“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Jane was good, had been back from hydro since 11:00 again. Yesterday we’d received our copies of the Bantam paperback issue of The Nature of the Psyche, and I’d brought a book in to show Jane. She thought it was as terrible — as cheap and sensationalized — as I did. I hadn’t even gotten mad, I told her. I wanted a word from Seth on what our reactions should, or could, be, in light of yesterday’s session about living in the moment.

(I mentioned the three questions for Seth: 1. What does the staff at the hospital think of us? 2. How should we react to the Bantam cover situation? 3. My dream.

The Bantam cover in its own way offers in the most positive of ways, despite your natural objections to it … It suggests the most unfortunate sensationalism, of course, yet people attracted to it for that reason are precisely the people it is important to reach. The ideas in the book proper will quite change their negative, charged ideas of psychic activity in general.

(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.

(Pat called John unethical because he told Bantam that Pocket Books was interested in acquiring Seven. Bantam, who had the original option on Seven, then bid higher for the three projected Sevens than Pocket Books has so far—the latter has until this Wednesday to bid against Bantam’s $50,000 offer.

(Perhaps we should be flattered that the last we heard of the bidding saw Bantam making an offer to Prentice of $50,000 for the present Seven, plus the next two.... [...] We aren’t due to collect royalty money this month from Bantam, however, which means the original $35,000 isn’t eaten up yet by sales. [...]

[...] Bantam also wants Seth Material.)

Bantam is helping—but no one there would have had the guts to make any initial investment. What I have said however applies now to Bantam, as it did to Prentice in the beginning. [...]

You are lucky that Bantam was unable to use the exorcist type of publicity—and that is their idea at this point of how to handle such unconventional material. [...]

Bantam’s “Speaks” will do very well, and so ultimately will Seven. [...]

[...] See Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder’s Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain, (Bantam Books).

(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. [...]

There are some reincarnational connections involving Tam, but the overall important point is that in its way, Prentice has attempted to maintain the books’ integrity, and not made any effort to distort the message, to sensationalize it, as for example the Bantam covers, or to personally exploit Ruburt, yourself, or the situation. [...]

[...] Tells me a big shot at Bantam called liking God of Jane and inquiring about paperback rights, assures me our paperbacks are selling okay. [...]

[...] In the meantime Ruburt heard of the Bantam deal, and Eleanor was saying “Hold off,” without giving the reasons. [...]

[...] He was very afraid of losing a contract with Prentice for Aspects, and a Bantam contract, while waiting around for another arrangement. [...]

U try Bantam. [...]

[...] He is waiting for the Bantam check, which will come through. [...]

[...] Bantam and Pocket Books were interested in acquiring the first Seven. [...]

[...] The two Bantam sales, for example, Material and Seth Speaks, served purposes for you and Ruburt, and Prentice as well.

The Bantam (pocketbook) covers are a case in point. [...]

[...] (Long pause.) The Bantam photograph covers did displease him, but in a fashion he did not expect any more from the mass paperback situation. [...]

[...] Then Saturday we learned by mail that Bantam is about to contract for the paperback edition of Politics. [...]

[...] I was of course especially angry that they were world renowned while I thought Jane’s great abilities were largely unappreciated and ill paid for by Prentice, Bantam, etc. [...]