A prospective Little Blue Book title undergoes a severe scrutiny, and a
careful, critical consideration of its possible popularity. The initial
investment necessary to add a new title to the list is not justified
until the first edition is sold out, and this first edition must be
sold within a year of first publication. Such a requirement is beyond a
doubt not always easy to meet.
Writers should understand one or two things very clearly when
contemplating offering manuscript to the Little Blue Books. It is
not the aim or function of the Little Blue Book series to promulgate
original ideas. If you have written an essay on your own philosophy
of life, it is not a suitable manuscript for the Little Blue
Books--unless you are as famous as Thomas A. Edison or Luther Burbank,
and perhaps not even then. Theses which deal exhaustively with the
epithets of Percy Bysshe Shelley, or a critical analysis of the odd
conjunctival constructions to be found in Emerson (if there are any!),
or any similar work of scholarly scope but limited popular appeal,
are strictly taboo. Such a work merits publication--if it deserves
perpetuation in print--by publishers who can give the book suitable
blurbs and feature it in their lists for a few months, and then, if
necessary, forget it.
A Little Blue Book, when added to the list, is added in the hope that
it will remain there for the life of the series. Mistakes are made, and
titles are from time to time dropped. But these mistakes are fewer
than they used to be, and every effort is made to avoid making such
mistakes.
_Don’t_, therefore, dig out a pet manuscript that has been yellowing
among your papers for years, in the hope that it will make a Little
Blue Book! _Don’t_ rush through your life story, or reminiscences of
your childhood, or your solution of the social chaos, or your key to
the universe, in any hastily conceived hope that E. Haldeman-Julius
will grab it for a Little Blue Book--because he won’t do any such thing.
It is not the purpose of the Little Blue Books to provide a cheap means
of giving the work of obscure authors to a supposedly breathlessly
awaiting public. Little Blue Books are _never published at the author’s
expense_, so please don’t take the trouble to suggest it. If it is
unlikely that a title will sell sufficient copies to make it worth
while to keep it in print, the title will not be added to the list at
all. This is final. No amount of argument or financial persuasion can
change this policy.
Nor is it possible for the Haldeman-Julius Company to set up and print
booklets in Little Blue Book form for any individual. This comes under
the general head of job printing, and the Haldeman-Julius Company does
no job printing of any kind. It is impossible, due to the fact that
all the available machinery is constantly running to keep pace with
the world-wide demand for Little Blue Books and other Haldeman-Julius
publications.
To come back to the general principles governing the selection and
approval of future Little Blue Books, this series continually endeavors
to live up to its other more high-sounding name: The University in
Print. The present tendency of editorial selection is toward more books
of self-education and self-improvement. Too many books on one subject
are not wanted. Subjects that are not at present represented are likely
to be in demand--more about this, and how to find out about it, anon.
Treatment of specialized aspects of any subject is usually not desired.
Keep, so far as possible, to subjects of wide appeal. Anyone who has
read _The First Hundred Million_, by E. Haldeman-Julius, will have a
fairly clear idea of what this means. Further reprints, no matter how
well edited, of the classics are not desired at present. Anthologies of
poetry are not wanted, even though the poet is not already represented
in the series; original poetry is out of the question! Original fiction
is not desired, nor are collections of stories already published
wanted--except in a few instances, perhaps, when the work of a Fannie
Hurst or a Wilbur Daniel Steele may be added to round out the section
devoted to present-day well-known writers.
Literary criticism is at present in disfavor in the editorial sanctum
of the Little Blue Books. Critical surveys or literary outlines of any
kind are hardly likely to meet with approval. There are several titles
of this nature already in print, and they are apparently adequate to
the present demands of the reading public.
History is a classification that is rather sparse in the Little Blue
Book series. The right approach to the various phases of history
has perhaps not yet been hit upon. However, it is safe to say that
histories of various countries are not desired just now--the histories
of Mexico and Japan already in the list are not doing so well as
was hoped. The histories of the American Revolution, the American
Civil War, and the World War, are doing better than any of the other
historical titles. But with an _Outline of United States History_ and
_Lives of United States Presidents_ already in the list, United States
history is pretty well taken care of for the present.
Biography is well represented. Except for a few outstanding names
here and there--a biography of Charles Lindbergh has just been
added--further biographical titles are not desired. Of course, these
negative suggestions that I am setting down here may change at any
time, but it will be helpful, I think, for future Little Blue Book
writers to have some notion of what is not wanted immediately. They
will do much better to direct their efforts along the lines of
expansion that are at present strong. Obviously, much more chance of
acceptance lies in these desired directions. (For particulars of how to
find out whether a title is likely to be acceptable, see the section
following.)
Most of the aspects of modern science have been treated already.
Evolution is certainly adequately covered. Astronomy and physics are
pretty well represented. Maynard Shipley has been filling in some gaps
recently, so it is unlikely that further material of this nature will
be acceptable. On science, however, Mr. Haldeman-Julius has an open
editorial mind. If you think you have a good suggestion, it might be
well to submit it (read the following section to learn how to do this).
Psychology and psycho-analysis have been thoroughly covered by James
Oppenheim, Clement Wood, and Leo Markun. It is extremely unlikely that
further titles will be added dealing with these subjects, though it may
be that some important phase has been overlooked.
Various phases of the English language--spelling, grammar, vocabulary
and the like--are also thoroughly covered. What few remaining gaps
there may be have probably already been arranged for; even short-story
writing now has three or four different volumes devoted to it, which is
certainly sufficient for the present scope of the series.
Philosophy was done up brown, if I may put it that way, by Dr. Will
Durant some years ago. The philosophy classification is large enough
for all present demands of the reading public.
It is hardly necessary to say that religion, both for and against, is
comprehensively treated. Joseph McCabe has some fifty books on this
subject alone. Nothing further of this nature is desired.
It can thus be seen that certain very definite classifications have
been closed, at least for a while. Though an occasional title may
be added to these groups I have just mentioned, the chances are not
so good here as in some group which is poorly represented or not
represented at all. Subjects which are in demand, if suitable material
can be secured, are discussed at some length in a later section of this
book.