Practical authorship. A work designed to afford writers an insight into certain technical, commercial and financial aspects of the profession of letters as followed by the general writer for current publications

Contents

Page.

Chapter I. - - - - 1

Literary Beginnings — Preparation for Literary Work — The Writer's Relations with Editors — Short Story and Verse Writers — The Many Avenues for Literary Employment — Studying the Varied Needs of Publications — Why Manuscripts are Rejected — Causes of Failure — Editing one's own Mss.

Chapter II. 19

Literature as a Profession — Industry and Business Acumen Needful for Success — -Practice Perfects — The Mind Developed and Strengthened by Application — Writing for Practice — Study for Condensation — Models for Style— What Writers Should Read— The Matter More Important than the Manner — Hours for Work — The Writer his own Editor.

CHAPTER III. - . . u

Editors the Friends of Writers — Their Conside - ation for new Aspirants — Help Editors by Doing your Work Properly — How to Prepare li CONTENTS

Page. and Send your Ms. — Don't Send Needless Letters — Type Copy is Preferred — The Nom-de-plume — Don't Presume on Editors.

Chapter IV. - - - 59

Tools of the Craft — Studying the Dictionary — List of Valuable Text Books — Keeping Clippings for Reference — Scrap Books — Note Books — Files of Journals — The Subject Book.

Chapter V. - - - - 75

A Stepping Stone — The Training Valuable for Future Literary Work — Newspaper English — The Newspaper a Daily Magazine — Division of Labor — Necessary Qualities for a Reporter — How to Write a News Story — Valuable Knowledge and Acquaintance — Famous Correspondents — Compensation — The Reporter's Field — Examples of Reportorial Work.

Chapter VI. 91

The Short Story— Model Short Stories— The New Writer Welcome — Qualities of the Successful Short Story — Love Stories Always Popular — Action — Length — Sad Stories not Desired — "True Stories" not Good Fiction — Rapid or Slow Composition — Fashions in Fiction — Statements of Publishers' Needs — Timeliness in Fiction.

CONTENTS in

Page.

Chapter XIV. - - . - 185

Juvenile Work — Sometimes Considered as Good Practice — Talent Required to Produce Good Work — Leading Juvenile Publications — The Class of Material Used by Them — Other Fields for Juvenile Work — List of Publications.

CONTENTS v

Page.

Chapter XV 204

The English Literary Market — American Writers for English Journals — A Wide Field for Good Material — Obtain and Study English Journals — A List of Publications that Pay for Contributions — The Matter of Postage .

(The following short chapters, XVI to XXVII inclusive, are editorials written by the author for his journal at various times; and are given place here as they seem to carry in condensed form just the information that writers would seek under these heads.)

XVI Choosing a Market 212

XVII The Typewriter 217

XVIII . Preparing Copy 223

XIX The Question of Timeliness 226

XX Sydicates 232

XXI The Ethics of Postage 236

XXII A Neglected Field 239

XXIII Articles of Information 242 XXVI The Literary Critic 245

XXV The Value of Work 248

XXVI The Profession of Authorship 254

XXVII The Writer of Travel 265 *XXVIII Song Words and Hymn Writing 271 XXIX Don'ts For Writers 285

"■Contributed by Prof. Will Earhart.

BY-vs ®

JAMES KNAPP REEVE.

Vawder's Understudy : A study in Platonic Affection. Cloth. 16 mo. 75c.

U A clever book A bright, able, readable book."

— Cincinnati ComT— Tribune.

The Three Richard Whalens. Cloth, 16 mo. 75c- 44 As good a story of adventure as one would care to

read The English is excellent, and the reader

is carried along with a swing that is commendable.

The description of the battle with the pirates

is an excellent piece of work, as good in its way as Anthony Hope's famous description of the fight for the King's life in the Castle at Zenda."

—Post-Express, Rochester, N. Y.

CHAPTER I. At the threshold

LITERARY BEGINNINGS PREPARATION FOR LITERARY

WORK THE WRITER'S RELATIONS WITH EDITORS

SHORT STORY AND VERSE WRITERS THE

MANY AVENUES FOR LITERARY EMPLOYMENT

STUDYING THE VARIED NEEDS OF PUBLICATIONS

WHY MANUSCRIPTS ARE REJECTED CAUSES

OF FAILURE EDITING ONE'S OWN MSS.

