Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1889-02-01
PROFITS OF AUTHORS.
literary Men Who Have Made FortuDrs ~
the Labor OF Their Pens.

TnSF VT ~ ElSnos
literary Men Who Have Made FortuDrs ~
the Labor Of Their Pens.
It is often said that literature is not
profitable calling, and that very
large majority OF those who have dc
voted themselves to 1t have found this
saying TO be true. There is little doubt
that the average earnings in the law
and medicine, and even in divinity
are larger than in the profession OF
authorship. Yet, on the other hand.
to n very limi,el few writers OF genius
or talents the writing OF books has
been a source not only OF profit, but OF
fortune.
1t is only little more than hun.
dred years since DIR. Samuel johnson:
taught his brother authors to look for
their profits, not to the rich patrons
who paid them larger or less sum for
fulsome dedications, but TO the fast
increasing public of readers. Yet
long before Dr. Johuson's time there
lived, now and then. an English author
whose work was well paid for.
While Milton received only s. fol
Paradise Lost" the poet Pope, NOT
many years after. received no leso
than $40, 900 for the far less laborioun
task Of translating Homer. Similar
inequalities OF rewards to authors ap
pear at little later period.
Gay got 5000 for small volume OF
poems, $1,000 for his "Beggar'a
Opera" and 5000 for his play oi
polly" while far greater poet
Gray, only gained $1,000 for all hie
poems, and actually gave away his i'm
mortal "Elegy in Country Church
yard" to his publisher. The publisher
made 5000 on the poem.
Goldsmith, considering his genius,
was very poorly paid. The "Vicar OF
Wakefield brought him only $500.
and his poom, the Traveller" yielded
only $l05. johnson himself had to be
content with moderate rewards for
his work, for "Rasselas,n which was
written in single week in order to
pay the expenses of his mothers funer-
al, brought him $500, while the Lives
OF the Poets" only yielded $1,000.
1t is interesting to note that now and
then prose works brought substantial
rewards In the last century, and early
In the present For his novel,
amelia" Fielding received 81, 900,
and Hayley received for his Life of
Cowper" no less thln $4,000. The
life OF the philanthropist, Wilberforce,
brought its author $4,000.
As we approach more recent times
we find yet larger sums pouring in
upon the few popular authors who
have succeeded In gaining u wide pub
lie hearing. For instance, Sir Walter
Scott made, and, IL is sad to say,
squandered, a brilliant fortune, solely
the labor OF his pen. He is believed
10 have made out OF his poems and
novels as large sum as 81, 800, 900.
Yet he spoke OF authorship as ''a good
walking-stick, but very bad crutch?'
An eminent publisher offered Tom
Moore $4,000 for poem as long as
SCOTS "Rokeby," AMI the result was
the production OF his famous "Lalla
Rookh." When Thomas Campbsll was
only twenty-one years OF age he got
s., 900 for his"Pleasures OF Hope"
The English historians of the high
est rank have Jared well in pecuniary
sense, and the same may be said OF the
three or four leading American histori-
ans. Hume got $500 volume for
his History of England" and Macau-
ley received once II check for 800. 900
on account of three-fourths of the profit
on his history. Gibbons receipts from
the "Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire" were probably not less than
$50, 900. Robertson's prosy History
Of Scotland" brought him $50, 900; and
Lingard received s2S.O)o for his his
tory.
Charles Dickens is believed to have
made yearly income OF $4,000 by
his novels. 1t is certain that he made,
and by lavish living spent, several
goodly fortunes.
Bulwer is said to have male 800, 1000
by his novels, and Disraeli, for EN-
dymion" alone, received $4,000.
Three or four American authors,
who are still living, have made large
fortunes by their books. Sometimes
single work-liSo the life OF Grant
and Mr.. Blaine's Twenty Years in
Congress" and General Wallace's
"Ben Hur'-has earned fortune for
its author.
These instances, however, are the
rare exceptions. Fortunes come much
moro seldom to authors than to other
workers in intellectual fields; nor
should such cases as have been de-
scribed delude young people into
thinking that authorship is the path
way to wealth. = Youths Companion.