The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-08-12
ALL WRITE STORIES.
THE OvERSTOcKED CONDITION OF
THE CHEAP NOVEL MARKET.

THE CHEAP NOVEL MARKET.
Chat with tho Manager Of Leading
New York Story Papcr-The Heaps of
Manuscript That Are Received Daily by
Mail.
mo Stories Wanted" reads the large,
red-lettered sign at the entrance to the
publication Office of leading New YORK
story paper. On the plaster above are the
following words traced in penciE -" no.
ever goes up this winding stair shall neer
come down again" Besides these dlscour-
ayers, the whole region about the entrance
wears an extremely uninvitinS appear
ance as though the purpose were to deter
aspirants for continued story" fame from
entering. To reporter, who inquired II
these precautions mad the desired effect,
the manager of the concern said wearlly:
aNot altogether; that sign protect US IN
some degree from city people, although
some of them disregard it; but against
mail invasion, we have no means OF de-
tense.
aMy assistants and I are the hardest
SN->~H
duty is to repack and return the heaps OF
manuscript we receive daily, and assure
you that it is work of no little maSnl-
tude. Dozens of stories of varied length
come to US every day by mail or express.
They come from every section OF the couh-
try and from persons in nearly every con-
dition of life Of course it is Impossible
to examine all the manuscripts, but we
must return them with polite notes, any
how Why return them! Well, if we did
not the circulation of the paper would
drop off in no time. because all these
would be contributors are subscribers, and
if we were thus to offend each one how
long do you suppose we could continue
business? Every reader nowadays con-
siders himself capable Of writing novel
if he once puts his mind to it. / have 10
doubt that there is not 4 toleraDly edu-
Gated man or woman in New York to-day
who does not firmly believe that he or she
could make 4 good living by the pen were
the necessity to arise. 1t seems that most
of those who send us stories are OF that
class-pcoplc who have been reduced IN
circumstances and take TO writing III order
to increase their meager incomes.
- BOARDING SCHOOL MISSES.
"But these are not the only ones who
shower their favors on rs. Stories come
iu from Young men and women who care
nothing for financial recompanse. They
write lust to see tl.-ir names in print and
to be able to show off their productions to
friends School girls are our especial per-
secutors. Not q week passes that we
don't receive work of fiction from some
feminine boarding school, with a dell
cately scented notc-iu:orIniE.S us that the
author has determined to allow us to pub
lish her first work ana that compensation
is no object Young school teachers are
even more troublesome. They rate Their
productions SO highly aud enter into such
minute calculations about the pay tha9
their letters would be amusing II they
were hot SO numerous. We do not even
escape the attention of persons who lack
the ability TO spell correctly. In fact,
believe we have been favored with the lit
crary products OF every class Of humanity
excepting, perhaps, laborers and Kitchen
girls.
"Do you read any CT the manuscripts
received"
"Very seldom. Were we in need Of mat
ter to lilrup space we would probably eX-
anime the more promising Of the works
submitted, but every story paper has lts
regular staff Of writers who contribute all
the matter that is wanted. These writers
have been selected from the men and
women who had already made repututions
By publishing successful stories. We can
not afford to give space to new people OF
whom our readers never heard. 1t is true
that we occasionally accept brief poems
and one column articles OF interest from
unknown writer's, but most of these
would-be authors are above such trivial
work. They arr satisfied with nothing
less than q twcnty-week serial"
Are not nearly ali contributors
women z"
"Yes. Women are monopolizing fiction
at preseut not only in the story papers
but in published books as we'll. This IS
especially the case in England, where
fully nine-tenths Of the popular novelists
arc women. Why is this? Probably be-
cause men arc taking to the graver
branches Of literature rs becomes their
character, and are leaving the lighter
vein for the delicate handing Of the other
sex-just as they do in the physical work
of life. Any now. the fact remains that
the masculine novelist is last descending
to the stratum of extinct animals. New
York World