Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-11-24

the way, we won't want any more
stuff from you. We're going to cut out
publishing your line. The price of
paper has gone SO high we can't make
any money on cheap fiction"
Sadly the author returns to his scrib-
bling, kills off Jack Thornton's enemies
with three more shots. throws the mar
riage halter over Jack and Florette,
writes "Finis"-and goes out to look
for job.
According to publishers of the
cheaper class of fiction in New York
therell be lot of such authors won
aerlng where the rent is coming from
ms wlnter-unless the price OF paper
takes an unexpected drop. When their
present paper contracts expire most OF
tIn,e, Ihe publishers of paper-back books
VIII cease issuing them altogether un-
I'll more normal conditions prevail.
Daan Ana tnls is not all of the bad news.
Devotees of blooded ten and fifteen
cent fiction aren't going to be the only
sufferers. Books OF the better class are
gong to cost more than they did be-
Obtained f eSt f6r seslers that can usually be
sl:25 this winter, and $l25 volumes
Will be boosted to S1.35
The price of cheaper bound books will
De increased in proportion
sAcc9rdlng TO one authority the cost
OF book paper has in some instances in
creased as much as 100 per cent. in the
I'VE have made Increases from to
"a, 20 p per cent in the list prices of books
puoIlshed by us this year." said George
n Doran, head of the publishing firm
OF that name. We have, therefore,
made no increase in the price of books
the cost of paper.
While the cost of materials is the
principal cause of higher book prices,
| believe it would have been necessary
IN any event to adjust prices because
OF the general economic situation. The
increased cost of doing business. the
necessity or liberal discounts to book
sellers and the general movement re-
sulting from the decreased purchasing
power OF the dollar are contributory
At the offices of the Houghton Mifflin
company 1t was said the retail price of
books had been raised generally from
the only class of bound books on
which the publishers will lose money is
school books. The Houghton Mfffn
Company produces large quantity of
these. In most instances the margin of
profit is small. Many contracts are still
to be filled. On these it was said, the
increased cost of production will easily
wipe out margin of half a cent or a
cent profit on a volume.
From Street and Smith, who have
given to young America millions of
pages of printed thrills, came the final
word on the paperback novel situation
II is evidently time for Old Sleuth and
ilk to begin to worry about their fu-
ture.
An official of the company said there
mad been no curtailment of the output
of publishers of popular-priced fiction
because practically all of them had un-
expired contracts for paper supplies
which had been made at reasonable
prices. When they are forced to make
new contracts, however, the cost of
production will be so excessive as to
preclude the publication of any but
bound volumes.
Magazines will not be so seriously
| affected, it was explained, because their
advertising will make up the difference.
But the James Boys. Old King Brady
and the other heroes who caused
youthful eyes to pop and juvenile
hearts to thump in the good old days
have no advertisers to help them out
1t looks as if the last redskin has bit
the dust.