Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-23
: WRITING "A BOOK
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

A man named Job, who had the first
recorded monopoly on trouble centuries
ago, made two statements anent the
writing of books that authors, editors
and publishers Of today recognize as
eternal truths.
He said first, ooh that my words
were now written! oh that they were
printed in book!" Later he said, My
desire is that mine adversary had writ
ten book"
In his first statement Job voiced
yearning that lies deep in the hearts of
most people Publishers say that al
most everybody who has read a book
wants to write one and expects to do
1t If he can ever get around to it."
and that an amazing number of people
entertain the idea that writing a book
is an easy and short road to fame and
fortune
But the publishers also say that Job
was right about writing as a profess
sion and that fnoderns who aspire to
be authors would do we'll to ponder his
wise utterances. Job, they say, must
have known all about the writing game.
He must have gone through all the
grief of preparing a manuscript-"Oh
that my words were now written !"-and
then have experienced the woe incident
to finding a publisher-"Oh that they
were printed in book" And after
hat he must have suffered adverse
criticisms and reviews until in his
anguish he moaned that the worst
thing he could wish on his dearest en-
envy was that he might write book.
Job did not 60 into the subject of the
financial returns of those who write
books, but that is q matter which pub
fishers insist that would-be authors
should consider. There may be gold
in them thar hills as the optimistic
prospector always says, but in all the
mountains of books that have been pub
lished there has been precious little
gold for the writer's. Now and then a
writer makes lucky strike-just about
as often as really great fortunes are
made in industry and business or In
the legal, medical and other profess
sions, but, in the long run, the maker
OF books needs something other than
his pen, or trlSty typewriter, If he ex-
poets to keep the wolf from his door.
Twenty Books a Day.
In the year 1928, 1914 new book
titles were put, into circulation in the
United States, according to the Authors
League Bulletin. This averaged about
20 a day. Lists Of the 10 best sellers
in fiction and non-flction are published
monthly in various magazines. Usually
two or three of the same books appear
on each list for several months in sue
cession. A fair estimate, it Is stated,
would be that of the 1914 books only
IT'S, or about 43 per cent, attained the
best selling class, with sales ranging
from $4,000 copies upward
In this country the usual publishers
contract gives an author royalty of
10 per cent on the retail price Of the
first $500 copies sold, 12.5 per cent on
the next $500 copies. and Is per cent
on all copies sold over and above 5000
In England the authors royalty starts
at is per cent and increases to 20 per
cent.
For first novel, good enough for an
established and reputable publishing
firm to accept and bring out, q sale Of
l 800 copies is all that is expected. A
sale Of 5000 copies is regarded as Suf-
ficiently encouraging to warrant culti-
waiting the writer.
On a sale of 1900 copies at q retail
price of $3.50 the author would garner
royalties to the amount of $325. A
5000 sale-and 1t is to be borne in
mind that such a sale would be looked