The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-05-29
ADVICE TO YOUNG AUTHORS
Mr.. Box Offers Suggestions for People
Who Believe in Literary Back-Stairs.
The Editor az the "Poe" of the Author-The
Way to Success-Wbat an Editor Wants
Pungent Facts from One Who Knows

Special CORES pondence OF the Sunday Journal.
NEW YORK.. May ga very charming
young woman, anxious TO make O literary
success. said to me not long ago: II know
l could maze a mark IL the literary world
with my pen if 1 could only in
some way reach the editors" This remark
was made while looking over q singularly
interesting collection of ''declination
blanks" which her manuscripts had
brought her. In other words, this young
woman believed, as do scores of young
writers, that there exists somewhere in the
world of letters a sort OF literary back
stairs leading directly to the pinnacle of
literary fame and success. And it is
astonishing how much time these aspiring
writer's will s~pend-and waste-in trying
to find this magical passage into literature.
In the minds of many these literary
back-stairs take the form of knowing the
editor'-or. in other words. having some
influence with him" These writer's have
conclusively settled two facts In their own
minds-frst. that an editor is by his very
nature ~antagonistio to the struggling
writer, and second. that q manuscript sent
In the ordinary manner TO an editor never
Hill. I1cuC6 5Omo luuuouCo IL
necessary, and they Get about to secure
IT, Il have known young writer's
again and again to spend days
searching out the intimate friends of q GER
tain editor, cultivating their acquaintance,
and then securing letters of lntrod uction
or recommendation of their work. Famous
authors are appealed 10 until patience has
ceased TO be q virtue, journalists and
brother editors are approached, and even
the wives, sisters and mothers of editors
are sought to use their influence with
1.-The man of stony Heart and "the being
without a conscience" Tricks innumer-
able are resorted to-everything, in tact.
except the legitimate. best and only
manner of approaching an editor.
A LITERARY woMAN's MISTAKE.
A yOung writer makes his first mistake
at the outset of a literary career when he
settlers in his own mind that the editor is
bls enemy. There is a certain class Of
writer's who are fond of railing" against
editors. and their chief ambition seems to
be to poison the minds of the younger
writers coming upon the horizon and
secure them as recruits to their ranks. This
class, as q rule. consists of disgruntled
writers who, in fact. have no legitimate
claims to authorship. and because their lack
OF talent is apparent TO the editors. and they
act accordingly, they begin their attacks
aboA bhS VI W " ~ "
sarcasm hurl ~insinuations and ~innuendoes.
These authors" are always their own
worst enemies. Themselves they close the
editorial doors in their faces. An authors
boomerang. The editor. as q general
thing. can stand the attack much better
than can the author. 1t affects him much
less than it does the author. 1 know of
q certain literary woman whose contribu-
lions. In six cases out of ten. found ready
aRnRnfanNa in the ntflQQ of Ona nf the mat
ropOlitan magazines. Her work was good,
but nothing extraordinary. The editor
appointed himself her collaboration, and
where her work showed weakness be
strengthened it. He brought the assist
ance of skillful and expensive artists to
her work. and she became to the readers of
that periodical q popular author. whose
writings were looked for. Then she
sent o certain manuscript upon which she
had built much hope, but il was entirely
unsuitable to the wants of the periodical,
and IL was returned to her with q polite Ok.
~planatory note. She resented the editorial
option, ana wrote an unwarranted caustio
letter TO the man who had actually done
more for her literary success than she had
for herself. She aired her views to her
friends, and her unpleasant references to
the editor came in time to his ears. He
said nothing. but acted. The authoress
believed that the magazine could not
prosper without her work. but the
1ktS W AoOs
1t is now four years since a line from that
woman's pen has appeared In the magazine
in question. She has seen her mistake. has
bitterly repented it. and would to-day al
most give her right hand to be installed in
the good graces of that editorial office.
That literary woman fnds herself actually
barred out of not one editorial office but
several. when she might have been one OF
the most popular writers of the day. But
she stood in her own light, and if editors
are fQrQiylnu thew are not a. VI avs f0rOaffnl
have elaborated upon this incident be-
cause it serves, L think, as an apt illustra-
ton OF the fancied wrongs of authors at
the hands of editors. That editor was this
particular woman's friend; she actually
thought he vas her enemy, simply because
he exercised the right accorded every editor
of refusing n manuscript. Aud this is not
a solitary instance. / have known OF scores
of similar ones.
EDITORS "AS THE FOE OF AUTHORS"
Now. that is the type of author which
tries every day in the year to poison tho
minds of young writers against editors.
Fortunately. their efforts meet with but
little success. Here and there, however.
they make a convert. 1 have known
young women. under this influence, to
choose as the subject of their first article
Editors as the Foes of Authors" and
then when the manuscripts came back to
them. accept the incident as a verification
of their beliefs. i know this sounds almost
impossible; yet only last week sue q case
came under my personal observation. I
wrote the young woman to come and see
me, and found, upon talking with her,
that her mind was simply saturated with
the idea that the one ambition of the edi-
tor was to keep young authors down." as
she expressed IL. And the only wy to
avoid such a calamity, this young woman
said her friends had told her. was TO
know the editor" or reach" him through
some Influential channeP'-without such
assistance success was simply impossible.
Her friendship among the "intiuentlal'
was limited. and hence. out of sheer des-
peration, this girl had, with a heavy heart,
at last resorted to sending her manuscripts
In the only legitimate manner. OF course,
she fully expected it would come back"
she told me.
III WAY TO LITERARY SUCCESS.
As to those magical literary back-stairs.
let me assure yOung writers that no such
entrance to the literary world exists. AL
though my years are not many, o goodly
portion of such as nave passed over my
head hav been spent in editorial Offices. It
has been my privilege to see the inside
workings of several magazines. and / think
l can speak with some degree of authority
when | say that if the day of literary
back = stairs ever existed that day
is over. A young author may bring to his
aid all the influence" possible upon the
editor; he may secure letters of intro
ductlon from the editor most valued con-
tributors and closest friends. but. If the
work is not suitable for his magazine. or
lacks merit, return Is certain. A per-
sonal note from the editor NAV ac-
company the returned manuscript. in
stead of the regular printed 'declina-
ton blank" but the result is the