rally, through a newspaper syndicate
and also between book covers. The
publishers of his first book however
failed to give it anything like the pub
licity which his second received. Yet
most readers who have seen Arms
and the Woman" consider ii superior
as a story to 1.-THE Puppet Crown"
1t has come to be quite the thing for
publishers to employ promising young
authors regularly in the business of
writing books. Mr.. MacGrath is one
of the fortunate young writer's to be
taken up in this way. At present
time he is engaged on a romantic
novel, and during the period of
his labor on the book he is to receive
a regular salary. Mr.. Jack London
Is another of the regular en-
ployed book writers. In some cases
such matters are arranged as a sort
OF retaining fee, in others the advance
OF a regular salary is counted as ad-
vance royalty, but, under whatever