New-York tribune., 1903-05-22
THE FICTION MARKET.
Dissertations By an american Pub
Usher IN London.
rr.or, The London Daily Chronicle.

From The London Daily Chronlcie
.Nov Haven" said Mr.. G. H. Putnam's fath.
er when he took him into partnership, we nus nus.
Leen a lookout for the destined great AIneTlc@I
novel This was just after the Civil war, ~
which the young Of the old American p"
fishing house had borne his part .ao,,
Ever since then" said Mr.. Putnam ye0lei N -
to member of our staff, i have I pesh ~ ~ ,ong
lookout for the great American noVeI an
promised so much spoken about anu ~ IL
hopeful that day 1t may come l9i n ou, 20
erature goes ahead If it does no' MA nIpp Get IT
but when-ahI who can tell? ,,., ,o- ba
He spoke with a smile, yet not hghty, 10. 10. uo u
was talking over various points Oh iHtelst ~ ~
.s ancio rerioan hook world and especially
he was being asked about the Engnsn nose' I =.
America. Is 1t maintaining It's hUio -. ,be
n not going down rather markedly 4 oeLo,e go 80
native article? OF all this we nave heaIo . iIo,t
time TO time Mr.. Putnam VINO Is 81 pi go
in London, is so good an i .ot - have his
matters that il would be a pity not 10 have M i,.S
verdict II is the verdict OF the opserNanS -,
formed bookman rather than OF tiie 80 Iarga
because as he remarked. his firm is mort ial
" Concerned with general literature than with
novels. ~ r.-,,,,,, rico Of
He dwelt for g moment on the striking rise so "
Al nsa+e5 1 @ tbe Fact in large measure with
the Copyright act between Englano aho ,. AlIiel
ca. II always prophesleo i. ~ American
that 1t would be keen stimulus 20 AZ I;rn
,itarature as well as a fine thing FOR Enghsh
writer's" Next he came TO the position IN
.-o~iao 80 t,o+r-een the American novel ana thc
Ia,.Ie o,eI O. and he took II for granted that
the vogue of the latter had fallen away nolapis'
The thing was look into the reaSons -, So
and, going by all ne heaTor MI
gested several 49,, +o, or tho
"Fcnglish novelists who are at the Top oI = 'He 1
tree" he said will always De Ia y,ttT,rbad
America also and they need not pe uiS1ui a.,
iu their minds. I suppose Mrs. huitlPIiIJ an;oa
last story has really sold more copies IN AIIleiIC
+ban In England We may. then, leave the eA-
eL .ti - a7,bor and the exceptional story aside
o1toga+her Let US consider the pulF Oh soo9
fctfon bv which ! mean novels OF the , stCSn
and third order in point of sale amer Ias
anu, anu bar tokinr more and more to novels when
have 10 do with their own country, ana ~" wn.0, =,
therefore have q familiar atIhoSp't .aa-, TWO
natural enough and so in choice oe'"een , 49,
atories Of equal literary quality the AfneIlcal 5
90 ge+s fret Il is very dffncuit TOT any ypouy
nHLls n AZ IL = Germany or Austria. For that rea-
soo few Continental novests find much veg ue
in America-only the masters: VI course a. a. is
oTite different in regard TO Englanu' put A. -
tha liking for the American novel-tor AmeIlcal
color motives of action and caaIac'ei c,c e
that has told against Engllsh nc.,on cS+, Amor
Once on a time, to put the case snoE -.
,,e looked 10 us as kind Of motheriand from
which she imported very nnch OF ner nctIoi, .I,t
Now she has plenty OF exceIlene NO, Seveiops
herself and 1t grows as the nation aad
This ie the diagnosis Of what has happeIneu' ppI
viewing the case through american t a,I
There is also inside Diagnosis, oI o. - -
vents a suggestion which Mr.. putnam tnIeM
ont might bear in that direction ne IN. tiliith s
+ba+ english noveiists should make IL easier TOT
AMERICAN publishers to accept and push liieii
lone way or another" he remarked, thePe ere
I gather from many quarters D1~--
oh iiaS, = 9ct,on recently on the American market
The OUTPUT of it, and it may be OF literature .; s
a whole has increased even faster 1,,s lHan &c
reading public has grown IhuS pooAsS pIsf -
1o1-a for,nd themselves loaded up. say WIN top
many copies Of some much advertised oooN any
there has been a certain reacuon o'. ~ 49,
80 Rl,+ notwithstanding the fact that amer
! ican publishers have been getting more ana
| mora discouraged English authors nave eIioE'
! little disposition to modify the conditlons at
! taching TO their American rights. An american n
| writer does not-I am speaking broadly-seeK
! big sums down in advance. he is colIehC u =. ~ -
+oIya his nroft when II has been earned 10 give
1 en omount in advance for an English novel or
! the second or third class is lottery at Wfllch
the American publisher rather shles. especlalIy p
) ba Jinp regard to the expense of production ana
/ other trade conditions in America he WouI0 ~
take the book gladly, and do his pest WIN H. -
/ 81 we're y.nx a question Of first paying What II
| nav or NAV not earn. That he regards as too
! speculative altogether unless the BOOK is ny
| somebody whose name is an aosoiu'e sual ai,eee
for circulation. Now, this method OF ADVANCE
J rayroents must tend to keep English books out
of the American market which otherwise Would
get there, and SO II is an element IN the lesser
/ Toeue-because of the lesser supply-that Eng
nsh fiction is having in America"
| Mr.. Putnam put this newest version Of the
wake up'' cry as interesting to all who W0uId
/ like England and America to read more ana
| more of each others literary work Let the
| English author first get his audience in America,
! and afterwards he could, if he liked. demand
sums in advance on royalties. Better do some
thing there than nothing at all. for II would ap-
! pear that there has even been falling away IN
! the number of English serial stories needed Tor
/ American magazines
Thus far the talk had been about fiction, or
which Mr. Putnam observed, in summing up:
within the last thirty years 1t has improved
! vastly in quality. and its keeps improving alike
in England and America. Often am struck
| with this when I take up some OF the noVeIS-
! tbe average good novels Of other years-which
/ were in my fathers library" From fiction he
went on to speak Of serious literature-a far
/ greater bond than fiction-as a link and market
/ between England and America
AT no time" he expressed the view, has
/ there been a larger demand for English histori-
| cal. scientific and scholarly work altogether
! than there is at present in America. Every
: worthy book is needed there the books which
! proceed from the research and scholarship OF
| America are being increasingly sought for here"
! To this there is ample testimony in the mere
! list of books which Mr.. Putnam's firm Will be
I issuing on both sides Of the Atlantic during the
| summer and autumn.