To D. L. Chambers [Letter 126]

January 23, 1944 

Mr. D. L. Chambers
The Bobbs-Merrill Company
Indianapolis, Indiana

Dear Mr. Chambers: 

Thank you for your letter and the Literary Guild ad which you sent me. I was very happy to see the ad—I think it will help our sales.    

I am sorry that I cannot tell you for certain when I will finish “The Moral Basis of Individualism”. I will try to have it done by April—if my screen work will be finished in time for that, but I cannot promise it, because I have no way of telling how long Warner Brothers will need me on the picture. You must realize what a tremendous job it is to condense “The Fountainhead” into a screen play. It is more than a full-time job, and I can do no other writing until it is finished. 

I trust I am not letting you down, since I am still working indirectly for Bobbs-Merrill. A good picture will help the sale of “The Fountainhead” tremendously—and that is much more important for me, as well as for you, than a new book. “The Fountainhead” has sold well, but not yet as well as it could and should, so I will not rest until I have done everything that is in my power to put into top sales as, I think, it deserves.    

Besides, any publicity or reputation acquired by “The Fountainhead” will help the sale of my next book. So I feel that the delay will not hurt it. But, of course, I will get to it the very first moment I can.

With my best regards,

Sincerely yours,

AYN RAND