The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-20
Books and Authors
REJECTED MANUSCRIPTS

The grieYed owners Of rejected manu-
scripts may take some interest in Robert
4Adger Bowen's paper in Gunton,s Maya
zine for July entitled 1.-THE Reader and
the Manuscript" Here they Will find a
publishers reader of manuscript indulging
in some plain talk which may be really
helpful to the makers of manuscripts,
many Of whom have conceived the notion
that a manuscript reader Is a dreadful
ogre, q cruel suppressor of budding
genius. q. personal enemy. II they are at
all candid or charitable they will have to
admit that the reader Of manuscripts Is
a much better person than they thought
he or she was (fOr many women perform
the manuscript reading function in pub
fishing houses as we'll as mem, and II
they do their work conscientiously they
must eliminate, reconstruct and do con-
siderable miscellaneous excision, even il
they discover that there are sparks Of
genius, which can be made publis1nable by
a5deal Of reduction. II there is no basis
for readable book, cold FLOODED rejection
of manuscript must follow. The reader
with sense of humor finds much to
stimulate him and he will find something
to laugh at, more about which to smile,
and not little to make him serious es-
pecially .the tinid shrinking OF some
gentle little woman who submits her work
as that Of her dead husband and looks
very crushed when she calls to- carry 1t
away. = He advises authors not to carry
their manuscript In person to publishers,
and not to- go for them when they are re-
jected, but transact the business by mail
in order to minimize the grief over re-
lection. Mr.. Bowen has found the largest
personal vanity in men Of high standing
in science, theology and education, who
try to write fiction and he remarks that
| ,"the dreary novel with a purpose Is nearly
always the offspring Of this class" A
L ~
script largely by its outer envelopes. It
may come in a wooden or tin box, or
| leather case, or a bundle tied with silk
ribbons within, or bound in morocco with
| Illuminated initials, representing senti-
mental, audaciously realistic and frankly
sensational writer's The owners of re-
! jected manuscripts swear usually by all
| the gods that the reader has Tnot read a
line Of their work and rejects at sight.
Then, again. instances are, cited where
| authors sof rejected manuscripts make no
efforts to recover them and are perfectly
resigned tos-the blow. A benevolent pub
| lishfng house has an inconvenient manu-
script accumulation of thirty years an6
| has sent out notices to the authors with
| very limited responses.
/ Mr.. Bowen shows that publishers are
glad to receive manuscripts and very
| eager to discover promising material. In
| deed not .infrequently, finding some prom
l
revises and ticks the manuscript into
shape for, publication. There are writ
!ers," says he, "of undeserved reputation
! who would speedily get their desert
could their publisher dare allow, their worl
ito get into book form in the shape sub
omitted" and he hints that some day, 70
1.-the amusement Of the public, some pub
Fisher will print specimens OF the wors
spf the manuscripts received by him with
lin a years time. 4
l. There is no doubt that the conscientiou
reader Is a public benefactor, for he aid
real, genius in the sprouting and protect
the public, by numerous reflections o
manuscript, from the infection Of yer
much printed stupor. The infatuation Q
many persons as to their authorship pos
sibilities is enormous. { No !: disappoint
ment seems able to destroy it. Rejecte
manuscripts, with many of them, are oni
stimuli to more arduous scribbling. The
regard with pride their piles of rejecte
manuscripts as evidence Of their martyr
dom and unappreciated genius. 1t is we
that they are thus content.