THE CHANCES OF BOOK PUBLISHING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 431, 13 February 1909, Page 9

THE CHANCES OF BOOK PUBLISHING.

: 'The uncertainties of^^.book-publishing furnish an anonymous, contributor tqv "Apple- . ton's i Magazine" ■, with '■■. an - interesting topic; It is> practically impossible for. the publisher, lie.-asserts,.: to-, foretell :.the.final results; oi .many<6f Ins - undertakings'. Books -by certain well-known,, authors generally -pay., a .profit,but "many w'orks.of> merit, oil which''- , author and -publisher, havo ; lavished years of etfort and thousan ds..bf: dollars;, have proved gutter failures.", :Sbmetimcs a work, hasbeon'partly or- prepared in manuscript,;arid, the publisher ''intuitively feels;; in some inexplicable way, .that the work ho ..has; undertaken is not coming, out as, he. , anticipated." ■ : In such cases, there.is, wisdom: in-stopping,.pub-v.w. ;C--; ;' v , -''.''': i',i ■',-■' . ...■■:''.' ■ ...;.'i' ■■. ■;- Messrs: • Appleton's. publishing : house,-:has had several such misadventures. ■■ One' was "A--Cyclopaedia:,. of /Domestic .' Economy.". Much manuscript was accumulating under an exceedingly able editor, ;■ but the time:' required to verify" the article's' and get "them in:-.pr,oper .condition for the press::proved unexpectedly-long, and, many articles, would, not"get themselves ...into the■ right'.;shape/ Several, paclring-cases of' discarded-manuscrjpt. wer.e^left■ -toi'sh'pw I.the wisdom of):the pubr , lisher' in ordering'the-stoppage of ;the enterprise/''thus!: happily fsaving : many,.thousands of .'dollars.' - "...: . '■■■;['-.:'■ , ■ ■:;"'"' -■'"".■; :• But something'has to be said.on the other. side.- iThere:are;;the; : "pleasant .surprises" of publishing—books "undertaken'' with .the: expectatioii of,about paying expenses that:have soared;' away toy.the hundred-thousand' mark. ,Others:;:.are. "undertaken because they are lcnpwh: to-be works of great merit, ;and while, .'the {publisher/; may .'not have niuch hope of'a! satisfactory result, there.,' is a ..chance.'--.that the'; of the ;bopk may in time' make an impression, ph. the .public."..,-Then:there-are .those ;undertakctf becaus_e "they .strike .a,Vriew : '™te:in"literature, 'which' may' receive the 1 appreciation of -the. .public."- V "David Haruin" , is" called ."the-greatest/surprise.'!' Seven, of ■eight;: publishers had.- declined tne bbok; : and qnlytWo-persons in the house accepting; it'had -much hope' that; it wouldpay "expenses. Forsix months.after publication a few thousand copies;were:disposed.of; its; ultimate 'sale, was-nearly a' million. ' .-:'•.'• : : ,:«" . ■•'■■.:--.- •'■•-■■•'■■ ■■ .■■„■. I ; v ':v. , .