Evening star., 1937-10-16
By NJ. C. r.

out IN these columns Z couple
Of weeks ago, has brought the
4 reviewer some interesting cor
respondence. That war, In case you
did not witness 1t, was the reviewers
private revolt against trick publicity
As practiced by publishers. It cen
tered about the new book by Karel
Capek, which, the reviewer hastens
TO say. was in nowise implicated: 1t
= . delightful work. Moreover. the
particular publicity stunt put over
by its publishers, @. P. Putnam's
Sons, was a piece Of pure genius.
But, just the same, such elaborate
tricks seem gratuitous in promoting q
really good book, and the reviewer Is
happy to note that her readers think
the same thing.
One writes. After al, can you blame
book publishers particularly, when
even groceries are sold today on the
basis Of slogans or-worse-sex ap-
peal? No, actually, remember an
ad urging people to drink certain
brand Of tea on the ground that 1t
would heighten their lure for the
other sex. After all, the publishers
are In the selling game, too. They
have to keep in step. If they didn't
the procession would move on and
leave them behind. Couldn't that be
why they work such stunts on poor
(your pardon) reviewers?"
THE pardon k granted. The ques-
ton raised Is to . reviewers place
in the world, however, seems to be an
interesting one. Is the critic to re-
gard the publisher OF books as just
another merchant. peddling books As
grocers sell tea? Or do publishers have
q primary interest in presenting works
of merit to the public? And II they
do have such an interest must they
adopt the sales methods Of grocers
In order to succeed in their endeavor?
The reviewer has sometimes given
thought to these questions. And, after
somewhat protracted experience with
publishers she comes to the conclu-
sion that on the evidence the answer
to the first and last is yes. The critical
part of the book business Is q very
small one: the mercantile part is i'm
mense. It is absolutely unthinkable
that any publisher cares q rap about
any reviewers estimate of his book,
unless that estimate can be used to
increase sales. And when 1t becomes
part OF . sales campaign, then may
the reviewer shudder at the uses to
which his carefully weighed words will
be putl He will be quoted as though
he were the oracle, and his words
will be put beside those Of individuals
whose opinions he has no wish to
emulate. In this circumstance may be
found the basis of the myth that
most critics would rather blame than
praise. For blame is 50 very much
safer!
THE merry tricks Of the "Salsmsn-
der Syndicate" in putting over the
Capek book were, as has been said,
works of absolute genius. But despite
their individual virtuosity they bear a
class resemblance to wide variety of
publishers lodges commonly used to
gain attention for forthcoming works.
One Of these is the post card series
which consists in mailing the reviewer
q number Of cards, each bearing
flamboyant sentence Of selling copy
or a particularly intriguing passage
out Of the book being promoted. 1t
is the practice of the present reviewer
to consign such missives to the waste
basket on the instant. and to receive
the book when it comes with severe
misgivings.
Another dodge Is to send out bub-
bling little tales about the authors
personality" This is the most loath-
some gag which publishers work. and
about the commonest. Apparently
every book house has a man on its
staff whose duty it is to prepare such
coyly intimate bits Of news as the
following:
Mrs. Joy Blurb, author of last sea-
sons best-selling romance, How She
Lost Her Heart is spending the sea-
son in an old, abandoned filling sta
ton Just of the Boston Post road,
where her sole companions are tame
land turtle and . pet cheetah. Mrs.
Blurb writes her publisher in strict
confidence that she Is getting the