Thorough preparation for literary work is most desirable; but how few, in determining to enter upon a literary career, give to this any thought or attention. The young man or woman just out of school, the woman of fashion, the weary housewife, the professional man or the man of business, may conclude that he or she possesses undev eloped literary talent, and forthwith prepares to enter the arena. We say "prepares," but rather the entry into the arena is without preparation of any sort. The tyro does not understand why he is not as competent to write for editors and for the public as Jones, who appears to be successful in that line, whom he knows well and is very certain is no smarter than himself. That point

Literature

to be studied

as a

profession.

The

literary worker

and

the editor.

of view may be correct, but lie overlooks the fact that Jones has served an apprenticeship of many years. The beginner should ask himself if he is willing to do the same, and if not, would better resign his literary ambitions at once.

When the time arrives that men and women, who wish to become writers will look upon the idea exactly as they would upon that of becoming a blacksmith, or an artist, or an opera singer, there will be fewer incompetents knocking at editorial doors. When they realize that training is all important, that success is to be expected only after this training, and as the result of concentrated effort and experience; that any other success is phenomenal and unusual; and that this course pursued with great patience, allied to some amount of inherent aptitude and ability will bring a measure of success, then writing will be a less sad business all around.

That a literary worker is upon an especial^ high and isolated plane of intellectual life, separate from and above all those whose professions have called them into other paths for their life work, is a false idea; and the earlier in a writer's career that his mind becomes freed from such an impression the better will he fare in his intercourse with the

Manuscripts

are merchandise.

world in general — and with editors in particular.

And here at the outset we strike the key-note of our whole subject— The Editor! — for it is the editor, in general and in particular, who must be considered at the very beginning by one embarking upon the career of a writer for the press. Make a study of the editor and his needs, make it the business of your life to understand them, and you will at least have entered on the right road.

That manuscript which to its author represents a labor of love and the inspiration of genius is among editors a purely commercial commodity. A literary publication, to succeed, must have: First, reading matter, for which it must pay. Second, advertisements, for which it is paid. Now here is an example in cause and effect. The circulation of the magazine will depend on the interest the public takes in the reading matter; and the advertising will depend upon the circulation so acquired. Therefore, it is the object of every editor to set forth a table of contents that will appeal to the largest possible constituency. If jour stor}^ or poem or essay will help him toward this end, then he wants it and is willing to make you due compensation. If it will not help him toward this end he does not want it, at any price nor under any circumstances. There you have the whole thing in a nut-shell. Its value depends upon how much he thinks it will profit his publication. Of course he may err in his judgment, but he is very likely to know much more about it than you do, or than can any man whose experience has not been acquired in an editorial chair. It is well to realize also that the law of supply and demand governs the manuscript market, as it does the market for every other article of commerce, whether the product of genius or of brawn. One publication in the United States is said to receive 15,000 manuscripts annually. It can use at the The law of most two hundred and fifty. Another supply receives about the same number, some

fifty manuscripts daily. Its monthly issues contain an average of less than thirty articles; hence there remains daily an over supply of at least forty-eight contributions which, regardless of merit, must be returned to their authors. Not wholly regardless of merit, either! The fact may be accepted that the really poor material is certain to go back. All the other has a chance. The better one has made his work, the better its and demand.

Plan chance for being one of the two accepted out of the fifty.

We have known young writers, or rather those who are ambitious to become writers, but are not yet quite in the ranks, to ask editors what they should write about! Editors do not care in the least what you shall write about. If you are not sufficiently impelled toward some one thing, some one your own" work ceirtra l thought or idea, some one branch of literary work to take that up and study it, and evolve from it something of consequence, you would better not attempt to write at all. If you have a distinct trend toward any line of thought, and can express yourself clearly thereupon in good form, then jonr work is indicated plainly enough.

As a rule, letters of the sort indicated above, are not answered. They signify that the writer has no conception of what literary work really is, no training, no ideas, and not very much com- The mon-sense. It is not the business of

editor's an editor to select topics and give them

business. ou ^ as a SC tt 00 i mas ter may to his class

in composition; but it is his business to examine that which is offered, and select such as best meets the needs of his publication.

The average young writer inclines first

Fiction

and poetry

the lines toward

which young writers

incline.

toward fiction. The short story has more devotees than all other lines of literary effort combined; but it is also worth noting that the short story fills a considerable space in the great majority of periodicals. Yet while avenues for the publication of the short story are practically unlimited, the offerings of such material are always greatly in excess of editors' needs. The really good short story is constantly in demand, and it may safely be asserted that the writer who can produce such is assured of a hearing; but poor short stories deluge every editorial office in the country; and if you can only do the poor or mediocre story you would better let it entirely alone.

