The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-08-28
NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE WORK.
Explained by a Writer Who Has
Done Both.


one-half Of the really good writer's of
the age, says Washington correspon-
dent OF the Chicago News, are engaged
by the great newspapers, the other half
are writing books, and all of them, more
or less, are selling their names attached TO
their second and third class work, and
rumaging their waste baskets for the
benefit of the magazines. The publishers
OF these periodicals appreciate their true
status. Year by year they are paying
more and more attention TO the pictorial
features, Just as the ANIMALS before them
came finally to be sold on the merits of
the engravings alone-and they are ad-
vertised very much as the late DR.. Bran
dreth advertised his celebrated proprietary
medicines. 1t is nip and tuck between
the magazines and certain manufacturers
as to which shall sell the most volumes
OF bottles.
The editor of one Of the leading maya
zines Of the country told me on one occa-
sion that he did not see how it was posi-
ble for anybody to make a living by
magazine writing II my humble opinion
this settles the question. a pursuit at
which it is impossible 70 make a living
can never in this age command the best
and brightest minds. The magazines pay
no salaries except to the edltors-and only
pay for the matter they print. No doubt
the newspapers would be glad enough If
they could do likewise, but,-mark we'll
the newspapers cannot exist without
class of writers who not only are paid for
their work, but for their time when they
are not working and who command, even
the lowest of them, living salaries not
only In an open market, but where there
are multitudes Of people ready and anx-
fomE n write for r1rT0frqrr IN No branch
Of trade-for literature is a trade as well
as art-can this anomalous condition be
found where workers hold their own. de
mandiRg and receiving good wages for
work which an innumerable army clam
ors to do for nothing.
The rewards Of magazine writing are
meager even to the most successful. Jun
ius Henri Browne, certainly a most de-
lightful writer, is quoted as saying that he
was never able to make more than -, ,OOJ
a year by the hardest kind of work on the
/ magazines. Mrs. Frances HOgdson Bur
/ nett, when the Scribners were advertising
, her the loudest did not receive s., 500 8
year from the magazine. / think she did
( not get more than s125 month for q
! monthly part of one of her serial storieS
( besides the royalty on the book when II
was published-and her contract forbade
her to write for any other periodical
Imagine a newspaper writer of Mrs. Bur
nett's relative reputation working fol
about $500 a month all told, and forbidden
( to write for any other publication The
f most money a contributor can make out
+ of magazine IS by serial story, a series
f of articles to be published in book form
1t is a case in which the interests OF thC
author aud publisher are peculiarly asso
ciated, the popularity OF the beck being
g
which it first appeared-but as for the nc
tual money paid for the serial parts it {.
probably not large As for the salaries oi
/ one editor -in-chief of magazine, and one
{ or two sUbordinates, I imagine they arc
! good as the magazine pays only two ol
three salaries among its workers 1t car
efford to do something handsome for thom