The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-05
WRITERS OF SHORT STORIES.

lily applauded.
WRITERS OF SHORT STORIES.
Extraordinary Prices Paid by the syndicates
Bright Days for American Novelists.
| New York Commercial Advertiser
| The development of the syndicates of num-
Der of newspapers having large circulation which
| accept stories by well-known native authors, has
been regarded with extreme interest by the
literary world. 1t opens UP new fields. it gives
| far wider and larger audience, and is more
| profitable. Finally, and perhaps most impor-
| tant it serves to popularize the best living
| literature Of our country.
This system of publication is comparatively
| new. An Englisman by the name of Tillotsen
was the originator Of the scheme He exerted
himself to get leading English and Australian
| newspapers to accept stories by popular English
writers. The gradual widening of his methods
led to good degree of success and convinced
| authors that they might find the channels of the
| public press, which had been closed to exclus-
lively literary work, source OF income and
| fame.
| The first movement in this direction in this
| country was in the early part of last year. when
| the Boston Globe in syndicate with few other
| leading newspapers in various parts OF the
country, bought novel entitled '.The Kings
Men, which was written in collaboration by
John Boyle OReilly, Robert Grant, j. L.
| Wheelrght and F. j. Stimson 81. S. of Dale.
| The novel appeared in FIVE newspapers in June,
1884 About this time Mr.. Tillorsen came to
| this country with the intention of extending his
| syndicate to the United States. He finally sue
ceeded in placing eight short stories by English
novelists which are now being publishing.
Later in the summer, the New York Sun, ST.
Louis Republican New Orleans Times-D Demo
crat, Springfield Republican and Chicago
Tribune published syndicate stories by Henry
James and Bret Harte. II. D. Howells's name
was mentioned in the prospectus. but he finally
| withdrew
|
| of the leading magazine writers to contribute
| short stories, two or three columns In length,
to syndicate of newspapers. After securing
| several authors he made contracts with news
papers to publish a story once week The
| first of these stories appeared in the Commercial
| Advertiser, Indianapolis Journal, and twelve
other newspapers on November Is, 1884. 1t
was by d. H. Boyesen and was entitled, "A
Daring Fiction" The Scrbners finally included
| this story in their bound series of Short
| Stories by American Authors" Other stories
were subsequently published in the same series
by u. S. of Dale" Marion Harland, j. Esten
Cooke and Louise Chandler Moulton.
The success during the six weeks previous to
| January, 1885, was such that on that date con-
tracts were concluded with more than twenty
newspapers for the simultaneous publication of
similar stories The price paid to the authors
for their work, Mr.. Mcclure said with conf
| dence, was 80 per cent. more than that paid by
the leading magazines. 1t was the intention to
get the best stories possible for the money: The
price for 5000 words varied from 500 to 5000 to
the ordinary magazine writer, while for authors
who had acquired the popularity of Charles
| Egbert Craddock' no limit was fixed. They
were the arbiters of their own pay. Sudden
popularity like "Craddocks" is regarded as
| valuable and the managers of the syndcates
are satisfied to pay we'll for it. young writer's
| popularity depends upon what he does to retain
| the same plane of excellence as that which gave
it to him. After fame has been secured, COM
pensaton is generous. Publishers have repeat
| ndIv offorad tsMary inn 81 fCp hor
sketch, and he has repeatedly declined it.
Henry James received 81, 200 for three-part
story in the syndicate of last summer
The Thorndyke Rice syndicate was estab
several newspapers with essays and other maya
zine articles. Mr.. Rice has often paid as much
as 800 for 8, 900 words.
A curious development of the syndicate sys
| tern is the daily pub LEGATION of stories about
column long in the newspapers of this city, Phil
abelphia, Chicago, Louisville and Cleveland.
Among the writers are Julian Hawthorne,
P R. STOCK Stockton on J. T Trowbridge, f E.
| son and Harriet Prescott Spofford. For many
| of this series as high as 800 column has been
| paid This new series comprises fifty stories by
American authors, forty by foreigners and ten
| be love story of the time of the deluge. An
other development of the idea is series of eight
stories by Charles Egbert Craddock, Frank r.
| Stockton, E. E. Hale, J. r. Trowbridge and e.
| $500 apiece. The newspapers have SO far recog
| nized the Importance of this movement that a
| number Of them have combined to offer large
cash prizes for the best short story.
Among the prices paid to authors for their
work the most generous standing offer is $500 by
the Atlantic Monthly for the best short story.
| Frank r. Stockton's price for 5000 1000
words is $3.50 Mr.. Trowbridge receives $50 per
1000 words.
There are in fact four scales of prices now paid
for short stories. The first is $40 or SIS for a
complete story paid by the smaller magazines
the second is $40 a thousand words by the popu
lar monthly publications; the third is SIS a
| thousand words to writers who have acquired
some degree of reputation. The fourth varies
| with the fame of the author. Howell or Mark
Twain" will produce no story or article of any
kind for less than $500 or 81 0O0 The most diff
cult author to induce to write is L. b. Aldrich.
He once received 81, 200 for short poem in
Harpers Magazine. His price is 5000 to $500
! for poem of few verses,
AS an evidence of the Importance of this new
outlet to the work of the American authors it
| will be sufficient to mention that within six
months Mr.. Mcclure has published in his syndi
cate as many short stories as the popular maya
zines combined have published within the same
period. The formation of a syndicate is like the
founding of new magazine.
Another outgrowth of the syndicate system is
the offering of short stories by American and
English authors to a number of newspapers, by
a syndicate, of which Mr. A. /. Bachelor, of
Brooklyn, is the manager. The American AS
sociated Press correspondence also furnishes
short stories and sketches to country newspapers
in stereotype plates, principally sensational" in
/ character.
A well known author said this morning:
| 1.-The syndicate is excellent for the authors,
as it enlarges the market and especially enables
| them to make use, in Stories of ideas which
they find impracticable to elaborate for the mag
azines Naturally the operators of the syndicate
| do not conflict in any way with those of the
great magazines. There is a radical difference
between the newspaper story and the magazine
story, difference positive as that between
| the newspaper editorial and the magazine essay.
| The syndicate simply opens to authors an ad-
ditional field to activity The publication of
stories in the newspapers tends to help rather
thar hinder the daYalonmant of magazine litera.