“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(In addition, I want to do what we can to get sales reports from Prentice-Hall re Bantam sales [which we know aren’t great], and from the Pocket Books/Fell fiasco. I plan to write the editor-in-chief at Pocket Books as soon as I find out his name and address, asking him for sales figures; we haven’t had a royalty report from Fell in a year. I want to ask Eleanor Friede for the name of a lawyer to see what can be done to get information from Fell. [She offered to help us that way several years ago, I think.] Perhaps Eleanor can advise us about Pocket Books names, also. Eleanor is also in Europe, by the way.

(Day before yesterday we received from Tam a copy of his memo to J. Nelson, P. Grenquist, and A. Freemyer; he’s checked the Dutch contract for Seth Speaks, and learned that it contained a clause prohibiting cutting. I’m using the memo as a basis for the letter I intend to start writing Grenquist tomorrow. At the same time I’ll be checking what portions of Seth Speaks were cut, and listing them.

As yourself, you were the observer of the conflict, which took place at the table where Ruburt’s conversations with you took place, and his conversations with Tam over the telephone. Obviously, you want to work in peace: you resent the intrusion of having to take the time to express anger or disappointment.

In a manner of speaking there is no Prentice, but a group of individuals in certain positions. The creator’s feeling toward his creative product—or hers—largely determines its development, its progress, its distribution, and so forth.

(9:56.) A note: Ruburt has felt oddly, since his body has been creatively changing, both the head and eye areas, neck and knees. The knees are beginning to work more properly, and slowly beginning to mimic and adopt a more natural walking posture. The steps he has taken without putting his full weight on the table, for example, are highly important. He should look for that impulse each time he walks with the table.

The entire body is really being worked upon, with resulting looseness of tensions that become more apparent at certain points. Both of you try—try (whispering) to disconnect your creative work from the practical considerations of contracts, and have Ruburt play with his own book. He will find the results of such play excellent.