Middletown transcript., 1882-03-03

ID udIu-NOlhlllS JOllhttAlOO III S'SOAS4e@3
received but two hundred and fifty dol
lars for the copyright of g Major Jones's
Courtship,r a book that had an i'm
mense sale on both sides Of the Atlantic,
and made fortunes for its publishers.
Mark Twain has met with phenomenal
success, and few books published in the
last twenty years have met with such
aready sale as his " Innocence Abroad, F."
but his publishers allowed him hut five
per cent. on the sales. He had hard
time to get publisher for it; having
carried the manuscript unsuccessfully
to nearly every prominent book pub
Usher in New York, Boston and Phil
adelphia. AT last the American Pub
fishing Company, of Hartford, agreed
to print it, though very reluctantly.
OF course, after such Encouragement,
Mark was willing to make almost any
terms publisher would ask. But he
has achieved wealth in spite of the pub
fishers, and can now dictate terms to
them. Henry w. Shaw ("Josh Bill
lings'') has accumulated riches, but
more from his lectures than from his
writings. His "Almanax'' paid him
well for few years, but his more pre-
tentious books have not had very
large sale. He contributes a weekly
article to New York publication, for
which he is said to receive S., 900 per
year. But this is doubtless an eXagger-
alton. He has lived in an extremely
economical style, enjoying few more
comforts in his prosperity than when he
followed the vocation of an auctioneer.
Longfellow, the poet, received but scant
reward for his work until after his visit
to England. The English people took
him into favor at once and he then be-
gan to be appreciated at home. Har-
per Brothers have paid him ten dollars
per line for his poetry. joaquin Miller
is another poet who had to go abroad
to win fame. Hispoetry met with pop
ular favor at once i'll England. Bret
Harte is among the few well paid wri-
ters. He received $500 for four COL
umn sketch in a New York daily, and
is credited with writing it in one night.
Henry Ward Beecher is another who
has reaped phenomenal success with his
pen. Bonner paid him $4,000 for a
serial story, " Norwood. +" 1t was not
much as a novel, but it was probably
worth the money for Bonner's purpose.
Harriet Beecher Stoves Uncle Tom S
Cabin" was a literary ten-strike, and
has brought its author S35, 900. Maya
zine writers are not laying up wealth
as rapidly as one might suppose. The
field is over crowded. 1t is said that
the publishers of Hdrper'S Magazine
have a sufficient number Of accepted
articles on hand to serve for two years.
Magazinists may get one hundred dol
lars for an article but it is so difficult
to get an article published that they
can make but small annual income
from their contributions. One of the
leading magazine writers is said to rate
his income from this source at 81, 200
year, which is not startling sum.
The newspaper field is by no means
inviting, either. As rule it calls for
hard work and small pay. Many of the
hardest workers on the morning papers
in the great cities receive no more than
$40 per week, and generally their health
is wrecked at an age when man should
be at his best, and are then crowded out
by "younger blood" The price paid
for space work" by daily papers is
from S4 to IS per column, except to
specialists" who sometimes com
mand big price for some piece of work
for which they are believed to be eX-
traordinarly well qualified. Gath"
| George Alfred Townsend) is one Of
these specialists and he makes a
great deal of money with Lis pen.
Bob Burlette, one of the most popular
humorists, receives only modest sal
airy from the Halokeye, but his lectures
bring him about $1,000 per year. G..
b. Lewis, Of the Detroit Free Press, is
the most prolific humorist in the field.
He is credited with receiving q salary
Of 5000 per week, the largest sum re-
ceived by any journalist in this country.
But journalists who are receiving big
salaries are the exception. The great
army of daily newspaper workers make
no more than a bare living, and the
head cooks in some Of the New York
restaurants get larger salaries than the
managing editors of the New York
dailies. The country journalistic field
offers nothing but a meagre living, and
many who have entered it have beer
unable to get even that out of it. Asa
rule, it returns but poor reward fol
the closest application. He who enters
it should expect only living" ant
hard knocks, then if he gets more ht
may be agreeably surprised. 1t ismucl
better to be agreeably surprised thai
sorely disappointed. Tosumup: There
is hardly a profession that does not Of
fer a greater pecuniary reward thar
that of journalism, yet there is an in
describable fascination about the max
ing of newspapers that strongly attracts
young men,
MAN wants but little here below, and
generally gets considerably less.