Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-12-11
Public Influence on Books
Nsr YORK Evening Post.

new york Evening Post
~ HANGEs that have come about in the publishing
~ trade in the last few decades, IN the attitude OF
publishers, authors and the public toward one
another were discussed by Roland Holt. Of the firm
Of Henry Holt Co.. day this week. in an inter
view with representative Of the Evening Post. MT
Roland Holt looked back over auarter-oentury One
OF the first subjects touched upon was the change IN
the public taste novels. The question was asked,
Were there many books accepted by publishers
generation ago that would not be published now7'
'Unquestionaby," Mr. Holt answered, many
books that publisher would have taken a generation
would have TO be rejected now. Tney would in
cude the romantic and historical novels.
once SO popular and many old-fashioned stories "
Mr. Holt then turned to the phenomenon Of the
popular demand for the sociological novel today.
''Ie seems TO me-" he said that Mr. Wells hits
the keynote in The Wife OF Sir Isaac Hartman
when he says something the effect that the
suddenly realized that all not well with the
world. And Archibald Hendersons phrase in The
Changing Drama about the drama Of pity and re-
volt might be made almost well TO apply TO fic-
ton Certainly the under dog is coming into his
with a in fiction. Our most successful re-
cent publications include three novels about plucky
humorous Irish charwornan Martha-by-the-Day. and
have Just issued another by this author, in which
the heroine redeems herself by social service while
other principal fan fiction includes Dorothy Cam
fields story of the family of poor professor, The
Bent Twig and Inez Haynes Gilimore's THE Ollivant
Orphans another humorous struggle for existence
The pendulum has swung from the lords and ladies' CT
occasionally admitted 10 fiction. and certainly
would not 'scorn the nobly born or well connected
they to figure in fiction offered 10
FOR one. miss the beauty and picturesqueness
Of the novels OF generation and therefore take
unusual satisfaction in the continued OF Ro
lands idealistio Jean-Christophe.' y"
Upon the changes in public taste Mr.. Holt said:
1T TO that there Is not nearly the de-
mand for bees-ettres for books OF travel and
description that there was, and that the
Of Robert Frost and handful OF poets scarcely real
ICES the renaissance OF poetry that persons
Tho beautiful has largely fallen before the
practical Never before II seems TO me, there
such demand for books how to do things and
make things. and for sociological works. There has
unquestonably been great increase in the pubica-
ton OF drama books but their sales still rather
limited. Is there indication in what demand
there Is for printed plays that hurrying Ameri-
prefer them TO novels because they shorer7
The success Of works from the commercial point
OF view also in for Mr. Hollis attention
'Mr. Yard. believe" he said. wrote a short while
ago that authors demanding such high royalties
novels that there is little profit in the big sellers
We certainly are declining many novels that
might once have taken, and number Of most
profitable ventures been outside field Of fic-
tion. While have found of our own novelists
most amenable, still. when critics blame authors
too much exraneous matter for positive breaks,
sometimes think that II several OF these authors had
not, do said to the publishers. already
another publisher ready to take my novel a it
STANDS, both they and their publishers might have
had better returns. Few authors have any idea of
the number of novels that might have had twice the
sale they got II things that might easily have been
cut out softened. without any effect upon the
tistlc integrity Of the work. left in to
bore OF to offend readers
"rhe most successful authors no longer have the
phenomenal sales that were theirs, when David
Harufn was said to have sold 10000 copies sew
eral other novels sold 100000 That was the
day when phenomenal advertising was 'fooling the
public. which has since learned lesson While this
was going on numerous persons who never read any
thing but newspapers magazines before started
reading books and Il did take them long to find
out that there good besides the poor ones
they had been deceived with While most successful
novelists do not have the phenomenal they had
score or more years probably noveliss have
reasonably good sales. In early days. the
few novelists took up such a large percentage Of
the readers that others novels flat failures
For reasons already indicated. many novelists who
could once get hearing cannot do so now About
the time of the height of the best seller publishers
were paying authors advance royalties for novel that
had not even been written SO much poor work wa
done by good authors under conditions that the
publics confidence in particular authors is not what
Il once was And publisher and author cannot be sure
or great success the basis name ana reputation
alone am sure. however, that there has been a
great abatement OF this practice OF selling OF un.
written books and that the OF the authors is OF
more even quality than in those feverish days"