Mark Twain as a Publisher.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 138, 23 January 1886, Page 4

Mark Twain as a Publisher.

In a letter received by Mr J. L. Dow, M.P. of Victoria, from Mr Jaa. B. Pond, of New York, Mark Twain's business manager for his lecturing engagements, some particulars (says the " Melbourne Age ") are given in connection with General Grant's book. Mr Pond says :— I was out on the road all summer with Miss Clara Louise Kellogg and a concert company. I went as far as British Columbia. WaB gone four months. Had a great time, and returned renewed in health and pocket. I have tried to find some first-rate attraction that would be good enough to take to Australia. I very much want to make the tour, but not unless I could have an attraction that would satisfy your best people. Mark Twain is getting rich so fast that I fear it is a fruitless effort attempting to get him to go so far. He saya he is lazy. He is the smartest lazy man I ever saw, and accomplishes the most remarkable results of any person I know. He and General Grant were great friends. When Grant became embarrassed Mark asked him to write a book, and assured him that he would make it profitable for him. Grant at first scouted the idea, but Mark|kept at him and got him at it, and then came the " Century Magazine " people. They got one or t-vo articles, butwith the understanding that they were to all be part of the forthcoming book The publishers began to come when it was known Grant was writing a book. Mark told the General to get all he could, and when all the publishers put in their tenders (among whom were C. L. Webster and Co., who are simply Mark Twain with another name), he told the General that be would give in cash 30,000 dollars as a bonus for the contract, and if Webster and Co.'s tender was not as low as the others he would take the best offer that came from any of them, and add the 30,000 dollars for the privilege of getting the contract, or otherwise agree that any of the competing firms should have the contract that would erive the same bonus. None of them dared to do it, and Mark got it. The day the contract was awarded to C. L. Webster and Co. Mark gave the cheque for 30,000 dollars to the General. No one but Mark could see the profit in it. The book will be out in December. There are already sold and payment guaranteed over 240,000 sets (two volumes in a set), that will net Mark Twain and Mrs Grant 200dol. on each volume. They clear 400dol, on a set of 2 vols., which sells by subscription for 700 dollars. Never before in the history of subscription books has one half of this amount been realised, and that before the book is printed. This is Mark Twain's luck, or good sense, whichever you may choose to call it. Fifty nine thousand volumes of " Huckleberry Finn " sold last spring, which netted him 100 dollars on each volume. His other books pay him an increase of 25,000 dols. a-year, co that with all his laziness and indifference, you see he is not badly off.