Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-04-30
PUBLISHER CLOTHES
 THE LITERARY BABY

that the play was on the boards in that city.
 Tt is surprising how popular these novelized plays have become. The people who are going to see the play read the book, and the people who have seen the play like to( null it over at leisure, and those who have heard of the play, but don't expect to see it acted, read the novel. l have theory that sad plays such as Madame X.', affects playgoers to such an extent that they simply can not weep enough in public to relieve their feelings, SO they buy the book and weep their eyes out in the pri- vacy of their own homes without any one to criticise their red eyes and red noses.
 Need of Imagination.
 "It is mistake to suppose that the novelizer of play does not need imagination. He must bring out the points that the playwright might have made more of, he must use the good points of the play, and he must bolster up the dialogue if 1t needs it and make his story smooth and flow ing as we'll as dramatic. And, after all that, he must not begin his story with a dull scenario like introduc- tion Even if the play began with a quiet little love scene, the books first chapter should plunge in and leave picture in the mind that will capture the readers fancy. The nov elizer of play should be person who could write novel of his own Mere hack work or literary carpen- tering won't do.''
 The best kind of advertising for any book, MT. Fly thinks, is social boosts-that is tG say, man at a dinner asks the girl who sits next to him if she has read Soand-So's lat est, and if she says she hasn't, he adjures her to do so at once. Or man in the subway is heard raving above the roar of the motor about that new book about-by some un- known author which he sat up all last night reading. Simply couldn't sleep until I had found out what had happened to the lovers-most vivid description of shipwreck that I ever read in my life," etc. That sort of informal boosting is worth thousands of dollars to any author, and will send book soaring among the best sellers.
 Ingenious newspaper advertising comes next; announcements of an unusual striking character, teasing and curiosity announce ments that will cause talk and spec ulation. Expressions of opinion from the right kind of people are good We brought out a book. this year of which we sent 2,50O complimentary copies to ministers all over the coun- try with a request for a frank opin- ion of the book" said MT. Fly. eve also asked them to preach about it,
 and many of them have done so. We
 don't pay for that kind of advertis
 ing except in the cost of compliment
 tary copies and the postage tq send
 them out, and yet we get the atten-
 tion of whole congregations of peo,
 pie whom in other ways we would have difficulty in reaching.
 Bookseller Important. The bookseller is mpst important factor. and he is being educated up to
 the idea of being cooperative part . her of the author or publisher. Win dow displays we consider good ads. The bookseller can help the sale of book enormously. Many people de- pend upon his judgement entirely for this reading. He pushes what he
 has in stock. of course, and if we can get him to place large orders for cer- tain books those books are bound
 to have good sale; they get hear
 ing. and if they are good the rest is
 easy.
 "The dress Of the bqok is more im-
 portant that 1t ever was. Not only
 the cover and illustrations, but the 'jacket.-the paper cover protects the
 cloth binding. We haunt studios to
 get new ideas for jackets. for the jacket strikes the eye and often sells the book. Here are two samples of the striking jacket" and the publish CT pointed to "The Light That Lures. which wore jacket as gay as a mandarinis coat, showing landscape of the Paris de Chavannes order with . girl with eyes like bluelbells gazing straight into your face It was artis- tic, original, and arresting. At the