CARELESS WRITERS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 145, 16 December 1933, Page 22

CARELESS WRITERS

TRIALS OF A PUBLISHER

That there aro many slovenly, and stupid people-iu- the world is obvious, but the revelations made by "A Publisher's Header" in "The National Review "aro somewhat startling. In an article entitled "The Books Wo Hope to Find." he informs us that of the typescripts that come to the office of an average London publisher not more than one-half are clean and tidy. The pages of the remainder {R« dirty or frayed, -or they ara tfofa flinisies or faint carbon copies— dif&eytb fib handle and read, and, by the trouble they cause, making an unfavourable first impression upon anyone who has to deal with them. About three-quarters are properly purctuated and correct in their spelling. Only one writer in fifty has enough common sense to tell the publisher, in a brief, and clear summary, what he will find in the bundle before him. The peace of mind of this literary adviser has further been often vexed by the carelessness of so many would-be authors in points of detail. A heroine widowed in the World War, for instance, is only 25 years of ago in 1930. The selection of a publisher is another thing in which little intelligence is frequently shown. Some writers seem to make their choice at random out of the list in the directory. Others acquaint.themselves with the character of a publisher's output, and then make the mistake of sending him work that is, as closely as possible, a duplicate of something he has just issued. If he has had a success with "The Habits of London Sparrows," they infer that lie will be. glad, to accept immediately afterward "London Sparrows and Their Ways." The experiences of this publisher's reader ..lead him to believe that many prospective novelists fail to realise the necessity »f avoiding anything likely to give riso to libel action. Publishers have to be very careful in this matter, andjtho risk is not safeguarded against, as so; many people seem to suppose, by refraining from, giving characters the names of real persons or by stating that they are not intended to represent anyone in. actual life. Novelists; again, should think more than they do of the requirements and tastes of the average reader, who does not wish to be cither shocked or harrowed. In1 this expert's opinion it is a false idea, that it is more artistic for a story to end badly than. well. A tragic ending is very difficult for an unskilled writer to accomplish, successfully. Further, ho emphasises the importance of style as tlm great thing. "It is the well-written book," he says, "that goes from edition to edition, while the highly original jilot and the daring situation descend to the remainder knacker's yard." His final counsel is summed up in the exhortation: "Learn to. write, and then writo of, what you know."