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    \ '¦• ¦¦' •' ¦ .. ¦¦•¦•• ¦ . ¦•¦ • . v ....

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    The Attitude Of The 'Society Of Authors....

    v number of cases , or he must devise some mode of making ^ ¦ J ^^^ V ^*^ " ^** ^^^ 4 * tip 1 all ^ r- v * and ¦ - - — rendering — — ^^^ » his - — accounts — ¦ '»•_ — of which — % doubt ^ — ' * i will ,

    once for , remove any possibility or question will endeavour ; and this to show I believe . to be practicable , as I

    account sati The sfy any system should author indicated not against only in give fraud the sufficient appended on the part securi pro formd of ty his to

    publisher , but would also insure * to him certain advantages The ^^^ ^ b ^ v ^ . ^ particular ^^ ¦ — derived — —^ "statement — " ^ ^ ~ ~ ' ^" fro r ^^ ^ m " ^*~ ~ " —~ " a ^" system which " ^^ . ^^^^ ~^^ r ^ ip ^ . v will of w w ^^^ . v cash HV be ^^^ ^ t ^ payments M found ^^ ^ Bi ^ B ^ " ^ " ^ . ^ BJ in ^* . ^*^™

    I this the exception account as of to such the sm payment all matters of each as cannot , item , be with so ¦ ¦ particularised h » or -w- separately —¦ - - ¦—— paidis

    absoluteldistinct ^^ ^^ ^— and — — unqualified , j —^ ^^™ " - ™~ ^^ r . It ^— —— ^^ is ^^ M ^^ impossible ^ ^^ ^^^^^ , F ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^ to ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^ conceive ^ ^^^ ^^ y f ^^^^ ^^^^^ of any publisher venturing t > render an untrue account in such a form , and I need not enlarge on the

    serious consequences to which he would render doubt himself on liable this point by doing his solici so . tor If will any author I think has a

    Lord l » ytton , have no , difficulty in solving , it . , pace The subjoined pro fortnd account is applicable

    accounts to a book of published books published on the hal on t- commissi profit system on mi , g but ht , of course , be kept on a similar principle .

    however The , attack stop short made at upon accusations the publisher of fraudulent does not , acco - unt-keep - ing . He is also assailed - ^ H ^ rw ^ r - ¦ ¦ ¦ » in regard to

    the purchase — g— ^ of ^^ » copyri — - —•—— — — ghts — - — - ^ and ^ the ^ ^ " , w ^ payment ^ - ^^ ^^« - ^ m ¦ ¦& ^ " ^ ^^ ^*^ W -of ^^ ^^ conscientiousl royalties , for y want seeking of fairness to advance ; and the again interests , for not of

    the author in those cases in which he acts as an agent __ ^ — to ^ _ and ^ ____ —^ — " ¦ has ~ H * " _ . not — - ^— Besant T ^» » " ^ a ^^^^ proprietary b «^ ^ a ^^ 9 ^^^ B ^ r ^ words ^ ^ ¦ ^^™ ¦ ^ i . ^ 1 ^ ^ interest he < % ^^^^ ^^ ^ ar does ^^ - m *^ r ^^ ^ in ^ not ^^ i ^» ^ a **^^ book w * ^^ ^ h ^ ^^^ ^*^^ \ r -

    commission or , use Mr books . so vi ' a gorously , as those which ' push are his own by right of purchase . ' I will -say a few

    words in answer to each of these charges . of competition As to fairness among . In the publishers first place which , there would is plenty in

    , , a ordinary sufficient J business "I answer . transactions . An author , almost is no more of itself * . obli * 4 % , ged I ' be to sell - ^ - ' — a — — book — - ^ - — —^— at ^ " — - * - any - ^^ ^ W particular ^ i ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ price W ^ ^^ ^ " ^ ^^^ , J than ^ PIP iH ^ tf ^ ^ p ^ v v a ^ pub H ^ w r *^

    -of lisher its monetary to purchase value it at ; and the in author dealing s own with estimat a com e - modity which has a purely speculativaluethere

    must necessarily be frequent differences ye of op , inion as the to — ~*^ business the *^ ^ » i ^^ price vv ^ . ^ ^^ ^^ ^^ which ^ ^ ^ b >^ ^ ^ v a ^ . 4 ^ oug ^ b ^ ^ r ^ pHk ** ht ^* vr to w ^ n ** be iv v paid b ^ t ^«^ ^ ^ wt for ^ m ^ k ^ <^ it d » . a ^ . ^ Indeed b ^ ^>«^ ^ w ^^ r ^^ ^^^^ ,

    lative in the hi of ghest a publisher degree , for is of it is necessity admitted specu that - nothing " ^ T ^^ B is ^^^ more ^^^ ¦ ¦ " ^^ r diffic ^^ B 1 ^^ ^^ W ^^^ V ^ F ^^ ^^^ ul •*¦¦ r ^~ t ^^ than ^ . ^ ^^ iH ^ —^^ - ^ ^^ v ^ HB to ^^ P ^^ . P q foresee . ^ £ V V ^ ^ V ^^ . P ^^^ ^^^ F the ^^ V " ^ ^ ^^^^ reception ^^^ ^ . t ^ F ^^ . P ¦ ^ . ^ T H ^^ ^^ B ^^^^ ^^*^^ B

    that which a book of the will most meet successfu with ; and l books it is have notor been ious offered many to several publishers before beinsj ultimately

    like accepted most certainty moderate . If a publisher on profi every t , his could book business calculate yielding would with him no even anything doubt the be lucrative . Butin facta large number of