Next to story writers in number stand the poets. Verses, we will not dignify them by the name of poetry, are a nuisance in the offices of all classes of publications. Silly, senseless, imperfect rhyming, sent out by would-be poets who do not understand the first elements of prosody, and who are too ignorant of their attempted vocation even to be able to qualify themselves by study, make up the vast bulk of these offerings. Far better would it be to consign all such effusions to the waste-basket, rather than squander postage and needlessly trouble editors. But that there is a demand for good verse, as for all other good literary material, is true, and in another place we shall recur again and at more length to this subject.

The avenues into which the young writer may direct his talents, provided he has versatility as well as ability, are almost beyond number. A few of them The many may be indicated as follows: avenues for the The agricultural press offers the widest writer. scope for writers who understand the

processes of skilled husbandry, of horticulture, of floriculture, or who are familiar with any of the aspects of rural life. The student of natural history has for his field almost every journal in the country, for there are few editors who are not alert to place before their readers informing articles upon the wonders of the universe. One who understands the use of tools, who knows how ores are mined and smelted, how leather is tanned, how cotton is ginned and baled and pressed, who has information regarding any practical and prosaic industry of our daily life, may find an avenue for what he has to say upon it in the trade or technical journal or in the columns of the newspapers. The housewife -who understands the care of a window garden, the making of delicate conserves, the refined arts of housewifery, may speak upon these things through the various household and domestic journals, and in the special department devoted to the affairs of the household, which is a feature of many newspapers and magazines.

The teacher, through the pen and the press, especially by aid of the educational journals, can find a larger school than that afforded by the occupants of the benches in his school -room. Through the religious journals the preacher can reach a vaster congregation than ever assembled within sound of human voice. The man who rejoices in out-ofdoor life, in the strength and skill of leg and arm, in the use of gun and rod, may audience « tell of the life that he knows best, through the various journals devoted to the sportsman. Nor will the leading magazines look upon his work askance, especially if it is accompanied by good material for illustration. The humorist, the man whose profession it is to look upon the bright side of life, who can evolve a quip or a joke from the common affairs of the day, is welcomed by the editors of our comic journals, and has a place reserved for him in many of our most sedate publications. The traveler who ventures far afield may, in the pages of our best magazines, in the columns of the daily newspapers and through almost every journal that is published, tell of his journeyings and adventures in the strange nooks and corners of this round earth.

The manner in which a writer may choose his work has been indicated. If he is sufficiently . versatile to work along many lines, and if sufficiently practical to work with a definite purpose, so that he does not fritter away his energies, his task of earning at least a livelihood from literature should, comparatively, be an easy one. Whether he will do more than this depends upon his force and the amount of gray matter What the writer in his brain. A lazy man will not accom-

ma y , plish much in an y walk of life. As to

accomplish \. 1

the rest — a man may be a traveler and

a writer of travel, and able to tell clearly and intelligently of that which his eyes have seen. If he can do so much, he will probably be a welcome space writer uxjon the newspapers and acceptable as a contributor to the minor magazines. But if he can adorn his subject with the charm and graces of style which made the work of the lamented Theodore Child the envy of lesser men who aspired to be writers of travel, he may hope both for fame and ample financial emoluments.

Model

In passing, it may be said that no better models of this class of work can be found than the articles upon the far

travel* work.' East, written by Theodore Child and Edwin Lord Weeks, and published in Harper's Magazine within the last few years.

Having chosen one's line of work, the next step will be to determine the publications for which one will endeavor to fit this work. It is not often wise, except for the man of genius or already famous author, to write at random. We mean by this, to put oneself at work on any article, of any style or length, upon any topic which may come to mind, without first having a more or less definite idea of one or more publications for which it might be especially available. For instance, one might be

a definite 'aim an enthusiastic sportsman. His inclination and information might suggest to him that he prepare an article upon tarpon fishing along the Florida coast. But if he has no idea of publications which use articles of that character, he would better not waste his time writing one. Further, such an article, of 1,500 to 2,500 words, might be acceptable to a newspaper. If exceptionally well done it might run to 4,000 or 5,000 words, and be acceptable to one of the illustratecl magazines. But if the writer overlooked only this one point of length, and, being a close strident of the piscatorial art, permitted his inclinations free play to the extent of embellishing his article with erudite information, with scientific dissertations upon the species, with a technical analysis of the various rods and reels and tackles to be used in the pursuit of this exceedingly gamy fish, and so elaborated his article to 10,000 or 15,000 words, he would probably seek in vain for a publisher.

