Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-04-15
A Best Seller.

boomed2 1t was not only the best
seller Of its season, but 1t sold 300 per
cent better than any other novel pub
lished in five years.
Il was just starting into the bust |
ness then and mighty anxious to make |
strike that would put me well on |
my feet, especially as to capital |
read a hundred manuscript novels Sc
lected from a thousand read by my |
assistants and out of the hundred Sc |
lected three that concluded to take a |
risk on. They were all deed failures. |
They weren't high grade literary |
works either. / knew enough not to |
put out that kind of stuff to make
money on; but, even with stories on
the ground floor couldn't make 1t
go.
Zone day measly looking chap came
into my Office and said he wished me
to go into scheme with him for pub
fishing a novel. l told him that II he
had manuscript to submit ! would
have it read.
You're beginning at the wrong
end he said. The story isn't Of any
Importance. It's making a market for
1t that counts. Make your market first
and you can select your novel with
your eyes shut
"There was something so braZen
about this that it attracted my atten-
ton. called for his plan, and he gave
1t. He admitted that he ran a risk of
arrest, and l agreed with him, but
neither of us thought his arrest would
be very serious matter or injure the
sale Of his novel. l took a week to
consider 1t, then told him that he
might go ahead, but my part would
depend upon whether he succeeded in
attracting the attention of the public
to his book before it was issued. He
consented to this, and the deal was
made.
at wasn't long before began to re-
ceive orders from dealers in various
places for one or two copies each Of a
novel / was to issue called "A Hand In
the Dark l knew that this was the
name of the novel l had agreed to
publish, but had never seen the manu-
script. l put the orders on file. pay
ing no more attention to them. Very
soon many of them were increased,
new ones also coming in. began to
: get letters from people-mostly wo-
men-asking when "A Hand In the
Dark was to be published and a re-
quest to send a copy as soon as 1t was
l issued. These orders also kept grow
! ing till / had received a sufficient
number of them to pay all the ex-
pense of publication.
81 now began to think Of getting out
the book. Calling for the manuscript,
l read it and hadn't gone over fifty
pages before l regretted my contract.
I couldn't back out, for the fellow had
= fulfilled his only condition OF making
a market The stun was the worst
ever read. delayed having the plates
made, hoping for some way out of the
trap. But the orders continued to
come in. l noticed they were more
scattered than those pertaining to any
book / had ever published. The In
di7idual orders were enormous. But
saw at once that trouble was brewing
for me as well as for the author,
though l had nothing whatever to do
with his scheme for making a mar
ket Some of the letters were covert
threats, but most of them indicated
anxiety in greater or less degree to
get copy of the novel.
AT last l made q date of publica'
ton. On the morning Of the day an
nounced an enormous crowd of people
waited before the store till the doors
should open. was obliged to pust
my way through a struggling mass OF
humanity to get into my own office
The binders had disappointed me, anC
was unable to furnish the book.
had a notice tackled up outside to tina
effect and that it would be ready the
next day. How many people wen
away on seeing the notice l dom
IL know. From window / saw a mum
ne Der of men approach, smile and leave
er but most of the women stayed till tn,
er notice was put up, some muttering
a some melancholy. l learned afterwarC
OF that the dealers all over the countr,
as were besieged in a similar manner
IN though the smaller the town the les
fe the demand.
be al hurried my binders, desiring
e. get the book out as soon as possible.
nd expected every day to hear Of the AT
thor's arrest, and II he were arrested
Of feared / would be enjoined by cOuI
d. process from publishing the book.
en- wouldn't have cared to be stoppe
ed from issuing 1t had 1t not been for tn
Is 'act that there was now q small To-
w une In IT.
in We'll. the next day got 1t on
DIS Clerks were kept busy all day sellin
re, single copies over the counter beside
ct those shipped to the dealers. In thru
a days we had sold 100000 copies. The
ed there was a lull. a slight increase. an
he the sales died down to nothing. BI
on they commenced again when It WI
at announced that "A Hand In the Oar
Ity was a best seller and. taking all Il
he sales together. both l and the auth,
,or made a mighty good thing. Some di