“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Now: about Prentice. I do not want to lay stress upon any negative effects, but to explain differences of opinion and behavior. The initial relationship began some time ago, of course, and in a fashion had its own background as far as Ruburt was concerned. When he wrote short stories, for example, he was forced to search for a publisher for each one—a magazine. He learned to deal with the various editors by mail. He sold most of his stories to Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine when Boucher was the editor.

Later editors did not see eye to eye with him about his work. He learned that his work must be sold in the marketplace if he wanted to continue writing. He tried unsuccessfully to publish several novels. (Long pause.) When Frederick Fell took the ESP book he was delighted. In a fashion Fell represented the next step upward from, say, pulp magazines. On the other hand, Fell did not go for the next projects that he either offered or had in mind—nor did Ace Books, who fell into the same category.

He considered Prentice-Hall a further excellent step upward, a reputable-enough publisher. Tam as editor did not go for his first—or that is, Ruburt’s first presentation, however, but suggested the book that ended up as The Seth Material.

(Long pause at 9:07.) In many ways Tam and Ruburt got along quite well, even though Tam was a good deal younger, where before Ruburt’s editors had been people a good deal older than he. When the book was done Ruburt began another, along with several different attempts. Dreams, Astral Projection and ESP, I believe was to be the title. Ruburt signed for the book but had difficulty with his presentation, and it represented his indecisions, so Tam respectfully at first suggested large alterations.

(Richard Bach and his editor, Eleanor Friede, who witnessed the 618th session for September 28, 1972. [...]

Ruburt did exceedingly well, considering: his reaction (smiling) to a new “big” (in quotes) editor. [...]

(Tam Mossman, Jane’s editor at Prentice-Hall, is to visit us tomorrow.)

[...] He was also not rigid in his ideas, however, and sensed the importance of the material, and as a young editor impressed his boss by his own enthusiasm. [...]

[...] Editor expressing really terrific interest in The Material. [...] I was sort of appalled at the lost work in the Dream manuscript but realized Rob has been right along; and the editor was right. [...]

[...] Many years ago his experience with different editors, in his short-story publishing days, led him to see that a story that hit one editor might not hit another, that his work would be much more easily accepted by some editors than others, and that some, it seemed, regardless of long enthusiastic letters, would not buy a thing. [...]

[...] Just now, reading a letter from the editor of an occult journal I found myself mentally responding in James vein, saying: I am somewhat judicious, and therefore waited before responding”—and suddenly I saw—that I WAS SOMEWHAT JUDICIOUS—I AM SOMEWHAT JUDICIOUS and in my mind I’ve thought that I was if anything overly spontaneous and therefore to be watched lest my spontaneity contradict my “reason” as if on my own I had no “judiciousness”—and not seeing in fact that the symptoms were the result of —over-judiciousness. [...]

[...] She knew what she had said about the book, under consideration at Ace Books, where Don Wollheim is editor-in-chief, and was at once concerned about distorting material, etc. [...]

[...] The editor in charge of psychic books was not available; her assistant told Jane a report on the book hadn’t been delivered yet. [...]

(Don was delighted to learn about the sale of the Seth material to Prentice-Hall, and urged Jane to stress this sale to the dream book editor, Evelyn Grippo, in the letter he suggested Jane write.

[...] These contacts will grow out of our seeing the following people: Don Wollheim, an editor Jane has previously published with; her present publisher, Frederick Fell; Eileen Garrett; and Dick Roberts, a senior editor at Dell Books with whom Jane has published. [...]

[...] 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. [...]

(On the same day we received the letter from Holland, Jane also heard from Eleanor Friede, her editor at Delacorte Press: Eleanor sent the first color proof of the jacket design for Emir. [...]

[...] Janet Mills, the publisher and editor for the new editions of Jane’s books, suggested that I write a bit about the situation. [...]

[...] So is Tam Mossman, Jane’s editor at Prentice-Hall. [...]

[...] A woman was mentioned as influencing a sale; Jane’s editor, Mara Thomases, is a woman. She was not editor when the manuscript was submitted to F. Fell.

(Timothy is Timothy Foote, book editor of Time Magazine, who interviewed Jane last Friday, October 13, concerning a cover story on Richard Bach, etc.)

[...] It was a long letter, and the editor asked to see more of Jane’s work. She met this editor some years ago. [...]

(Seth stated that the editors at Cosmo would be interested, and that in answer to Jane’s query, which would consist of a chapter from her ESP book plus a letter outlining her ideas on adapting it for the magazine, they would send a letter of interest. [...] The editors would ask for some changes. [...]

[...] With a little urging Jane, a little self-consciously, asked Seth about what kind of a reception such a query would get from the editors at Cosmo, whether they would buy such an article, etc.

(This past week Jane learned the editor of Topper magazine that they had bought a short story of hers, The Mission. [...]

[...] Our Associate Editor, Mr. Charles Chintala, will be in touch with you soon regarding this material.

[...] Possibly Richard Bach and his editor, Eleanor Friede, were involved. [...]

[...] Dick and his editor want to visit us September 19. [...]

[...] I plan to send their proposal and letter to Lynne Lumsden, our editor at Prentice-Hall.

[...] That is, if an editor changed your copy you would be annoyed, but reproduction, you fear, can change the copy of a photograph or a painting if it is not done properly. [...]

To say that my editor was surprised by the first eight chapters of my ESP book is putting it mildly. [...]

[...] If I’d played down Seth’s importance and concentrated on some of the other experiments that were also proving successful, then the book would have a very good chance, the editor told me. [...]

Finally, though the editor was for the book, his publisher turned it down. [...]

(A couple of days ago Jane received from Tam a letter written to Tam by Saul Cohen, the editor at Prentice-Hall who’s evidently been assigned to shepherd Jane’s work through production. [Tam is still her regular editor.] In the letter Cohen had good things to say about her work, and the chances that Prentice-Hall will publish Seven III, the first five chapters of which Tam has forwarded to Prentice-Hall. [...]

The man at Prentice-Hall (Tam Mossman, an assistant editor), simply overstepped, as you both suspect. [...]

[...] (Cecile Grossman was an editor at Prentice-Hall then.) Mossman has an uncle, I believe, of whom he is fond, or was fond. [...]