This indicates plainly that the writer should be a student not only of the top-, ics upon which he would write, but of all publications as well which use material of the sort that he proposes to furnish. Of course a writer can hardly^ be a subscriber to all the leading periodicals of the day r ; the expense of such a method of securing this information current would make rather too serious an

publications. inroad upon his earnings. But, if possible, he should visit frequently the periodical room of a large library, and there at least glance over all the publications upon its tables. To do this once or twice a y^ear would hardly suffice. The changes in the publishing world are constant,and periodicals suffer from the same vicissitudes to which other

Study

Rejected

manuscripts

a part of the

experience

of ail.

branches of trade are liable. Magazines come and go, and that which is to-day shall not be to-morrow. At least once a month the writer should refresh his information and memory regarding the avenues for publication.

One of the most disheartening experiences for the literary beginner is the return of manuscripts with the little slip which explains nothing beyond the fact that that particular manuscript is not wanted by the particular editor to whom it has been offered.

It requires some time for a young writer to understand that this is a regular part and process of the business of authorship. One who always takes the rejection of a manuscript to imply that his offering is unworthy, or who feels that it is intended as a mark of discouragement, has an entirely wrong view of the matter. We have known promising writers to give up all attempts at literary work, only because they could not endure such slings and arrows of an untoward fortune. Some of these, had they persisted, would undoubtedly in the course of time have accomplished much good work.

A great many attempts have been made to explain why editors use such a very noncommittal rejection form, and why it is almost impossible to get them to make any comment at all upon a rejected manuscript. The usual rejection slip runs something like this:

"The editor regrets that the enclosed manuscript, which has been kindly submitted for use in his magazine, is not in line with its present needs. With thanks for the courtesy of permitting us the pleasure of its perusal, we are,

This tells one absolutely nothing. Your manuscript may be wholly worthless, it may be the product of ignorance, or of crass stupidity; or it may be the highly finished product of an intelligent brain — material in every way worthy of publication, even worthy of place in that particular journal to which it was

\mu «„..„„,. offered. Ii it belongs in the former cat- Why causes . . '

of rejection are egory, the editor is too courteous to exnot explained. plain its shortcomings. Ifhedidso,he might wound the feelings of one whom he certain^ does not care to wound, or might involve himself in correspondence or controversy. An editor who ventures upon the criticism of any manuscript is very apt to hear from the writer again, and so be placed under the necessity of explaining his strictures. Very few editors have the time to give from their duties to such personal correspondence. And the editor rightly argues it is not his business to pose as a critic except so far as may concern the wants of his own publication. He even may be no better judge of the needs of other publications than is the writer of the stor\^ or article. For this reason he sometimes ventures to close his note of declination with the courteous hope that the rnaterial offered will be found in line with the needs of some other journal.

If the manuscript belongs in the second category, it is then not a question of merit but of availability. The article or story may be thoroughly good, but not of the sort that is used by that Reasons magazine. Or it may be of the right

for non- sort, but not timely. Or it may be of

availability. ^ r jg^ t sort an( j timely, but something

else, which covers the same ground, may already have been accepted, — something which, in short, has pre-empted the place that this might have had. It may be some balm to the over-sensitive j^oung writer to know that most of those who afterward became great writers, passed through the same experience of editorial declinations. Mr. Howells has told us how he hoped to be a poet, and how^ his verses came back. Mr. Kipling's Plain Tales were refused by a publishing house which meij well pride itself upon the few mistakes of that sort made in its long and honorable career. The writer who can say honestly that he has never known this particular form of discouragement in the whole course of his career would certainly be an exception, and any who would venture upon such a statement would, we fear, not be generalry credited by those who know the ins and outs of the literary life.

But while we recognize the fact that declinations are a part of our lot, we are all willing to dispense with these as far as possible. The one thing that will help toward this end more than all Study to others — provided of course one has

avoid failure. worthj mater ial to offer-is to learn to place one's work in the right directions. Many a heartache may be avoided if the young writer will give good heed to this suggestion.

Incompetence and carelessness are two chief causes that operate toward the failure of writers.

Regarding the first of these not much is to be said— at least not much that is worth sa\4ng here. For if one is illiterate or lacking in mental qualifications — and it sometimes happens that such an one will show atendencv to immortalize

Writers

may be their

own tutors, himself in print— the best thing that can be done is to show him gently, but speedily and firmly, the error of his ways.

But granted that one has a fair knowledge of English, at least average mental qualifications, and some ability in the way of expression, there still remains the great stumbling block of carelessness to be avoided.

Reverting again to incompetence, we do not wish to be understood as implying that this cannot to some degree be overcome. If one's education has been neglected in youth, study and application in later life may do much to remedy the evil. Writing is in itself an educator, and one who writes much and writes carefully will find himself gradually correcting errors and shortcomings. One who sets himself out to improve will meet with encouragement and will deserve success.

