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Andrew Chatto
Andrew Chatto (11 November 1840 – 15 March 1913) was an English book publisher known for his role in the book publishing company Chatto & Windus.
Chatto – known throughout his life as "Dan" – was born on 11 November 1840 at 55 Pratt Street, Camden Town, London, third of five sons and three daughters of the author William Andrew Chatto (1799–1864) and Margaret Roberts (c. 1804 – April 1852), daughter of Luke Birch, of Cornhill, London. Aged 15, he joined the book-selling business of John Camden Hotten, beginning as a "runner" at book auctions. Hotten had opened a small bookshop at London at 151b Piccadilly the year before Chatto joined the firm; Hotten diversified into publishing, with Chatto learning the trade alongside him.
Hotten died suddenly in 1873, and Chatto bought the firm from his widow for £25,000. The money came from William Edward Windus (1828–1910), the partnership being therefore named Chatto & Windus. Windus was a silent partner, leaving the business decisions to Chatto and living for some of the time on the Isle of Man. The two men had probably met when Hotten published Windus's first volume of verse in 1871.
When Chatto took over from Hotten, there were a number of legacy problems, resulting in part from Hotten's somewhat shady business practices. In particular, Hotten had alienated the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne by paying him little if any of the profits from the publication of his Poems and Ballads, which had sold well. Chatto mended fences by sending Swinburne a cheque for £50 and a formal request to publish his work. Chatto subsequently published Swinburne's Bothwell.
The biographer Catherine Peters contrasted Chatto who was "not only an active and successful publisher, but an honest one", compared with Hotten, "who was something of a rogue". Hotten had spent years in the United States and knew more about American literature than any other publisher in London. He made ruthless use of this knowledge to pirate works by American authors, as few had taken any steps to copyright their work in England.
One of the Hotten's victims was Mark Twain, but Chatto managed to establish good relations with him and they became good friends. Despite his speech, Chatto enjoyed very good relations with Mark Twain. Chatto worked his charm with other authors also, and Robert Louis Stevenson said: "If you don't know that you have a good author, I know I have a good publisher. Your fair, open and handsome dealings are a good point in my life, and do more for my crazy health than has yet been done by any doctor."
In 1876, Chatto brought in Percy Spalding to help him manage the firm. Spalding was much more of a financial manager than a literary man, so Chatto was left to decide editorial matters himself.
During the 1880s, Chatto was determined to make his firm the leading publisher of novels in London, and set out to dramatically increase their list. He bought the rights to the existing works of popular novelists such as Ouida and Wilkie Collins, and then reprinting them in cheap editions. He bought the remaining stock and copyrights of Henry George Bohn for £20,000, which expanded the range and type of books that he published. His strategy was to dramatically increase the firm's share of the novel market, and be the first choice for novelists. He certainly won the good will of writers.
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Andrew Chatto
Andrew Chatto (11 November 1840 – 15 March 1913) was an English book publisher known for his role in the book publishing company Chatto & Windus.
Chatto – known throughout his life as "Dan" – was born on 11 November 1840 at 55 Pratt Street, Camden Town, London, third of five sons and three daughters of the author William Andrew Chatto (1799–1864) and Margaret Roberts (c. 1804 – April 1852), daughter of Luke Birch, of Cornhill, London. Aged 15, he joined the book-selling business of John Camden Hotten, beginning as a "runner" at book auctions. Hotten had opened a small bookshop at London at 151b Piccadilly the year before Chatto joined the firm; Hotten diversified into publishing, with Chatto learning the trade alongside him.
Hotten died suddenly in 1873, and Chatto bought the firm from his widow for £25,000. The money came from William Edward Windus (1828–1910), the partnership being therefore named Chatto & Windus. Windus was a silent partner, leaving the business decisions to Chatto and living for some of the time on the Isle of Man. The two men had probably met when Hotten published Windus's first volume of verse in 1871.
When Chatto took over from Hotten, there were a number of legacy problems, resulting in part from Hotten's somewhat shady business practices. In particular, Hotten had alienated the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne by paying him little if any of the profits from the publication of his Poems and Ballads, which had sold well. Chatto mended fences by sending Swinburne a cheque for £50 and a formal request to publish his work. Chatto subsequently published Swinburne's Bothwell.
The biographer Catherine Peters contrasted Chatto who was "not only an active and successful publisher, but an honest one", compared with Hotten, "who was something of a rogue". Hotten had spent years in the United States and knew more about American literature than any other publisher in London. He made ruthless use of this knowledge to pirate works by American authors, as few had taken any steps to copyright their work in England.
One of the Hotten's victims was Mark Twain, but Chatto managed to establish good relations with him and they became good friends. Despite his speech, Chatto enjoyed very good relations with Mark Twain. Chatto worked his charm with other authors also, and Robert Louis Stevenson said: "If you don't know that you have a good author, I know I have a good publisher. Your fair, open and handsome dealings are a good point in my life, and do more for my crazy health than has yet been done by any doctor."
In 1876, Chatto brought in Percy Spalding to help him manage the firm. Spalding was much more of a financial manager than a literary man, so Chatto was left to decide editorial matters himself.
During the 1880s, Chatto was determined to make his firm the leading publisher of novels in London, and set out to dramatically increase their list. He bought the rights to the existing works of popular novelists such as Ouida and Wilkie Collins, and then reprinting them in cheap editions. He bought the remaining stock and copyrights of Henry George Bohn for £20,000, which expanded the range and type of books that he published. His strategy was to dramatically increase the firm's share of the novel market, and be the first choice for novelists. He certainly won the good will of writers.
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