New-York tribune., 1921-04-24

Also most Of them are not fitted g..
dual role AS rule the best author, -.
admittedly poor business men.
Dramatic rights also form ano+n.~
sIbillty that the improvident author ia w..
- overlook. Comparatively few xtors..
books have stage possibilities, but n.
writer OF to-day is not letting anv ct.na.
escape. If dramatic rights are wor+,
managerial bargaining at all, they NAV ,r,u
to be immensely valuable
Still other side issues spring from tho ,u.;.
ten page If one has written sorneth;,x A..
can be held within the limits Of a nbon,
graph record, opportunity beckons him t,,.
the talking machine laboratory. If bs
voice Of suitable quality for phonapra,h;o
production, he can talk his stories him.sf
get all the available returns from the ro...,
Likewise there is the lecture nla+fo..
which has been a powerful aid to authorsb;r
in the past and still is among the potential
ties. Chsutauquas and lyceums offer vii.
field for Lle author who can sneak
as write. Nor does the speaking have tn h.
exceptionally we'll done.
The people want to see and hear the man
who has created something in literary w,rn
said writer who is celebrated for "nut,;r.
over his own material on the lecture r..
form in entertaining style "The big tb;ro
is to convince those out in front that von
really wrote the stuff you are reci. 'ne. wba,
you have convinced them of that. Won c.n
get away with anything short Of murder inc,
so It's your own dope, hammered out or vou,
own typewriting machine"
AS result Of the multiplicity of avenues
OF proht now opening before his gaze # i
not surprising that the author spends mann.
Of his waking hours devsing plots which
might be termed call purpose" If the al.
thor's wife hears a glad cry from the studr
she knows that her husband has hit or plo
which can be utilized for all the purposes
enumerated herein. When plot of sucb
varied possibilities is discovered, the author
guards it as jealously as prospector hides the
location of a gold mine until he has his claim
duly staked out. But somehow or otber
such things get around 1t becomes noiSqd
about that a certain author has discovered
a plot that can be used for everything from
the movies to the phonograph The at
thor is treated with new respect that ap-
proaches awe. He begins figuring on ioir-
my the golf club that he had looked upon
as impossible, and to plan other expenditures
all on account of single plot discovery
In order to help the bewildered author in
enumerating all the possible sources of riches
from his work, the Authors League has
evolved a standard contract, which is acceu
table to publishers generally and vet which
protects the writer from anv loss due IT,
ignorance carelessness
"Of course it is all right for new author
to make certain concessions" said Mr.. Vance
''but tier writer has had two or three bootx
published there is no reason why he should
give anything away. We are trying to keen
for the author all the rights that are justly
his. The publishers main business is the
publishing Of books. AS matter of fact
even small edition is naturally absorbed by
sales to dealers and libraries. and the pub
fishers are not taking any great chance when
they bring out book. The big losses occur
when publishers plunge heavily in advertising
books which are picked as big winners and
turn out to be losers"