But one who is already gifted with the required attributes of a writer, yet through carelessness fails to do the best possible, does not deserve much either of sympathy or help. Carelessness in a writer is the one thing which editors will not look upon complacently. A manuscript which does not present a neat and legible appearance cannot com-

The duties of the editor

and of the writer.

mend itself. No matter how good the material may be, the editor will reason, and rightly, that this would-be contributor has but a slight regard for his chosen art.

Carelessness in punctuation, in the use of capitals, in the choice of words, and in the formation of sentences, means that much labor is entailed upon the editor if the article is accepted and printed. From the manuscripts that continuahV drift into editorial offices it would seem that some writers are still of the opinion that it is the business of the editor to edit. This is not often the case. The province of an editor now-a-days is to examine authors' manuscripts and to select those that will best meet the needs of his journal.

The editor is usually a busy man. If he should select for each number of his journal two or three or four manuscripts that require careful editing throughout, he would find that this labor encroached severely on the time demanded for other duties. So he has come to reason that a writer should practice his art as perfectly as possible. The latter should not depend upon the editor to discover his lapses, nor to 'amend them, but he should be his own editor.

When the manuscript leaves the author's hand it should be ready for the printer. This will go a long way toward insuring its acceptance. It is simply a statement of fact to say that editors are constantly returning many manuscripts that in all probability- were otherwise acceptable, only because a glance has shown that to edit them properly would require more time and labor than they were warranted in giving.

CHAPTER II. A look ahead

LITERATURE AS A PROFESSION INDUSTRY AND BUSI- NESS ACUMEN NEEEFUL FOR SUCCESS PRACTICE

PERFECTS THE MIND DEVELOPED AND

STRENGTHENED BY APPLICATION WRITING FOR

PRACTICE STUDY FOR CONDENSATION MODELS

FOR STYLE WHAT WRITERS SHOULD READ

THE MATTER MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE MAN- NER HOURS FOR WORK THE WRITER HIS

OWN EDITOR.

It has been well said that literature is a good crutch but a poor staff. Freely translated, this means that the writer should not often, especially at the very outset of his career, hope to make literature his sole employment, nor to secure a livelihood from its practice as a profession. No matter what success one may meet -with at the beginning, it is not less true in this than in the vocations of the artist and the statuary, that " art is long." In this as in other lines of work where men must toil, and win their way by force and persistence, one must serve an apprenticeship, and by constant practice grow in his profession;this practice not seldom extends through a lifetime before one finds that his chosen and loved occupation will afford him a satisfactory sustenance, and so obviate the necessity of employing any portion of his time in other and less congenial pursuits.

We have but to look over the history of letters in modern times to discover that many, even of those who have been classed as great among writers, did not live by the pen alone. We know A glance that Hawthorne was glad to have his at the friend Pierce give him a place in the Sa-

past. i em cus -j : om house, and thus relieve him

from the strain and burden of depending wholly upon the magic pen that created the Marble Faun and the Scarlet Letter, to provide for the necessities of life in his modest household. Lamb, gentlest and quaintest among English essayists, has told humorously of the purgatory of that high stool at his desk in the India House, where the pen that gave to us the immortal Essays of Elia was employed upon the dull pages of heav3 r ledgers. These instances could be multiplied without end, and it is well that the young writer who fondly imagines that glory and riches are to reward his first successful effort, should keep them in mind.

Grind steadily

at the

mill.

But there is another and more favorable side to the picture, for it is true that the steady, plodding worker, especially the one who combines business acumen with average literary skill and adaptability, may by constant application secure to himself an income as satisfactory, if not as regular, as the same application and ability would secure for him in other walks of life. The trouble is, however, that few writers will labor so steadily at their tasks as the government employee must at his desk, or as the business man will in his own counting-house. The fancy that one is a child of genius and is not subject to the bounds and measures that compass ordinary mortals, may to some degree account for this. Whatever the reason, it would be difficult to find among the younger literary workers one who honestly obeys Eugene Field's famous prescription for success — "Eight hours steady work every day." Some wait for the mood, for inspiration. Then if the inspiration does not come they fancy that they have free license for a day or a week away from that work which should be pursued systematically and conscientiously for a certain number of hours, six days in the week.

The incipient genius who does not wish to be thus bound may point to the few who leap at once fully equipped into the arena of letters, and who receive there and then such prompt and complete and substantial recognition that their path is ever after one of flowery ease. But these are only the exceptions which prove the rule. The real genius, he who accomplishes literary success in The this manner, appears once in an hundred