The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-23
FEW BOOKS or VERSE PAY
MOSTLY THET err "a sEISBEB
4T THE POETS ENYENSE.
0niy msa . DsSea - - Wen NFstisg
pS~syy Ne~saays me ere sare - .
suAsenmtia1 safe me PSsts Nsa Dls.
eSUsossi. Thsasn. ~ tns Oasissk.

eswsgsa. Tbsusn. ~ tns OuiiSsA.
! Ta- nan mo receives calls from aspir-
tng posts a. 0as % tbs big pablishInE
I AOsls~s could - diSosrn@d through the
half Op-a door ~ the yong Hnaa who
waited IN the antsroOm a. an otsos boy
hanAsd IN q card on uhich va seribblSd.
DO yoa p,sbltsh books % versss-
| Piainly tho nan who rsceives calls vas
not pleased. Ne tore a l~af from the fsG
~nd 81 an unrAysAsd eisar and rIstlsd
his feet amOnG tue papers around HE
waste baskst-rsiectsd manuscripts.
d0'IbtlSas. Th~n he mumbled somsshing
! 70 ths once BOY. Who came out httss paisr
Than wh@n he vent IN. and Who said
step inside in a vOscs that clearly indi-
Gated that he wouldn't b In the young
mans shoes for a good DIAL.
The yong man walked TO the door.
! pushed q ooen dsferentially and stood with
his hat in his hand The man at the dssk
lOoksd up over hrs glasses and disclosed
a thundercioud brow.
I'm v~ry sorry. nv dear arr sid the
/ man AZ the desk. but unfortunately our
house doeant care To assume the RESPONSE
bility " putting out any more poetry at
! the present time We have all that ne
! can handle jusr now
. The young man tooS a step forward
and started 90 say something he was
interrupted by the man az tie desk. who
said
Nov. there really isn't any use. I
know what you are going to say: thar it's
hardly far 10 turn down your poems With
out reading them. and that yours are diff
fereat from the rest Well. q doesn't
matter We arsnt publishing any moro
verse than ne can hslp. II doe~n't pay
That's just what / wanted TO know
replied he young man.
What's that,' shouted the man a. the
desc
-Wheshsr il pays or not I'm no, poet.
! l never wrote a posm in my life. I came
m To Ask how poetry sells thsss days.
I Dos IL warrant its pubhcatioa9-
Every time this little scene vas gone
over the answer vas the same. And
Shsn the men Who receive calls from
aspiring poets learned that thsrs really
wasn't any catch in the thing they were
wiling 20 tell what they thought Of the
commercial value % contemporary
poetry.
( In a nutshell. this vas their reply
That there are half . doxen, perhaps
ten. men writing poetry nov Who are sure
Of q substantial sale. And one or two of
tks~s hank to a certain extent on the
names that they have made IN other
fields oG writing.
For the most part the volumes Of verse
thar are sold in the book shops are printed
either az tho sole risk Of the author or
with has financial assistance. II comes
about IN this WAy.
A man Who has been writing verse
OF aud on for a good many years Suddenly
reabyes that hs has a lot Of poems on
band NATURALLY he thinks thew are rood
aud II he has admirinE friends they are
att 20 tell him ~ too II IL a common
nsis,aks ~ Irisods ~ho are $780, Win
~athuaiasticaIly. You ouRhf to have
tho.e uubI,shadi You really Ought
I That word -ouRht- u the fafAl word
The poet beRina a think thar he's playins
a pretty mean trick ON poaterity, not 10
u,s-.tio0 his oontemporaPiSs by nov
hMvinR his yerr. psIf where everybody
car find hi
a. he go~. 10 n ntlblish~r rsualiv
h.h.~,y. :, H.. ,o,, 80 49,. .y,,4 srad,,aIi,,
yrorks III. wav down SoTnewh~re neaT ~.
I,oTton oF ~. h.t - r,Ins aeFo~s a ANAL
$780,. "a. rn.L.. rim, a r,rooo.,tion
Tlev aye vsiJIinS 10 NM oIIt hi. vs-u.
~ cr.i b,I, he n,Iss r.Nv he cost. In son.
~...x .od for,,Inaf,.iV- th,-y. are not Tnary,
49,. snSaii bn,,s,. o,,,,... iaw~.r 1S,,y..
,b., Is.a,-ss 4, a ccmTortabl. rnrg,n To-
! -. t,n,,t,Is
m. -, or-,,.c,. q, k.,.. ,,,,t,I..b..5
sJO copies Of which 10 are 20 ~ unbound
Then NJ a final inducsuent the publisher
suggests that the edition he limited and
STAMPED With progressive numh~rs. that
- Too much Tor the poet. ne can sec his
lame on the ny Zeal OF near httl~ mum
D~feh volume ahd y" a. - ~ IIlen1s
ieSes Nhlssu AZ 1-llHs M :, "a - 80 ~
d, - ~ - = 49, - -. -. ~
s,..',.,, ~. -. g.i,6 =, b1rn..W - ,r
! :. ,...r,. Uo,,.as ,rs LnoO-n 20 ha,.
49, y,,,r,ga~..i ~ faot ~. n,lI,I.hsr'.
biD
On the other side Of the picture q pub
usher OcCasiOnally puta o,li volume ~
verse that he knows won't 60 well Tie
does u for many reasons. Sometimes
q = t-c aus. the poems are offered 10y some
one whom he cannot we'll refuse some one
Who - dong good work m another line Of
writing or Who has hold on the pub
ilshsrs pnrse~trInEs for some personal
reason. Hut certain amount 81 gTum-
THIS all has To do With the poems that