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Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), 15th October 1890, Edition 1 of 1, Page 1355

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      Sib,,—Archdeacon Farrar, In His Reply To...

      I lowering to the character is the love of money , I the baneful influence it has when too ardently

      I pursued . What answer can the Venerable Arch-I deacon give to the statements of Messrs . Cassell I upon his agreeing to write the * Life of St . Paul '

      I for the sum of £ 1 , 000 , and with which bargain no I doubt he was perfectly satisfied 1 But he fell a I victim to the spirit of competition he so ardently

      I denounces . Another *¦ firm A . of publishers made < J I him an offer of £ 2 , 000 for the book and a royalty I upon the sale . Why did not the nobility of soul

      I he so ardently desires to see in the trading com-I nrnnity of this country reign supreme over his I own conscience and compel him to resist the

      I temptation , to ignore the offer , and to fullil the I agreement into which he had voluntarily entered , I and upon the terms for which he had agreed 1

      I I am , Sir , yours obediently ,

      I Canterbury , Oct . 8 . J . Russell Ekdean .

      | J- ' " « : <G I Oct. 15,1890 The Publi...

      | J- ' " « : < g I Oct . 15 , 1890 The Publishers' Circular ^ 55

      P I I __ Firm — -. Sir Of - ,—As Cassell...

      p I I firm — -. Sir of - , —As Cassell the , onl _ . Petter - y surviving — — — & Gal __ , partner — — pin _ — v . ____ , _ who _ of „ ____ __ the were w late w ^__ ^^ ^^^

      I I ments primarily with responsibl Archdeacon e for Farrar the detailed financial in arrange Messrs - . __ I Cassell ______ ' s letter of yesterday _ __ . _ _ _ may I ____ ask -P him i to V

      I state straightforwardly throug , h your . r-r-w __» columns - _ - _ — ^ r ^____ -- ^ I whether he had his relations with us in his mind I when he poured forth his denunciations upon

      I English publishers at the Church Congress ? If I report speaks truly , he has not hesitated to say I all manner of things against — us behind — - our — backs _ . __ — _ .

      _ _ f—j _ . _ I I call upon him now to tell the whole world I what he has to allege against us . I told him I years ago I was prepared for such a course .

      I I submit that our profits in connection with I his works have nothing to do with the case . To I quote from Mr . Walter Besant : — 'If a man

      I undertakes to execute a certain piece of work I for a certain sum of money , there is nothing more _ I to be said . ' I have -- never received from any author

      I a complimentary contribution for the ,, loss we I have incurred in publishing his book , and I fail I to see that the fact — of our having _ > of our own free

      I will adopted a more liberal course towards the I Archdeacon affords any justification for his scath-I ing denunciation of published .

      I I Oct . I 9 remain . , Sir , your Thomas obedient Dixon servan Galpin t , .

      I I Debt Sib Of ,— Gratitude Authors To ...

      I I debt Sib of , — gratitude Authors to and Mr publisher . Walter s Besant alike o , the dis big

      -I tinguished Chairman of the Society of Authors , I I the which rights has of done author much and , and publisher will do on mor an equi , to p ta lace ble

      I I gather footing from . But the Mr A . uthor Besant ¦ , the goes organ too of the far . Society As I I of Authors , he is broadl —^ y of _ op - inion that — profits j .

      should If Mr . Besant be shared will put twee his n au theory thor and into publisher practice . by ^ j dropp ~ - ¦* ¦ I—— -m ^ m ¦ W ^^ ing ^ ¦ ^ ¦ ^ MBpm writing w ^—i ^* ~ P *^ *^*^— ' ^ H—b ^ and _^ V —— ¦ ^¦ H ^ ' ^ H starting i ^ a > sr ^ V B ^ ^ h ^ V ^^*^ v H ^^ h publishing B ^^^ ^^ r ^ v *^^ v ^ ^^ * w p ^^ B H P ^ . ^ . * ^^ . ^ h , ^ B ^ I ^^ B

      w close ill give his him premises three a years ruined to modif man . y his Mr . Besant ews o ' s r ¦ opinion — ~~ ™ ** ** ^^ * + + that ^^ *^ " »* t ^^ there ^^ d *^* % ^ ^ % ^^ is ^ v v' * - no m * * ± x ^ # risk ^ ** N / b «^ with v v j « ^^ m ^^ K a ^ v goocf Hk ^^ ^^ ^^_ i book w \^ ^ x ^ - ^ **^ fe is ^ % fk ^

      a fatal error , and if he will back it by taking to the any loss publisher es on bad o at nes £ 10 his 000 serv a ic year es w . The be chea pub p -

      lisher who understands , his business does not , this thinks point Mr . of Besant view , take no publisher a * bad ' book understands . But from his

      business , for , as often as not , a good book is passed over by the public and a bad one devoured . If he an must author in is equi to ty share be made profits a partner with the in publisher the bosi- ,

      ness , and then he shares losses also . I The sale of a book is very often due to its

      clever illustrations , and if the author is to share

      I I Debt Sib Of ,— Gratitude Authors To ...

