NOVELS IN AUSTRALASIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14867, 19 December 1911, Page 4

NOVELS IN AUSTRALASIA.

'AMERICAN VERSUS ENGLISH,

[from OCR OWN correspondent.] London, November 10. An interesting correspondence is raging in the Publishers' Circular regarding the socalled "monopoly" which has commenced cornering the supply of certain English novels for the Australasian market. In an interesting letter, the first signatory of which is Messrs. Whitcombo and Tombs, Ltd., the origin of the "monopoly" is described.' "Some t three years ago," it. is said, "three people decided to commence making a market for American novels in Australasia. At the time it was looked upon as Quixotic . . . but time has proved that that 'was not tho case. They flourished on American novels, and then other houses entered the field and started practically the same course, with the effect that to-day there are more American novels sold in Australasia than English novels. Nine years ago the American novel was practically, unknown in that part of the world. The absolute 6uccess of these tactics led other people to enter the field and try to do for tho English books what had been done for the American ones, and that is the position to-day. More English books have been sold 1 in tho colonies in tho last two years than have ever been sold before, and "this is largely, if not entirely, due to the monopolists."