Pretty wow, if I say so myself-- since it isn't me. The Esquire requisition-- by Arnold Gingrich himself,-- to pay Thomas Pynchon for the Crying of Lot 49 excerpt.

[David Morris]

OK, so now you’ve provided some context for discussion of this $800
payment.  Not knowing publishing like you do, are these Esquire payments a
kind of fine or a settlement for publishing excerpts before the book’s
release?  Or are these things negotiated before article publishing?  Either
way, in today’s world does this practice still happen?  Any publicity of a
new novel would seem a gift in the state of today’s publishing world, no?

David Morris

On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 8:28 PM Tyler Wilson <tbsqrd at hotmail.com> wrote:

> The review slip and jacket state $3.95.
> —
> T



> On Aug 25, 2021, at 4:49 PM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> A little more of my book experience some might like to read.
>
> I cannot find the original price of the hardcover of The Crying of Lot 49.
> But given the year and small size, I'm going to judge it had to be under
> $10. (I have a shaky memory that i saw $7.95 on a library copy once. )
>
> Anyway, at 15% royalties, Tom would have to have sold @5830 copies to earn
> the amount of the Esquire excerpt.
>
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 3:35 PM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com<mailto:
> mark.kohut at gmail.com>> wrote:
> I am too much a fanboy but 1) I don't think any Pynchon scholars or few,
> have seen this document. Many don't know the terms (amount)
> and timing, I don't think. I, at least, never knew the amount, did you?
> Anyone, anyone?
>
> Inflation calculators show this $800 is equal to @$7000 today. ...Further
> on this guy's site---he saved these documents from the
> trash at Esquire and framed them......I say documents because there are
> three others, one a bit later in the 60's shows Ms Donadio
> getting a grand grand for Roth for an excerpt from what was not then
> entitled Portnoy's Complaint.
>
> I'll drop the wows. One man's wow is another guy's old news.
>
> Mark


> On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 1:23 PM David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com<mailto:
> fqmorris at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Oh.  So this is an ancient non-story?  A story that never was?  So much
> for that “wow.”  Mark is way too much a fan boy, and I don’t do Twitter.
>
> On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 1:08 PM Tyler Wilson <tbsqrd at hotmail.com<mailto:
> tbsqrd at hotmail.com>> wrote:
> Isn’t this clearly just the payment he received for the excerpt that
> appeared — pre-publication! — in the December 1965 Esquire issue. Seems
> pretty straight forward . . .
> —
> T
>
>
>
> > On Aug 25, 2021, at 9:51 AM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com<mailto:
> fqmorris at gmail.com>> wrote:
> >
> > It’s impossible to understand *anything* about this $800 payment w/o
> any context.  Like, was “fair use” violated, and, if so, how?  That would
> be my first question.
> >
> > David Morris
> >
> >> On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 12:45 PM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com
> <mailto:mark.kohut at gmail.com>> wrote:
> >>
> >> https://twitter.com/DanielTorday/status/1430549770146250754/photo/1
> >> --
> >> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> >>
> > --
> > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>