A little publishing history
1. Austen first wrote this novel beginning in late summer or early fall of 1798. The main character's name was originally Susan. She sold the novel, as Susan, in 1803 for 10 pounds, but the publisher then held it and refused to publish it. In 1807, the publisher offered to let her buy it back, but Austen couldn't afford the 10 pounds. Yes, really.
2. In 1916, after the publication of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma, all of which were published anonymously and were well-received, Austen's brother Henry had his agent (a word which here means "man of business") buy it back. Once the manuscript had been safely retrieved, Henry Austen made sure that the publisher, Crosby & Co., knew what they'd missed out on.
3. In 1816, Austen revised the novel a bit, changing the heroine's name to Catherine and likely adding some indirect discourse, particularly in General Tilney's scenes (we're not there yet). She stuck it in a drawer, writing to a niece that the book had been shelved.
4. Austen died in July of 1817; had she lived longer, she would decidedly have done much more revision on Catherine (as she called the book) before putting it out. It was published posthumously, along with Persuasion. The names of both of her "final novels" were selected by Henry Austen, her brother. The income from the books went to Austen's sister, Cassandra.