      in the profits , why not the artist , and the papermaker , and the printer A . , and the binder , and the ~

      office boy ? A merchant over here agrees to take for a long period all the wine that a comparatively

      unknown champagne grower can produce . The wine The merchant is sound , invents drinkable a name , and of doubles moderate the repute price .

      uses his capital in advertising , , and reaps a , fortune . Is he to share with the grower ? Again , a publisher with gigantic capital and

      gigantic machinery looks about for an opportunity to employ both , and after much thought hits upon the subject of a book which he thinks

      if thoroughly well done and thoroughly well , advertised , may make a hit . He selects the best writer he can get hold ofand offers him a

      handsome sum to write the book , . The idea of the book is the publisher ' s , and if the writer had declined the commission another would have

      jumped at it . This is precisely what happened with Messrs . Cassell & Co . ' s ' Life of Christ , ' written by Archdeacon Farrar . Messrs . Cassell

      & Co . say that the whole scheme of the work , as well as its general character , ' was conceived in this house . ' Let us suppose that at the time

      A i . of publication the public were not in a humour to buy the book , and that Messrs . Cassell & Co . lost the fee they paid to the author and , say ,

      £ 5 , 000 spent in advertising and a similar sum spent in the production of the book . Would the Archdeacon have returned his fee or " any part of

      it ? During the course of my publishing experience I have never met with a single instance in | which — a -- sing le penny •/ was returned to the pub A .-

      lisher by the author of an unsuccessful book . Mr . Besant says that by the words of their letter ¦ and ataab by their ¦ recorded action in the case

      Messrs ™ ~~ — *^*~ —^ , «¦ . ^^^ m ^ Cassell . ^ p »^— ^^ ¦ »•» ^» ^™ & ^ p ^ — ™ Co *^ " ~ ~^*~ . ^^ ^^ recognise - ^ —^ *^^ ~ " ~ — ~~ — ~^— ~~ - ^ —^ - the — princi ~~ — — ple , ipi ducer that in should literature be paid , as in in eve proportion rything else to , the the value

      proof his work . But this statement is Mr . Besant's . cessful The extra book payments are not made made to as the a matter author of of a ri suc ht - g ,

      but with the purely selfish object of again securing his services . I amSiryour ^_ obedient ___ _ __ _ servant , _

      — , j . _ , ,. _ Andrew . W . Tueb .

      The Leadenhall Press , E . C ., Oct . 9 .

      Sir,—In The Controversy Respecting The R...

      Sir , —In the controversy respecting the return by */ p ublishers of the proc Xeeds from sales of works

      experie committed nce o to t their he hig charge h princi , p allo le evinced w us to by giv writers e our when works do not sell .

      A well-known guide-book came to our hands some years ago , and we had to provide for the cost of about the third of itincluding an ample

      advertising sheet , and that portio , n was bound up with the remainder of the work containing the 9 st r »* B ree ^ ^ rf ~^ rf t ^ fc" referenc «^ ' ^^ f * . ' ^^ « p ^ ~^^ ^^ ^^ e ~^^ WmW s » and ^^ ^ 4 *^ 'fc ™ K s I - * o ^^ ld ^^ "" - ' ^ to " ^ ^^ the ' — " " —•* ¦ ' ^ public — ^ - — — an , d _ .- t -. he --

      —trade . Our claim was to be paid by bills , none of which were ever met , and , when pressed for payment ¦¦ the supposed ¦ h 11 r- ~ r ——• owner ii of the book simply

      s ^^^^^ a ^^ id ^ mw r ^ ^ " ^ ^^ , ^ p he ^^ ^^^ nr ^ was ^^* m ^ h h ^^ op elessl ^^ ~— — y bankrupt — - — — and - the book ^ j ^ m belonged In another to his case sister where . Our we cl went aim was to the never paid . , expense

      of printing a very voluminous family history , must when 1 rel * fc finished on the , the sale IB comp of iler the p » mm mmr 1 work simply to told us our - we - ¦ y recoup

      m *^** m w * B *^ w ^*^ *• ^ -p' p" *^> ^ p * ™ * " ^ ir r * -r ¦ mi ^* r . * t- ^ ^* - w - ^ ' — — - - ^ - — — ¦ " — selves and when for the months heavy afterwards expenditure he he was had tra incurred ced to , I flashy # i ri 4 chambers fet ¦ he set us at ¦ defiance -r- ¦¦ mi- *—¦ - - — and said

      left he vp * ^ r had ^ BB it to ^^ pr nothing ¦¦«¦« T >^ us p ^^^ w m to * ^ m ^ p ^ ^ , make therefore p ^^ ft ¦ ^ pT w ^^ p him ~ ^ pr ^ m ^ m ^* r he a ^ v ^ 1 . * bankrupt could ^^ ^ , — —— not — , , which pay , and we j |

      did not do , to save more expense .

  • Citation
    • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Oct. 15, 1890, page 1355, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_15101890/page/17/