. All the selling houses must have
the same chance. So a date of publication is usually set and announced.
Frequently, however, long before that date an edition, or several
editions of a popular book will be sold out. Booksellers will be so
certain that they can dispose of a great number of volumes that they
will place large orders ahead in order to be sure of securing the books
they desire."

"Can they always tell ahead what people will want?" inquired Paul.

"No, not always. Sometimes the public will be caught by a story and it
will become popular not only to the amazement of the bookseller, but to
the surprise of both publisher and author as well. One cannot always
prophesy what readers will like, especially if an author is new. It is a
great gamble. But usually an author whose work is known and liked can
safely be calculated upon to sell."

"Is it much work for a publisher to get a book ready for the market
after he once gets the manuscript from the author?" asked Paul.

"To produce a well-printed, artistic book requires infinite care and
pains," replied Mr. Cameron. "Of course a book can be rushed through.
Such a thing is possible. But under ordinary conditions it is several
months, sometimes a year, before the book is ready for sale. First a
galley proof of the manuscript is made; by this I mean the subject
matter is printed on a long strip of paper about the width of a page but
several times as long. Then this proof, which is made chiefly to be sure
the type is correctly set, is examined, and the errors in it are
rectified. After this it is again corrected and is cut up into lengths
suitable for a page. Following this the page proof is printed, care
being taken that the last word at the bottom of one page joins on to the
top word of the next. It is very easy to omit a word and thus mar the
sense. It is also a rule of most publishing houses that the top line of
each page shall be a full line, and in consequence it is often a Chinese
puzzle to make the text conform to the rule. Readers often have to
insert a line or take one out to meet this necessity, and sometimes an
author's text is garbled as a result. No writer likes having words or
whole sentences introduced or omitted; and you can't quite blame him,
either, for he has to stand behind the book and receive not only what
praise it may win but also the blame showered on it by both the public
and the reviewers. Naturally the book--not alone the story but the s