The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-31
LITERARY PRESS AGENTS TOO
fDE 4 ~ BIfSHERs HtIF thEN
FRDu TUg THEaTRIS
me sale 90 BooAs Preni"tr'i h the same
Neiha,fs mat ~~rurr Publicity tor
ria,. The Plan of Hrc-nt t're~ IN
sriiins Dr sris0iinc BASIS Now.

soon Ai'Tf pfhFf Hpbli-nlng nhh-+'- 'h'
rorr'rv r.er were taxing motto" Of the
wc-tcr:, concern They had To- because
suCh w'Ci" -we'piuL movement for pun
hcity had NEVER h"trr" been dreamed ~.
much los attempted This concern spent
large sums IT money tp secure publicity.
all to the scandal 81 H. more conservative
rI-pnti'or% Much or the money was
a. arcd. 'uI that much oi il did good ~
eydnuc,-d nv the fact thai the press agent
jch J. an important ON. IN that house
to-day. a indeed 1t j. in every house
that publishes hooks
Every publishing hous" has IT. pub
ucitv depar'm"ni which looa@ after,
tahulate- furnishes or prepares NIL regu-
larly paid advertising matter. all pu'li-
cations sent ont FOR critical review. ma
teriaI FOR the so-Cllled literary notes,
matter Of n NOR. or a-s personal nature
conccrnin: the authors. their methods
81 work their mode VI life into varying
detail- and printed mater foT cirrnla-
ton among book icl lers and prospective
purchasarS. THIS has all come To he
within tho last score " years and has
reached 10 present scientific working
basis only very recently. say within five
or six years
wher Dickens achieved his popularity
he had no prrs~ agent ~ back him mp.
sending timely items - the press on the
eve Of a new puhiiCa ton 10 tell how the
author always wr"ia his Tour hours
morning after a tramp over adjacent
picturr=Cuc country photograph show
ing trampirs author in action accom-
panyinE nr 20 relate anecdotes ~ how
the author got in'oa dispute with a French
waiter ov.r rup of coffee and So on
ad infnitur
spicksnS hal 20 wait until the paOple
rad his HOOKS and talked about them.
bofcrc 10" could hope for his name to he
generally understood and known There
wa NO skilled playing on timely ISSUES
heing always an tap for him The beat
he could do Wa to do for himself. so
h. went uti' On lecture tours widely
scattered a. POSSIBLE thai the maximum
numher of auditors might I've reached, and
was his own press agent
1hack. cray did IN" same thing. n did
Arnold Tn" DAYS Of the OLD lvceum were
in larc. part the days Of compulsory ad-
verti-inC
Iecturing and mere taking were not
aiw avs enough to make individual names
Stand ont sufficiently: personal pecu-
uarities had 10 he made much Of. II nat
ursl IL was well To cultivate them; II non
existent. u was necessary 20 acquire them
-Fuz2incs-- became y regularly expected
literary adjunct -Fuzziness- has held
H.. own we'll too even with the advent
of modern publicity methods VINO has
heard 81 Marie Cor.ili and not heard 81
her numerous swathlng veilSs Or OF Hall
Game and his queer dress and queer habita'
Or Of re-nard Shaw. who Judging from
hin. personal success IN this line and a. a
side issue Al that. would speedily become
the prime. Of all press agents. would he
hut invade the 'iald for h.. knows how TO
gain the public ev" and ear.
Even IN the present day there are au-
thors without end who do not mind fol-
lowing IN the steps If Dickens in this re-
card but m the days Of Dick ems here was
no other way II was probably not ss
much a question with publishers that the
roint was beneath their attention az that
IL never occurred TO them thar they would
take it up
Take for instance the house of Harper'a.
which i a hundred years old 1t booms
it, au,hor- new and old and booms them
regularly and ha- don. 40 for some few
years now. hut it has held some world
distinguished names on its lists which II
never Thought II booming personally
And there ar. any number % firms just as
conservative which have come under the
laws Of the revolution
IL would h. difficult TO put finger on the
moment Of inception OF the revolution
To saw lust when or Why or how II start ed
But the whole business OF advertising as
IL has developed and invaded all fields
forms the large back ground scientifically
prerneditated. rut INTO execution. and
carried out Br the theatrical press
agent gets the credit for being the father
If all press agent work. And the theat
ricaI press agent - not YET so old that
stories ar. not to-day being told Of how hs
began operations in days not long gone
Ivy.
Theatrical press "A agents and their ways
are now an old story. The literary press
agent IL neither 80 old nor versa tile
Probably h. never will be the latter for
III. realm 81 lreratur. has certain tradi
tons Of dignity which must be uph.lC
This. however. only makes the. publicity
mans job the harder.
Ne has got his business down on a
pretty solid basis however From the
work l. IN hi- hands. carefully pigeon
holed m th. four divisions mentioned
above. for critical review. bushes cir.
cnlar- paid advertising aud news gossip
IL th. new author played left tackle in
college. good IL his father was kidnapped
by Indians better tT the. new young
authorizes mother - -,nragl-i. IN.
press = gent way j. shown him. II she Is
n Southern gin from an old family and
fond Of raising chickens. ~ - shown him
again.
A. for the old ..-ta bii-hed author. al
he ha- 10 do l. - maintain tn. traditions
belonging t. MIN. II h" has hunted peri
0d.cnliy ~ IN" Rockies. or gIob. tTott.d
10 j. M dItT To- keep ~ up or find some
thing better for ih- press agents sake.
The latter bi'.--.-- color when ~ curne-
To- him. IN. man VINO walks aero IS
China and then writes a book about ~
~ Joy To- MS heart. In" book may uT
may not self but IN" press gent has Ter
tile ground to- work Ou.
som. publishers maintain that thp
in-fTut on - not " paving one. hat lac