The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-03


satisfied, and develop the notion that
they are getting the worst of It.
You see, few of them are what
you'd call good gamblers. They dor,
want to take any chances. They want
a sure thing every time.
Now, any publisher viii tell you tnat
nowadays every book is more or less OF
a gamble, as every book by an unknown
writer is an absolute, out and out gam
BILE. The author, in nine cases out OF
ten, expects the publisher to do all OF
the gambling and take all Of the chanc-
es. The average author is a strong
believer in the heads I win, tails you
lose system.
1.-The majority of new authors want
| the publishers to buy their books OUT
right. They've heard that only about
| one book in, hundred ever pays for
the printing, electrotypfng and binding
of the first edition, and they don't ike
| these go to 1 shots. So they want to
sell outright.
eff the book looks pretty good. and
we buy it outright, paying what we
think it's worth-whfch is always a.
very large cut indeed from what the
author thinks it's worth-and the book
L is a go right from the start, why, the
author is sulky and disconsolate over it.
He's glad that his book is a success
of course, but he has a childish feel-
ing that his publishers have done him,
and his pouting is something dismal to
contemplate.
eff on the other hand, the new au-
thor gives ear to the publishers coun-
sci, and disposes of his book on the roy
atty basis, and the book falls dead, the
writer not getting anything like as
much out of it as he would have got
had he sold it outright, why, there
again he has grievance, and
he fares forth into the highways and
byways and tells everybody he meets
what a crafty, close listed, Old Scrooge
lot the publishers are.
Occasionally there's an author who
takes a sporting view of all of these
things, and in dealing with man like
that were a great deal more inclined
to treat him generously than with one
who does the BOBBY act and fills the
air with lamentations.
zone of the most successful men now
on our list of authors knew how to
take his medicine when he first brought
his wares to US, and he has assuredIy
lost nothing by it.
1.-The first book he gave to US on the
royalty basis. It was a far solder
piece of fiction than the average, but it
had a still birth. Couldn't give it
away.
1T came along at the wrong hour,
or something. but anyhow he never got
a cent out of it, for we didn't get back
the first cost of putting the book on
the market, and there was the usual
inn lat ion in fta fran hat
copies of the book had to be sold be-
fore the authors royalties should be-
gin. We couldn't get rid even of that
first edition of 1000 copies, and So the
author didn't get nickel out of his
book.
But he didn't make any complaint
at ALL Said that he'd been taking
chances all his life, and that he never
ooked for the color of money until he
saw it in his hand.
But the next book he submitted to
is he said he'd rather sell outright,
because he was broke and had a family,
md needed the money. He named the
modest sum of $500, and we bought the
'ook at that figure. We had a good
cal of respect for that writer on ac-
CUNT of the game way he'd taken his
allure to make the cost of his pens and
nix and paper out of his first book.
We'll. that second book was the big
est kind of winner from the first g
ay 1t appeared on the counters. After Il
ne first fortnight we We're browbeat- a
lg our binders because they couldn't h
It US have enough copies of the book r
THE book started right off among the a
x best sellers of the week, and in that
case we wouldn't have felt n
all put out, much less surprised, had n
he author turned up and suggested "
lat he thought he ought to have a A
ok-in for some of the big profits. n
But he never came near US. Didn't RI
nit whine when all of the newspa- OF
ers, in their literary reviews, were fl
'acking his book up to the skies, and h
hen the publishers trade papers were ca
upon the big sale the book p
as having. HI
IF he had taken the usual petulant it
Id peevish part of authors in such cir
the $500 for which he had OF
Id the book would certainly have been al
he'd ever have gotten out of it. But pt
hen the book had leaped past the &c. b.
mark inside of six weeks, I held a s,
tie conference with my partners, and
e sent for the author.
Took him three or four days to get If
ound, at that, although he was right b.
New York, and when he did appear fl
looked to be wondering what want, II
with him. r.
: Hear about the way that book of
'urs is going?' l asked him. Ii
. Yes he replied. Seems to be NJ
inner, doesn't she?' OF
: Only third on the list of the years is
st selling books, that's ALL I told him. bt
. I've been reading a lot about the
ay the things travelling along he al
id, not at all perceiving that 1 had cl
ything in mind for him. Guess I'd W
tier sell the next one to you people W
the royalty basis, eh?' pr