FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119  
120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   >>   >|  
Extra allowance. 25 for 24-40 copies: 63 pounds. Printing and paper, 4 shillings 6 pence per copy: 225 pounds 0 shillings. Advertising, equal to 2 shillings per copy: 100 pounds 0 shillings. Presentations to Universities and Reviewers, say 30 copies: 47 pounds 5 shillings. The author if he is well known, may be said to receive 7 shillings per copy: 250 pounds 0 shillings. Leaving for the publisher: 277 pounds 0 shillings. Total 1,575 pounds 0 shillings. All the first expenses being positive, it follows that the struggle is between the publisher and the author, as to what division shall be made of the remainder. The publisher points out the risk he incurs, and the author his time and necessities; and when it is considered that many authors take more than a year to write a book, it must be acknowledged that the sum paid to them, as I have put it down, is not too great. The risk, however, is with the publisher, and the great profits with the trade, which is perhaps the reason why booksellers often make fortunes, and publishers as often become bankrupts. Generally speaking, however, the two are combined, the sure gain of the bookseller being as a set off against the speculation of the publisher. But one thing is certain, the price of books in this country is much too high, and what are the consequences? First, that instead of purchasing books, and putting them into their libraries, people have now formed themselves into societies and book-clubs, or trust entirely to obtaining them from circulating libraries. Without a book is very popular, it is known by the publisher what the sale is likely to be, within perhaps fifty copies; for the book-clubs and libraries will, and must have it, and hardly anybody else will; for who will pay a guinea and a half for a book which may, after all, prove not worth reading! Secondly, it has the effect of the works being reprinted abroad, and sent over to this country; which, of course, decreases the sale of the English edition. At the Custom-House, they now admit English works printed in Paris, at a small duty, when brought over in a person's luggage for private reading; and these foreign editions are smuggled, and are to be openly purchased at most of the towns along the coast. This cannot be prevented--and as for any international copyright being granted by France or Belgium, I do not think that it ever will be; and if it were, it would be of no avail, for the pi
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119  
120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

shillings

 

pounds

 

publisher

 
author
 
libraries
 

copies

 
reading
 

English

 

country

 

prevented


Without
 

popular

 

purchased

 

circulating

 

Belgium

 
France
 

purchasing

 

putting

 

people

 
granted

obtaining

 
international
 

copyright

 

formed

 

societies

 

openly

 

edition

 
decreases
 

Custom

 

person


printed

 

brought

 

abroad

 

editions

 

guinea

 

smuggled

 

foreign

 

private

 

luggage

 

reprinted


effect

 

Secondly

 

Generally

 

Leaving

 

receive

 

remainder

 
points
 

division

 

expenses

 

positive