Waterbury Democrat., 1902-04-25
CRITICS WHO ARE SHY.
Mar Who Have Rejected Most of the
 Best Books Not on Parade.


 Best Books Not on Parade.
 The head of big Philadelphia pulp fishing house leaned far back in his revolving chair. his feet upon his desk top.
 What do you wishT he asked, as he applied a black cigar to his mouth and gazed at the swirling smoke clouds, with one eye closed critically. He had just lunched He was content. It would have been happy moment to try to sell a novel to him
 But the interviewer only murmured: T wish to know something about pub- fishers readers, about those men who examine manuscripts and decide whether they are to be taken or re- jected. They are a mysterious class"
 ''They have to be-" said the publish CT. For two reasons they have to be, First, because they are constantly turning down novels that make a tre- mendous success. Now that is a ludi- crous thing for them to do, and if their names were known people would give them the laugh for it on tie street, and they would feel ashamed Second, in the wholesale repudiation of novels they offend bitterly innumer- able hot blooded and revengeful writ CTS. These writers would not hesitate to annoy them if they knew them, would not hesitate to give them q punch in the nose or kick. That has happened to publishers readers before this. l know one man who had d front tooth knocked out by q brick that a young poet, annoyed at the re- Jectlon or q sonnet. hurled petu1ently. So you see that in order not to be laughed at and in order not to be as- saulted, publishers readers go, fgura- lively speaking, masked
 The fiction reader for Boston house pretends that he is wool sales man. He carries manuscripts to and from his residence in those cylinders of yellow paper that wool salesmen put their samples in. Yet the writers suspect him withal. A short story Writer, at tea, poured a cup of hot coffee down his neck. She pretended 1t was accidental, but he had rejected q fairy tale of hers the week before. ;"
 'How>many readers does the average publishing house employ?'
 ADOut dozen"
 And about what process does 2 manuscript-say the manuscript of q novel-go from the time of it's receipt to the time of it's rejection or accept ance?'
 ell, on its arrival 1t Is entered Ill q book and given number. Then it Is roughly examined and if it be illit- crate II is returned at once to its au- thor, with our polite printed slip of rejection But modern manuscripts are rarely flliterate; in this age ey- erybody can write, and practically ev- erything submitted to lls has some de- gree of good in 1t and shows some signs of skill
 hen manuscript looks promising 1t gets eight or nine readings. We wish to know. what different minds think of it. They always think differ ent things, and the chapter that one reader praises another denounces Tn strong terms. But out of all thai 5um. bie Of contradictory opinions the pub- fisher manages somehow to hit on what he believes to be the right course and this he takes. either accepting or rejecting the work, to find not infre- duently that his right course has been the wrong one. after all.
 That is nothing, though. Fyasy publisher and every reader habitual;y makes grave mistakes Their repu,a- tions are smirched and plotted over the rejection of I don't knew how many manuscripts that later on have mad great hits like David Haruin' CT The Crisis or 'Trilby. I said the other day to 2 young woman whose book we are bringing out:
 Your work has just one element of weakness; 1T hasn't been rejected by enough publishers
 Helen's Babies, had twenty-one reiections. 'Ehan Holden had thirty seven. .Davil Farum' had forty-two. 'TTncle Toms Cabin had fourteen. The latest success of. local writer Tn Seoreh Of Afam'selle' by George Gibbs, Vas rejected six or seven times. To have condemped these not ale works k rnt piece of professional acnmen of which any publisher or roaaer would he proud Therefore. these fellows keep their condemnations of well-known books buried deep in their breasts. and smile awkward,y when tho snhiect is brought up Philadelphia Record.