New-York tribune., 1901-12-29
PCBLIsHERs AND AGENTS.

STORIES APRoPo5 OF THEIR RELATIONS.
From The London Sphere.
In considering this matter it is necessary to
clear ones mind of cant. There two separate
professions in the writing wOrld-there is the
profession of the man of letters and there is
the profession of the popular novelist. The lit
erary agent has nothing to do with the man of
letters; as Il rule he knows exceedingly little
about literature. From many years of expert
ence of him have never discovered the slight
est suggestion of critical insight To what is
or what IS not good literature. and even the dis
covery OF the novelist with a future is
rarely his. the glory usually pertaining 10 the
literary adviser of this or that publisher. AS TO
the popular novelist. whose one standard is the
price per thousand" he is we'll entitled to en-
ploy literary agent: he has an article To sell
that is the result of his own Ingenuity of his
merchant or the pickle merchant: in fact
have heard one OF the more candid of these
gentlemen frankly admit that he had exactly
analogous position To the pill merchant. Why
then should he not put his goods up 10 the
highest bidder and employ an auctiOneer for the
purpose?
l have already said. and The Author does
me the honor of quoting some of my remarks.
that am quite at loss To understand the point
Of view of those publishers and editors who de-
liberatey invite a middeman to intervene in
their dealings with authors II is so obviously
10 the advantage of publishers and editors TO
break down the line of demarCatiOn which Sepa-
rates the literary man from the mere CONNER
clal writer and 10 try and bring themselves into
constant touch with the personalities of lter.-
ture. The SuppOSitiOn that publishers will OBJ
thereby
IallaclouS; some or the most successful of our
later day novests-Mr. Hall Caine Miss Marie
Corelf and Mrs. Humphry Ward for example
90 not employ literary agent, and financially
they have not. | am sure. done worse than their
neiShLOrS. Among those successful writer's who
support the idea that the literary agent is an
immense advantage number of them have
during the last year or two abandoned their
original attitude of dealing only through the
medium of an agent. The stories of a number
of these authors can now he purchased direct nv
the editor OF publisher who requires their work
In iact. believe am right in saying that only
HNe writers. OF those who are worth having. sell
exclusively through agents-Mr KipIns An
and H. q. Wells
In this connection some very amusing experf-
enceS have come under my notice. Some weeks
ago Tor example, a we'll known and popular
writer offered series of short stories to one of
our leading magazines through his agent The
price was considered too eN0rbitant and the offer
was declined y short time afterward the au-
thor '""k the stories round himself the pro-
prIeto OF the magazine and after little amil bile
discussion the stories We're accepted 1T a lower
price. me huInor OF the situation lies in the
fact that the agent then wrote To the magazine
proprietor To beg his services in obtainins. thu,
authors commission Of 10 per cent which rbe
author would have had to pay had the asent
been successful in selling the stories.
INhothtr story that is going the round has been
told in two or three ways That story is cor
feetly told as follows. for both editor and author
are well known to me. The editor i'm question
made an author offer for some stories He
dld TINS. may add, because he had a kindness
Tor the writer. whom he had known for many
Years ana whose work he thought was not Suf-
Hclehtly widely appreciated. The author how
ever. wrote back To say he could only sell his
stories through an agent. an attitude he had 0f
course perfect right to assume. The editor
win equal rlSht, declined under the circunl-
stances To purchase, WhereupOn the authnr re-
phed that of course no copies of the EDITORS
paper would be on sale at the news agents and
that II would only he sold by the editor in per-
son. The correspondence closed by a letter from
the editor IN which he stated that he was per-
10y WliiihS To sell as many copies OF his paper
SinSly 10 individuals might be desired-that
ne did not make it a rule to sell it only through
agents.