“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(I’d received a letter from Tam yesterday, but Jane had trouble reading it after lunch. [...]

[...] I call Tam, saying I won’t do any shows. [...]

(About the letter business: Yesterday Jane had called Tam, and learned to our complete surprise that last August Pocket Books had published a paperback edition of the second Seven book: The Further Education, etc. [...]

[...] Jane’s editor, Tam Mossman, hasn’t seen any of her new book yet, although he’s well acquainted with it through a series of lengthy telephone exchanges. [...]

[...] Sue has a few chapters to go, plus some appendix material, and Tam is due to receive her manuscript in January 1980. [...]

[...] And therein lies another reason for our somber moods: Our dear friend and editor, Tam Mossman, almost certainly will not see Dreams through the publishing process. Tam has grown restless; he needs a change; he plans to leave Prentice-Hall.⁵

5. Jane has worked with Tam ever since he encouraged her to write The Seth Material 13 years ago; that book was published a year later, in 1970. One of Tam’s many generous acts was his initiating our contact with officials at Yale University Library just over three years ago. [...]

[...] All of the reasons had to do with Eleanor and Rich Bed, and Adventures, Tam, Jane’s feelings of being cut off by Eleanor and Dick, etc. [...]

(A hassle began developing last Thursday, involving Pat Golbitz at Pocket Books, Grace Bechtold at Bantam, and Tam, John Nelson, and Jane at Prentice-Hall. [...] There’s no need to go into all the complicated details here; it’s enough to say that the photos Bantam used in Seth Speaks were involved, especially the cover shot of Jane; as well as bids for Oversoul Seven between Pocket Books and Bantam; Jane’s fears that she’d end up committed for two more Seven books she hasn’t written yet; and various misunderstandings concerning ethics, expired option, and an offer to Jane to go to work for Simon & Schuster-Pocket Books, and to take Tam with her.

(Today Jane heard from Tam that Prentice-Hall had signed a contract with a Dutch publisher for a translation of Seth Speaks into that language. [...] Tam told Jane that at our request he’d checked with John Nelson, who in turn had checked the contract with the Swiss publisher, to the effect that the German-language translation of Seth Speaks is definitely not to be cut, as that particular publisher had wanted to do a couple of years ago. [...]

[...] We expect to have the book ready for our editors, Tam Mossman and Lynne Lumsden, by the end of the year.

[...] Even today, the day after this deleted session was held, I received a call from Tam at Prentice-Hall, wanting to know about cutting the length of the book. [...]

Now let me list some of those I know personally, and who have helped Jane and her work so much: Tam Mossman, Richard Kendall and Suzanne Delisle, Sue Watkins, Debbie Harris, Laurel Davies, Janet Mills, Lynda Dahl and Stan Ulkowski, Bob Terrio, Norman Friedman, Jeff Marcus, Juan Schoch, Michael Goode. [...]

(I did want the situation resolved, however, because I could see it drifting toward a larger hassle with Tam and publicity at Prentice-Hall. [...]

[...] Tam hinted some time ago that additional ads and advertising to that effect would probably take place. [...]

[...] I’d stopped at the post office to mail Tam the set of page proofs for Seven that Bill O’Hearn had sent us, along with a copy of Bill’s letter re bound copies of page proofs for Seven. [...]

Jane’s editor, Tam Mossman, who graduated from Yale, helped us contact officials at Sterling Memorial a year ago (in December 1978). [...]

Our editor, Tam Mossman, has verified for us that the contract between Prentice-Hall and Ankh-Hermes contains a clause prohibiting cutting, unless Jane’s and my permission is given. [...] Tam has begun work on a contractual amendment designed to prevent more such confusions. [...]

[...] This morning Jane received Tam Mossman’s agreement to act as literary executor.

(Tam has rejected Stefan Schindler’s book on Seth – he did so last week—so this morning Jane called Eleanor Friede to see if she wanted to examine the work. [...]

[...] Jane called her editor at Prentice-Hall, Tam Mossman, who had no knowledge of the Dutch Seth Speaks being marketed either; he’s to check with Ankh-Hermes and let us know. [...]

[...] So with the help of our editor, Tam Mossman, and others at Prentice-Hall, the decision was made to publish Dreams in two volumes. [...]

(The 706th session was held as scheduled last Wednesday night, and our guest, Tam Mossman, did witness it — but since Seth didn’t come through with any dictation for “Unknown” Reality during the session, it’s hereby deleted.

[...] At least, Tam doesn’t want us putting it in the mail until after the Christmas rush is over.)