The Washington herald., 1908-08-09
The Writers

Those literary workers who have been
complaining publicly recently that the
publishers are unjust TO them; that It IS
the weH-knOwH names that head the ar
ticles in the magazines. and that there
is a ring into which the unknown as
pirant finds It almost impossible 10 break.
are, we believe, entirely in the wrong
There has never been q time in the
history OF the world when the chance Of
the new writer was so good as It is to-
day- Competition IN the purveying Of
literary wares Is so keen that the pub
fishers have sharp rivalry in seeking
for new authors, and in the Office Of
every weIl-known publisher there is
probably no item OF expense so heavy
as that which provides for the corps OF
trained readers. especially engaged TO
scrutinize closely and sympathetically
every manuscript that falls into their
hands
And the rewards OF successful literary
endeavor are most certainly greater To-
day than they ever were. This Is the age
that IS not startled 10 learn that Presi-
dent Roosevelt can get one dollar
word for a series OF articles: when the
writer Of popular detective stories. who
thought his vein exhausted. IS induced
by the high price offered by a New
York publishing house 10 exhume his
hero and start him OF on new career.
From a literary standpoint It may be
questioned whether this sort OF competi-
ton is altogether desirable II is not
money reward or the desire for fame
that has created literature. There are
writer's Of modern fiction who have made
as much from one book-and that a
bad one-as Fennlmore Cooper. or
Thsckerary. or Nathaniel Hawthorne
made for all OF theirs The truth IS that
the highly paid readers for the publish
ers are not engaged 10 discover literary
works that may become masterpieces:
what is wanted IS something. no matter
what. that VIII catch the popular taste
something that Will sell An unknown
to a magazine. and, because it has ele-
ments Of news in it, and seems 70 strike
a new vein, the story Is republished as
a~book BY itself. and for two or three
years everything that man writes IS
pretty certain Of acceptance. no matter
how had Il may be.
Il is very true that the condition OF az
fairs that now exists IS not conducive "a
the encouragement OF literature. The
public. as a whole. is not particular in its
choice Of reading matter To-day. Nj
Dooley may be the popular idol. to-raor-
row. Mr- Ade's fables may be the topic
| Of conversation; the next day an erotic
and sensational tale that ought 10 be de-
/ odorized occupies all attention. L must
be q hard position for the publisher &c
try to satisfy and keep in touch with
the public fancy But that he must Try
10 do this. now that book-pubIishing IS
frankly a commercial business only. 8,
certain, and IT is this fact that gives tbs
unknown writer Of to-day q better chance
Of a hearing than he ever had before
In the meantime let Us be thsnkfu
/ that there are stTl IN existence some pub
fishers TO whom the making Of books {.
| something more than mere money-nak
/ ing proposition. just as there are som,
writer's who are doing their work. no
/ for the hire CT the wages. but for III,
| glory Of tire work itself. which. II 8
be indeed good work, IS glory and re
ward enough.