Rights, which is merely a variation of terms-this fact should also be stated, similarly.

Some publishers refuse to buy a manuscript unless they can secure All Rights. If this is the case in any individual instance, the publisher should be willing to pay a sum somewhat in excess of what he would be willing to pay for merely the First Magazine or Serial Rights.

Even when the author has specifically stated in his letter and on his manuscript that only First Rights are offered, he should be careful to observe what kind of receipt he signs and returns to the publisher. Also, he should examine the form of letter or printed slip that is sent with the check. If the receipt specifies "for All Rights," and the author signs that receipt, or if the letter or printed slip accompanying the check says, “In full for manuscript entitled ," the

author has disposed of all his rights, whether he has intended to do so or not, and he is thereafter entirely dependent upon the good will of the publisher for any further benefit that may accrue from that manuscript.

It must be admitted that the average story, poem or article does not possess any more than first serial or magazine value. A few are of the brief and crisp sort that can be used to advantage in secondary or syndicate publication, but only a few. Still fewer have any value for the photoplay screen and a very few can be turned into one-act plays or full-evening plays. Foreign and translation rights are also rarely of value except to an author of considerable vogue. These facts being true the author does not run an extraordinary risk if he disposes of all rights to his manuscript, yet now and then it is quite possible that a manuscript sold as a short-story may turn out to be of very great value. For instance, Mary Roberts Rinehart sold the manuscript of "Seven Days" as a novelette to the writer of this article, for publication in Lippincott's Magazine, disposing of First Rights only. If she had sold All Rights to this manuscript, she would have lost many thousands of dollars as later it became the most successful play of the season, and was published in book form under another title. When Ellis Parker Butler sold "Pigs is Pigs" as a short-story he had no idea that it would prove to be of great value in the form of a small book. I do not know what rights he parted with in selling his story to the magazine editor, but the examples are both in point-and both are very exceptional of course.

Some editors are willing to enter into a written agreement (and no agreements but written agreements are of any value) assuring the author of a percentage-say, 50%-of the net proceeds that may accrue to the publisher from the sale of a certain manuscript as a photoplay, as a play, or for second serial or syndicate uses. However, the magazine publisher or editor ought not to claim any portion of the proceeds from the Book Rights in a magazine manuscript, as they are usually regarded as being entirely separate from First Serial, or Magazine, Rights, and are the rightful natural possession of the author. As has been said, this point can only be covered by specific agreement, or by a stipulation by letter or receipt-form that only such and such rights are disposed of when the manuscript is sold to a magazine.

The question of copyright can be adjusted by arranging specifically with the publisher to copyright a certain manuscript, either in the name of the author or in the name of the publisher. In the latter

case, the publisher should agree to transfer the copyright to the author upon demand, for some nominal consideration. This is a simple process. However, it is not practicable to insist that a magazine publisher should copyright small and inconsequential material in the name of the author, as he would rather forego the privilege of purchasing that material than put himself to too much trouble, as may be readily understood. The usual process is for the publisher to copyright each separate issue of his magazine as a whole, and not the articles and stories individually.

The sum of the foregoing advice is that the author should exercise common sense in disposing of rights. In most cases it would be better to allow the publisher to have all rights than to forego the chance of a sale, but nearly all magazine publishers are disposed to be reasonable, and will agree to share any future profits that may arise from supplementary sales from a manuscript. The chief point is that author and publisher should clearly understand each other, without the author's losing his rights, yet without harassing the publisher by making unnecessary stipulations regarding a trifling matter, for in that case the young writer is likely to lose sales. No good can come from being bumptious.

Topical Index

This index does not re-state topically all the markets given in "Where and How to Sell Manuscripts" for an index of such proportions would be larger than the book itself. It is, however, expected to suggest markets in great variety, bringing them to mind more or less automatically, and rendering them readier of access. For this reason the headings are in the main specific instead of general. The general markets will be found easily enough by reason of the classifications of the book. That is, the taker of pictures would naturally look up the Photographic Markets Section for places to sell his prints; while the inventor of a new kink in taking care of typewriters would get a line on a market for his item by looking up "Typewriters" in the Topical Index, or he might look up "Efficiency Methods." would these, by any means, exhaust the possibilities.

Nor

Under no circumstances rely solely on information gleaned from this list. After you have found what seem to be likely markets for your work, look up these markets in the body of the book, and read exactly what is said of editorial requirements before sending out. Otherwise you may be misled. Under "Achievement Articles,"―a heading chosen for the sake of example-several markets are listed, but this does not mean that all these magazines are interested in the same sort of achievement.

Finally, a warning must be issued that market slants, especially where reflecting current conditions, are subject to sudden change. During the war, war stories were accepted by nearly all general periodicals. They soon became a drug on the market. Now that Prohibition has gone into effect, neither "wet" nor "dry" stories, nor articles will be long in demand. Above all things, commonsense must govern the sales operations of the writer.

British and foreign markets are excluded from this index.