August 15 Monday – In Elmira Sam had received a report from Frederick J. Hall and Charles Webster on the business. Sam replied and thanked them for the information, which he thought clear. He made some conclusions: a book had to sell 30,000 to gain half profits, 20,000 one-third at ten percent royalties. At 15,000 sales it could stand a 7 ½ percent profit, and a book selling only 10,000 would not be profitable under any terms. Sam recommended offering Joe Jefferson eight percent, and if they could do Sunset Cox over he would try him at that figure. Sam was afraid Cox’s book would not sell over 12,000, Joe’s at 20-15,000.
The highest royalty I ever got (while I was green), was 10 per cent.
Sam then turned to the Library of Humor and his “Yankee at Arthur’s Court” book:
Can you name the 15th of January with certainty, for the canvassing-books to be ready & the canvass to begin? And the 1st of April as the day of publication? Now whack me out an answer to these conundrums, Charley, & if yes, you can stir up Mr. Clark as soon as you please, & shove the book into the works.
The present book (I mean the “Yankee at King Arthur’s Court,”) will be finished by the end of the year; I allow myself time enough, because when we leave for Hartford I shall have but 500 pages of MS finished — just 1/3 of the book — & in H. I shall not have the uninterrupted rush that I secure to myself here. But it may never go to press; for it is a 100,000-copy book, if Huck Finn was a 50,000-copy book, & I shall wait until I see at least an 800,000-copy sale ahead before I publish. (You see, I went back and read my 350 pages of MS through, yesterday, & found out that I am making an uncommonly bully book — & am swelled up accordingly) [MTLTP 223-4].
Franklin G. Whitmore wrote two letters to Sam. In the first he wrote he’d received Sam’s of Aug 12 and telegraphed him this a.m. that the Beech Creek bonds were in the bank at Elmira; he’d received the draft for $3,175.85 and made deposit in the U.S. Bank. He advised Sam’s balance at Bissell’s bank was about $1,000; he could raise “3 or 4 thousand dollars on your Norfolk & Western R.R. bonds at the bank in case you should need the money quickly.” About two hours later, Whitmore wrote again that he’d just “rec’d” Sam’s “of the 13th,” and would “try to prevent any new idea of Paige’s from taking a money hold on you at Haynes St.” [MTP].
Theodore Frelinghuysen Seward wrote apologies to Sam for “having forced myself upon you as I have done” in the matter of his opinions on the “Tol-Sofa” vs. the Staff system of music. Sam wrote on the envelope, “ I seem to have choked off this bore at last” [MTP].
Check # Payee Amount [Notes]
3801 Baltimore & Ohio Tel Co 1.04
3802 A. Marwick Jr & co 120.00 Druggist