The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-01
POORLY PAID AUTHORS.
English Writers in Financial Straits
Slim Profit in Literature.

English Writers in Financial Straits
Slim Profit in Literature
In the course of a recent visit to Eng
land I had a very instructive conversa-
ton with one Of the most pushing and
successful of the younger publishers.
That things are sufficiently gloomy in
the English literary world 1 had needed
no telling. Vizetelly dying in work.
house, Rhoda Broughton penniless and
Justin Mccarthy glad to take pension
from tory government were facts elo-
Quent enough as to the slump in litera-
ture from the business point of view,
but 1 had never fancied that the de-
preston in the market was as great as
was revealed to me by this publisher.
He was telling me the truth and mad no
reason to do otherwise. for l was doing
no business with him and had no in
tention of doing any. He said that the
writer's in England who make living
out of fiction writing can be counted on
the fingers of the hand. and curiously
enough he mentioned to me as one OF the
best English writers from the CONNER
cial point of view Seton MerT imam. He
said that there was no market at all for
the American right of books even by
well known writers. and that as a mat
ter of fact you seem to get along nicely
without much British fiction. The very
colonies have deserted the British auth
or Formerly" he said, 1T was quite
a usual thing to get orders from the col
On1al agents, Wnen subscribing new
book. for eight or nine dozen apiece, coll
onial edition. Nowadays one is glad If
each agent will subscribe for one dozen
have an old friend in this trade, and
when he does subscribe for dozen he
says that it is only to oblige me; that
he doubts that he will be able to place
the copies"
The bulk of modern British novels are
issued in an edition of 500 copies, at
dollar and half. and the publisher con-
7sI III 1TA 70 L. IL -
that number. Almost all these copies
would go to the lending Libraries; people
didn't buy books. and that was the rea-
son why the novel at lower price than
dollar and half could not be made to
pay. You don't sell copy more at
three and six than at six shillings; peo-
pie don't buy books and the libraries
have just got to stock novelties by auth
ors with a name. The cost of producing
500 copies of a book of average length
is $3.50, and when advertising is paid for.
see what remains for author and pub
Usher to divide. 1 tell YOU 1 never saw
trade as it is now" At a famous liter
airy club where I found the members
looking more depressed and aged than
had ever seen them before (Which is
saying great deaD, l was told by one
well known author that the only offer
that he had been able to obtain for
go, 000-word novel was $50 for the copy
right, and that several publishers had
Possibly the length. or rather the short
ness of that particular manuscript. was
against the book, for 10000 words seems
nowadays the minimum length that
publisher cares to consider. The reason
of this was pointed out to me by the
publisher alluded to above: II a book
is short he said "the man who gets
it from the lending library can read it
quickly and returns it all the sooner.
Consequently the libraries need fewer
r1foe To their Q11hSPrihHrG
Piled" At the same club 1 was shown
some letters which had been received by
a writer, who Is an excellent French
scholar and who has translated several
French books with marked success, from
the man who is farming the translation
of Dumas novels, which is being I'M
dertaken by Messrs. Methuen, firm
of the richest and best known publish
ers in London.
The man in question is a Mr.. A. r.
Allison, who was formerly connected
with Darlington, a publisher of very
special literature. who finds 1t to his
advantage to carry on his business out
of England. This new translation has
been widely puffed in the London papers,
and copious reference has been made to
the able scholars who are assisting Mr..
! Allison in the translation of the vart-
Gus novels. AS a sign Of how things
are going in the literary world in Lon
| don it may interest you to read what
terms the editor of this series is offer
ing to the able scholars referred to in
Messrs Methuen's puffs.
Il shall be very glad,' writesi Mr..
Allinson to the able scholar in question,
Ito have the advantage of your ser
vices do not know, however. wheth-
err you find the conditions such as to
tempt you. These are:
Il Remunerati ton at the rate of rs. GEO
cents) per thousand words, printers es-
innate of length to be taken as final
- Work to be finished by stated
| time-say in this case (for novel of
moderate length) September 80.
80 To be issued in my name, as being
generally responsible for the whole ser
les.
4 need not add that for series of
this kind q good, readable, spirited Eng
| fish style is of the first Importance
Accuracy is, of course, requisite, but
not literalness. A translation which
reads like a translation is on the face of
| it a bad translation. But need not iu-
sist on this to a translator of your ex-
/ perience and success"
4 I could not help wondering where the
poor devil of an liable scholar" was go
1 ing to get his Spirits from working at
the rate of three lines for 1 cent. In
second letter the editor refused to en-
terrain a suggestion that weekly pay
ment should be made against an equiva-
I lent amount of copy. Yet there are hun
dreds of men and women in London who
would jump at the chance of translat-
/ ing Monte Cristo" or the Three Mus
keteers" at the rate of $50 per novel;
Paris Correspondence of the Boston
Transcript.
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