In 1803 Austen sold the manuscript of 'Susan' (early 'Northanger Abbey') to publisher Crosby & Co., but it was never printed.
In 1803, Jane Austen's manuscript for the novel Susan was sold to the London publishing firm Crosby & Co. for £10, through the agency of her brother Henry. This marked the first time one of Austen's novels was formally purchased by a publisher.
Despite the sale, Crosby & Co. never printed the book. The manuscript languished unpublished for years, a frustrating outcome for Austen, who reportedly wrote to the publisher under a pseudonym in 1809 inquiring about its fate, only to be told she could repurchase the rights if she wished the novel published elsewhere.
This episode is historically significant as an early, tangible instance of commercial recognition of Austen's writing—someone in the publishing trade saw enough merit to pay for the manuscript—yet it also illustrates the precarious and often disappointing realities of authorship for women in the early nineteenth century, when publishers held enormous power and authors had little recourse.
Austen (or her family) eventually repurchased the manuscript around 1816. The novel was extensively revised and, following Austen's death, was published posthumously in 1818 as Northanger Abbey, finally reaching the readership it had been denied for fifteen years.