Hodgson's novel The Night Land was published in England in 1912. At that time, copyright in the United States could not be obtained until the book was printed within the US. Hodgson was unable to find an American publisher for his 200,000-word novel. In order to ensure the copyright, he revised and abridged the novel, condensing it to 20,000 words. He then financed the printing himself through publisher R. Harold Paget, securing the US copyright.
Sources
Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd. p. 324.