Sir F. Pollock, speaking on Wednesday before the Society of
Authors, stated that Mr. Besant had received a letter from Mr. C. Longman, promising that in future that great firm, instead of presenting accounts only on the half-profit system, will accompany them with vouchers. As other publishers must follow suit—indeed, Messrs. Murray and others have always given vouchers—this is regarded as a triumph for authors ; but we doubt if they will profit much by it. The better publishers do not cheat, and, as our correspondent " X." shows in the letter detailing a unique personal experience, the gain from knowing the publisher's exact payments would probably be small. What is wanted is a new system which will leave the publisher free to keep his affairs to himself, yet enable the author to bo certain of profit if be succeeds. The French one described last week seems to be the best ; but it wants a rider intended to cover, or rather compensate, the publisher's risk, which in the case of a new author without money is unreasonably large. Not one in three of them has that instinct for the public taste which in a few men amounts to something like certainty.
Previous page