    , , every publisher excessi striking ve ' the s profi speculation average t is roost of s certai his invol nl gains y ve not a and left loss to losses ; him and . , on an

    profits I affirm of publishers , without do hesitation not represent , that more the average than a business moderate by great , and labour return that and upon this continuous the return capital is risk only emp . loyed to be in earn their ed

    before To accepting the suggestion an offer of Mr fro . m Besant a publisher that an , would author do , well to consult the Society of Authors , there can be

    view no possible , subject objection , of course from , to the a publi observation sher ' s point that no of publisher by the inion would of be the bound Society , or , as I believe , influenced

    ~ j iuq op vrptUAWU Ui IAJU & % JKIWJ . to the The observations purchases of which copyri I gh hav ts e and made to app the ly alike

    ment of royaltieB ; but with regard to the latter pay ,

    <¦ Mr . Besant founds a grievance upon an almost impossible condition of affairs . He supposes that

    10 , 000 copies of a book have been printed , and every relative copy profit sold of , author and makes and publisher a calculation upon of that the

    man hypoth who esis printed . A publisher 10 , 000 cop would ies of an indeed ordinary bej a book bold ; and upon an extraordinary bookof which he could

    reckon with certainty upon selling , that number , he would assuredly have to pay the author , in one shape or othera much larger sum than Mr . Besant ' s

    illustration supposes , . There are also some errors of facts and figures in Mr . Besant ' s calculations of profit , but it is hardly worth while to discuss them

    here . So much for the charge of unfairness . In regard to the imputation that a publisher does not ' push '

    commission books , it shows an ignorance of the internal arrangements of a publisher ' s warehouse , which is very naturally to be expected from those

    who make the charge . It is practically impossible for a publisher to deal in one manner with one bookand in another manner with another book .

    Duri , ng my experience of more than 40 years as a publisher , I have frequently heard the expression * push ' in connection with the sale of a particular

    book , but I have failed to understand it in that sense . I doubt if those who use it , in the sense in which it is used by Mr . Besant _ could _ _ define its _

    meaning . What a publisher ^ can do , to promote the sale of a particular book , ia addition to what he does ^ for all his publications alike , must be done by

    a liberal expenditure of money for advertising , and so lisher forth would ; i and be quite it need as hardl willin y to be expend said that an author a pub ' - s

    g money as his own , it' the author desired it . With regard , howeyer , to the publication of

    books on commission , it is , I think , open * to doubt whether this mode of publishing does not produce a large number of books - - "which # for - —the sake of the

    authors ~ o and the public , had , better not be printed at all . It is my belief that this , or some cognate syste — ^ j — m — of publishing j _ j - "^ , involving — _ - r—a no — — risk to the — pub M-

    lisher , has produced the larger number of disappointed authors , f and is in a great measure responsible £ " for — - the " outcry - J that has ~ from ^ time to

    time been raised against publishers . By these remarks , I must not , however , be understood to contend that , for various special reasons , the

    publication . of-Jbooks of a valuable or popular kind on commission may not sometimes be desirable . On the wholeI believe that where it is not

    important to an aut , hor to receive an immediate pecuniary return for his work , the half-profit system ields the greatest certainty of a fair division of

    y the pro tit between the author and the publisher , of course provided that the publisher ' s accounts are faithfully made up and rendered . This mode of

    publication is especially appropriate for medical , legal , and other works requiring frequent revision by the author . The appropriation of one-half of :

    the unduly % l profits favourable to the publisher to him I . L ; may and J > at undoubtedl first sight y , appear in the case of a hook certain to have a large tfnd rapid sale , '

    stances they are such too is favourable not really ; but the ia case ordinary * In the circum first - place , the publisher takes upon himself the risk of !

    loss , which , as I have already pointed out , is very i far fro lies m all being the nominal fc ^ ital mmA for . the /« In venture the second I * and Wjpmm ** p lace -m / m ^ tm , ^^^ he ^ s < ;

    all supp r the r BXSk busi * ¦ ¦ . ness VUV cap X ^ details « ' m , MX of the **«^ publication V l # M V , | . manage Finally , , it must always be remembered that , while the pay- '

    monts to the author represent clear profit , the publisher proportion ' s of share the of general the profit expense haf of to conducting bear a certain hia , ! i

    business , ana ma « r , therefore , be subject to a very ' 11 ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ -, "'" . t .. ¦ , ; M : ; ** I ,. . . , . - \\ \\ i i y , | r ., n , i i ' - ' ¦ ' ^ ' CgE ^ C ^& ?

    \ '¦• ¦¦' •' ¦ .. ¦¦•¦•• ¦ . ¦•¦ • . V ....

    \ '¦• ¦¦ ' ' ¦ .. ¦¦•¦•• ¦ . ¦•¦ . v . ¦ ¦ - T jfr i ''' April i , 1887 ^ he Publishers' Circular 329 __ ¦ I ¦ ¦ ' :

• Citation
  • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), April 1, 1887, page 329, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_01041887/page/7/