Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-14
THE UNKNOWN AUTHOR.
What Are His Chances with the Book
Publishers?

| Publishers?
! It will probably always be believed
| by many persons that publishing
| houses do not give careful attention /"
/ book manuscripts that come from
| strangers. The case OF "baFI1
| Iiaru:n'' oid much 10 fix this notion IN
| he plhlic mind. The manuscript was
| Ceciued by three " four publishers
| beI-nrr il vas accepted by the Apple
| tons. lis declinatiOn was an evidence
| Of bad financial book judgment, but IL
| is nor proof that il was carelessly con-
| sidcred Most publishers readers are
| literary folk. pure and simple. Not ore
| in Il hundred has a good financial JUDI
| nlcnt of a manuscript. As literary
product. Judged by academic standards
! there was not much in David Harui'i
| to commend il. The publishers WIN"
| rejected it acted on the readers re-
! ;.0rls. When il Went to the AppletGnS
/ SulnebCuy was ShraWd enough to see
! that if it We're shortened and put in
| eomtW what i,s'tter form. it would have
IL commercial value. A publishing
. Judgment was passed on it there ami
rot merely conventional literary
judgment.
or. take the case of "Cirausta1k." L
! was declined at least ny on, publisher.
There il. perhaps, moi a literary
reader in tins. world Who would have
commended it i'm manuscript. OF Gor
That natter who will commend it now.
1t does violence to every literary canon.
But Chicago publisher, by some
divine or suhterran"an suggestion. sa !
n, r..
We're helvn of with an axe. and it was
put forth. There have now appeared
four "t;lauetas'l>" books. three OF which
have each sold perhaps hundred times
as many copies AZ Nj. Ho"eli'N latest
novel Will sell.
The difference bet Ncnn a mere liter
AIRY iudament and Il Publishing iu1S-
rncnt ind6 atps the greatest weakness
i'll tie ur.ral. iZati lns; If most publishing
house J. TIL" publisher himself i
usually q business man. He has to
concern himself with the financial work
Of his housc--With the manufacture AMI
the sale of books. IN 4 GREAT measure
he relies, for his Judgment of literary
values, on his advisors ana readers. A.;
a rule these advisers and readers aye
ic'nployed men or women. They know
lrGthing about what may be called the
commercial value Of books. Many Of
tncn know nothing about the losses or
the profits on the BOOKS that they have
commended. They have had no experi-
cnre in selling books These facts ind-
cato the wrong organization or most
publishing houses.
l:ut the publisher does acquire a sort
q
or ne may not know literary values, bat
IL comes 10 have a peculiar sort Of
knowledge Of the commercial possible
ties of books. But if he takes literary
readers - Judgments and does not read
manuscripts himself. he will now ana
then let David Harum'' pass; through
his hands. To avoid such mistakes
every publishing house has at least two
: readers. and these read manuscripts
INDEPENDENTLY of one another The
publisher then makes his judgment
from them both. or perhaps from
thiri reading by spec ialist. if the
manuscript seem good enough to war-
rant Il third reading.
The mistake of permitting profit
able manuscript To BE rejected does not
come. therefore. from inattention to III.
work Of strangers. but from sheer
fallitility OF Judgment. And the work
Of strangers is Very carefully con-
sidereG in every publishing house that
II know anything about. Every pub
fisher III tle-" days is just as eager to
get a new good writer on his list as any
unknown writer is eager TO get pub
Usher; and no manuscript above the
grade of illiteracy is neglected.
A first reader''-a man of all around
general knowledge of books. and he
ought to be a man full of hard COM
nonsense. common-Sen being
worth more than technical literary
knnWlcd2e-the first reader" ex-
aminrs the manuscript. If it be a
shopWorn piece of commonplace work.
obviously hopeless. he may not read it
from preface t. end. but he must say
in his written report whether he has
read it all. Whether we condemn it
or approve it, it is examined or read
by another rC;.Uor. If both these con-
denim it as hopeless the publisher de-
clincs it without more ado.
| The greater number of manuscripts
that come to publishing houses are
| hopeless. Three-fourths Of them. or
more, are novels tnat nave Dcen Will
ten by lonely women or by men who
have no successful occupation; and
most of these ere conscious or uncon-
scious inrta tions of recent popular
novels. 1t does not require very
shreWd Judgment to see that they are
hopeless. Hut it does require time. If
they are above the grade of illiteracy
somebody must read a hundred pages
or more to make sure that the dulness
of the early chapters may not be mere
" beginner way of finding his gait.
And many of these manuscripts go
from publishing house to publishing
house There are, | should say,
thousand hopeless novels in manu-
script at all times making this weary
journey.
| Sometimes one comes back to the
same publisher a second tlme' 'he
author having perhaps not kept az
| accurate record Of its itinerary. ooi''e-
times it comes back year later SOM.
what changed. There is one hose
manuscript that has come TO me .oul