Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-14

masonry and would buy it if the pub.
( Hsners tried to prevent them.
I. Melody has discovered a rule-to
say nothing of a principle-whereby
! IN" popularity Of novel by new
! Wllttl may be determined. If it be
really great. strong book Of course ii
i easy 10 understand that it will sell:
hut whether it will sell 10000 copies or
l'0,G00 nobody knows. II it be a slap
dash dimc-uovcI. full of action. it is
easy 70 guess that ii will sell: but
whether 1unu or 500 900 nobody knows.
som. times q book Of the sheerest COM
monnlace happens to hit the public
Mood at The happy angle and sells be-
yond all expo citation. The truth is,
every new novel by an unknown
writer's presents a problem peculiar to
itself: and in advertising il and offer
ing it Ton sale every books peculiar
problem must be studied by itself.
The whole question is subtle social
onc. VINO could have foretold popularity
for pigs in clover" rather than for some
Other silly ruzzlc or for png-pons: or for
vo1n"n'S hats Of Il certain grotesGue CON
StrU5 lion: The popular within about nov
els Is like the whims for these things.
And 4 roruiar novel passes as quickly ~
any o;h,r fashion. The story has been
Of III" demand for "ITilby so sudden
that he publishers hiitl a ial se hummer
Of COPIES l"ft on hard winch could not be
sold ut an except as waste paper. Every
puhljs htr il afraid TO publish very large
EDITIONS OF any very popular novel; for
they have all had an experience parallel
to this experience with ''rTiibE.
l3ut other kinds OF books are less capri
cio,S than novels: and the business of the
publisher has been reduced more nearly
to Il scenc, in dealing with books of in
formation. Several publishers. for exam
pie have series Of Iitt.e books made of Sc
lrctione fr'm English and American
classics Many Of them have sold well;
but som, ot them have Soui by the mll-
lin ana others lust a. good ana just as
attractive hlv" stopped at the ten thou
sand-linlt or NJ Il lower limit. The differ
eIcr is with The skill with which they
were. pat on the market. Sometimes an
ins,rinus scheme will sell information
books in great numbers; and il often hap
pens that the world of three or -four books
on the same subject and published for
the same price. becomes flr better known
than the other better books.
As a theoretical proposition 1t seem,
plain that thc Publisher who will sptnh
the most money in newspaper advertising
will sell the most books: Authors not ~
times it is true: for sometimes newspa.
per advertisin. will 'atis.. "r""f i'r -,
far Il hook. But this is not true Win
every book. And mvSt rrcr
failures have been due-in great meas
ure. at leaSt-to pro,iigal advertising
pei hi ps. to miSdirected advertising. II.
Every book is a problem unto Itstsi
The wise publisher so regards 1t from the
beginning: and he makes his plans 10,
every book to suit its peculiar case an"
not another. All the long road from Az
thor to reader the book-any book-nrr,
sentS series of interesting oilsin''
~ uhleme Many Of them ere very q"
cinating problems They call for iHasiih"
ton. fertility. ingenuity. The reason W., W.,
few authors or authors societies ., I'LL. Hi
persons who have not been u l. ara
trained to publishing fail. is thai tney , or,
too likely to regard publishing as,f,r
routine business-a business OF iha ma If
turing certain product and tne, " otcrv
ing il for sale. They forget una ma et.ary
book-and even every edition VI ,,avc,
huok-presents a problem that WI a,o.
presented before since the Wo'iu a'u
made. And when its sympathetc ,nstbinc
jtv and inventiveness fail. pu,,,;,nrs
house begins to become mere 80
and the .lrying-up period not Iar vi, ,sa &,
But no publishing house faiis ps,,ily
does not examine manuscripts 81 ~
There is no other business that htom ~,;s
that * done more seriously; ana tht ,,,,ic
takes made are fewer than tht p,ant
thinks. They are mistakes OF 1usruan
and not of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 'i"
script.