WRITE ON!

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01350R000200020002-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Sequence Number: 2
• Content Type: MAGAZINE (OPEN SOURCE)

Approved For Release 2006/f11? EIA-RDP88-0
13JUL1970
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Write On!
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At first meeting, it seems like a highly
peculiar publishing partnership. On one
side, the shrillest and angriest voices of
the New Left-eager to drag down the
capitalist system. On the other, New
York City's oldest and most distinguished
book publishers-equally eager to drive
up corporate dividends. And yet, despite
what seem to be diametrically opposed
aims, the two sides are joining together
in a flourishing new industry: publishing
the progress of the "revolution" for mutu-
al profit.
Over the past few years, major pub-
lishers have added to their lists of re-
spected establishment authors such
names as Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Scale,
H. Rap Brown, Abbic Hoffman and Jerry
Rubin. More recently, in the aftermath
of the Chicago conspiracy trial and amid
the growing interest in women's libera-
tion, publishers are gearing up for large
press runs of some two dozen radical
new titles, including Tom Hayden's "The
Trial" (a defendant's analysis of the
events in judge Hoffman's courtroom),
Kate Millctt's "Sexual Politics" (a treatise
on anti-feminism in literature) and Diane
Schulder and Florynce Kennedy's "Abor-
tion Rap" (personal testimonies of women
caught in the abortion morass).
More than anything else, perhaps, the
unusual alliance between the revolution-
aries and the publishers results from the
rise of a new group of radical, young edi-
tors determined to pry open the doors of
their publishing houses and admit the
Movement. Among them are Danny
Moses, 34, an eloquent and long-haired
senior editor at Simon and Schuster who
edited Jerry Rubin's anarchist tract "Do
Itl"; Joyce Johnson, also 34, a senior
editor at McGraw-Hill who chased down
Abbie Hoffman three years ago and
talked him into writing "Revolution for
the Hell of It" and has just edited "Abor-
tion Rap"; Random House senior editor
John Simon, 35, who has edited Black
Panther Bobby Scale's autobiography,
"Seize The Time," and 27-year-old Ran-
dom House senior 'editor Christopher
Ccrf, who edited Abbie Hoffman 's
"Woodstock Nation" and is perhaps the
most influential of the Movements fifth
column-at least partly because his fa-
ther is Random House board chairman
Bennett Cerf.
"Publishers used to take a self-limiting
attitude," says young Cerf, a former edi-
tor of the Ilarvard Lampoon. "They'd
say, 'Young people don't read that much
so we won't publish a lot of stuff that
would be of interest, primarily to the
young.' And, of course, that attitude was
self-fulfilling. . Fortunately, the houses
have conic to realize that kids do love to
read." Some of publishing's older hands
contend that what the kids really love to
do is buy such books, perhaps as much to
carry around as badges of mcmbershi,) as
Christopher Ccrf
to read. Sales, at any rate, have been
impressive. In two years Cleaver's "Soul
on Ice" has sold more than 1.4 million
copies and Rubin's "Do It!" has sold
200,000 just since last spring..
Smash: A fat part of the profits, of
course, ends up supporting the revolu-
tion. Rubin got a $10,000 advance from
Simon and Schuster for "Do It!" and will
receive a much larger, although undis-
closed, advance on a second book now
McGraw-Hill has reported-
in the works
.
ly offered Eldridge Cleaver a $350,000 and a pencil and legal pact in the other
advance for a sequel to "Soul on Ice," ' -none other than Abbie Hoffman. "That's
which will, among other things, explain not my son," Cerf sputtered. "That's not
Judw he jumped parole and slipped out my son." Abbie looked up, grinned and
of the U.S. into Cuba and then into Al- said, "Ili Dad."
geria. Abbie.Hoffman has earned about That bit of mischief was forgivable,
$50,000 from his first two tomes, "Revo- perhaps, but now Hoffman is about to
lution" and , "Woodstock Nation," and make a statement that the publishing
has reportedly received another $25,000 industry may finally find too much. For
for the movie rights to "Revolution." "I his next put-on literary performance,
give the money to needy projects," says Hoffman and yippie comrade Izak. Haber
Hoffman, "like the Panthers and Al are putting together a tract with the in-
Fatah, But I don't want to get pegged as viting title, "Steal This Book." But despite
a philanthropist. I 'just want to smash the obvious risks, several publishers have
the state. We're ripping off the Estab- already offered five-figure bids for the
lishment, using them to promote the ;rights.
revolutionary consciousness." The irony of it all has not escaped the
publishers, but ironies-especially ide-
ological ones-are hardly the stuff on
which the business bases its editorial)
decisions. As for the radical writers, the
message needs the medium. "These pco-
ple want to be heard," says Simon and I
Schuster's Moses, "and it's like do you!
prefer to have your work run off on a
mimeograph machine and passed out on,
the street corner or printed up with!
200,000 copies sent on( ;i'.I over the na-;
Lion, The writers are simply following a ! Rear v.
pattern established by other radical, um-' ---~
derground artists, like the .rock groups.
The Jefferson Airplane, for example, re-
cords on RCA, which is the 23rd largest y
Approved For Release 2006/11/17: CIA-RDP88-01350R000200020002-0
Danny Moses
defense contractor in the United States."
Occasionally, however, the alliance
doe's show signs of strain. While Bennett
Ccrf was escorting a distinguished wom-
an guest through Random House's new
steel and glass building in midtown
Manhattan recently, he decided, on the
spur of the moment, . to stop off at
Christopher's office and introduce the
guest. Ccrf opened the door and saw-.
suspicious-looking cigarette in one hand