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Show THE CROP OF NOVELS. Work of Fiction Form tho Majority of , Manuscripts Scut to Publishers. Navels form the lnrgcst part of the "book manuscripts Received by publishing publish-ing houses, says the Philadelphia Times. Out of 100 manuscripts received re-ceived during a recent fortnight by a prominent publishing firm 02 were novels. In another case 51 out of 100 manuscripts submitted during dur-ing three weeks were novels. This same publisher told mo that sometimes tho percentage of novels would reach 75 per cent. This tendency for novel writing is undoubtedly duo to tho fact that the greatest "hits" in tho literary world are made with novels, and this stimulates tho average writer to work in this field. Of all theso novels it is plain to bo seen from tho figures given in tho pro-ceding pro-ceding paragraph that scores must be written before one is accepted. And" even if a writer has a novel accepted the percentage of success is decidedly against him. During this investigation process I selected fifteen recently published pub-lished novels issued by six different houses and I learned that tho entire number printed of these fifteen was 41,000 copies, or 2,700 copies of each. And in this flftoen 0,000 copies wero printed of one novel really the only successful novel of the lot. It is safe to say that of theso fifteen novels tho average salo of each will not roach 1,000 copies. But giving that numbvi' to each, the novel selling at $1, tho author would recoivo loss than 5100 for his manuscript, deducting for mutilated mutilat-ed copies and those sent to tho nows-' nows-' papers, otc. I know case aflor oasa where authors did not rcceivo $50, all told, as a return for a novel, and some-. some-. times very mud) less than that. |