JOTS AND TITLES

A rather good case for university presses in general has been made this month by the Princeton University Press in its "almanac" for November. It runs as follows:

It is, or at least many suppose it to be, taken for granted that a press bearing the name of a certain university is the natural publisher of that university faculty's efforts in the field of authorship.

It is said, however, or at least it is so charged, that many members of a faculty ask their university press to publish their researches,--the books whose sale is necessarily limited,--and seek one of the large general publishing houses when they produce something which seems to enjoy the prospect of making a little money.

University presses in this country are comparatively young institutions, and naturally do not as yet enjoy the prestige of many of the longer established publishing houses. Every man is flattered by having a publisher ask him for a book, and it is natural to suppose that the feeling of satisfaction increases in proportion with the prestige and size of the publisher who seeks this favor. Further, if it happens that the large general publisher shows interest in what is known as a "scholarly work" the author is still more flattered, and usually finds himself unable to say "No." In discussing the matter the professor states that because the big publisher does more advertising, his book,--and he thinks of his name too,--will come to the attention of more people and the volume will have a wider distribution. It sounds plausible.

All publishers worth anything like to have what is known as a well rounded list, and if they number university professors among their authors it does give them a certain standing. But is it true that they advertise books by professors more widely than do the university presses? So far as we can see they do not. And if not, why not? Well, the big publisher has a big,--and expensive,--organization, and he must make money if he is going to be successful. We do not think it unfair to professors to say that only a very small percentage of them ever write books, which measured by the standards of the big publishers, have a large sale. Bookstores will not carry that kind of book in stock, and as publishers' advertising is largely for the benefit of the bookstores the publisher spends little money in advertising it; he uses his appropriation for the books of larger possibilities, and he cannot afford to have his appropriation for the books of larger possibilities, and he cannot afford to have his sales force spend much time on it either. The fact is, therefore, that it really gets little if any more newspaper and magazine advertising from the big publisher than from the university press. It gets far less direct mail advertising, and we maintain that the professional type of book published by a university press has a far greater chance of success than if the large general publisher brings it out Certainly it will have a longer life, for our university presses have not yet reached the point where their lists are so big they cannot give personal attention to any but new titles.

In other words we are convinced that the professor who thinks the big general publisher will do more for him and his book than a university press is not acquainted with the facts Of course no author ever feels that his publisher does quite as well as be should, but discounting this fact, we believe a university press offers a university professor more in the way of returns than any other publisher.

Aimid the various competitions for peace prizes and other prizes of a supposedly benevolent nature, we are rather startled at subject of a prize competition just announced by the Cosmopolis Press of New York. This organization will give a thousand dollars for the best play, motion picture scenario or short story adaptable into a play or scenario "on the American jail as a force in the creation of criminals and the fostering of crime" The judges of the contest will include Ludwig Lewisohn,-author and an editor of the Nation; Minnie Madern Fiske, well known actress; Carl Van Doren, literary editor of the Century Magazine; Dean George W. Kirkway, formerly of Columbia University; and Ida Clyde Clarke, associate editor of Pictorial Review. There will also be a theatrical producer and a motion picture producer on the board. The Cosmopolis Press is the publisher of Joseph F. Fishman's "Crucibles of Crime".