The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-02-09
AUTHORS EARNINGS,

Gen. Lew Wnllucu's Exceptional Case.
NInny uood pons Earn Much Less,
T. NJ Box IN Tho Epoch
My statement como weeks ago that
Gen. Low Wallace's income OF 100000,
MS his profits from tho salc Of "Bcn.
llur, was al exceptional instance in lit.
erature, has elected IRON number OF
critics considerable talk that larger row.
cnucs have boon known to come TO tho
writers Of single books. This Is true,
but 1t Is also true that there we're spe.
clal circumstances surrounding many OF
those instances. Tho revenues were
not entirely upon tho merits OF the
books, but rs often were they duo to
tho names attached to them, or tho OK.
istenco OF Il peculiar public interest at
tho time the bookwas published.
REMARKABLE LITERARY SUCCESS. ;
Men have been known to make for.
tunes out OF single book, but it hhs
not always been because OF tho intrinsic
merit OF the work. General Sherman
got u handsome revenue from his
memoirs years ago, the returns, in fact,
exceeding = comfortable life com
potency. General Grants volumes
brought perfect wealth to his family.
Henry NJ. Stanley, | am told on good
authority, Melted over $200G00 ON
Through Darkest Africa. Mr.. Blaine is
known to have received 100000 in
royalties OH his Twenty Years in Con-
grcss; DR.. Talmage has been paid over
that sum for his Pathway OF Life.
Similar fortunes have been made OF
books OF which the literary world has
scarcely ever heard. DC. C. BUELL.
subscription book, Tho Beautiful Story,
over 100000 copies having been sold,
and the author is a rich man to-day In
consequence. Tho author Of Mother,
Home and Heaven, has likewise made n
fortune from that one book. But MI
these arc exceptional cases, there being
some peculiar circumstances surrounds
ing the books which won for their
authors these remarkable incomes. :.
If THEY WOULD ONLY WRITE.
Likewise arc there men and women
who could add thousands and thousands
of dollars to their bank accounts il they
chose to write book; in fact, they
need only compile ore, or dictate one.
a book by President Harrison would
make him rich man. Mr.. Cleveland
could write book and forever place
himself beyond wan t. Patti has already
refused $4,000 tor her forthcoming
book. Mr.. Gladstone has been offered
100000 cash to write his autobiography.
Edwin Booth contemptuously snubbed
n publisher who offered him $4,000 for
his Memoirs. Mr.. Blaine could write
another book and make more in ono
year from it than would DO his income
rs secretary OF state for the next twenty
years. Mr.. Wanamaler has been
offered fabulous sum to'wrte 4 work
on success in Business Lie. Jay
Gould's name to boo. on finance, or
the story OF his life. would easily mean
for hima check DISK figures. Butwho
will say that these prices would be paid
for the intrinsic worth OF the book? In
one or two cases the merit OF tho work
would be unmistaliHblo, but the name
would haYo greater commercial value
than the material itself, except in SO far
rs it would como with peculiar fitness
from the name on tho tly-leai.
MONEY IN LITERARY srEcIALr1Es.
On the other hand, there are men
who are making largo incomes from
their literary woodwork OF which
they have modo a specially. The men
who are making the most money in
literature nowadays arc undoubtedly
those who have been clever enough to
hit upon a specially. Bill Nyo, Tor OK
ample, has made small fortune out OF
his peculiar humor. Will Cartoons
brown-stono Brooklyn house is the re-
suit OF his popular and homcly verses,
and he has made enough money in I'd
dition for the most profitable OF real
estate investments. James Whitcomb
Riley charges what he chooses Tor his
Hoosier-dialcct verses, and edi-
tors pay his prices gladly. Eu-
gene Field might have boen n
rich man to-day had he saved his
literary earnings, but the clever west
ern versltier is fondcr OF curios than OF
a bank account. Palmer Cox makes
thousands OF dollars each year from his
popular Brownies" Marietta Hol-
lcy's characters OF Samantha and
"Josiah Allon's Wife" have brought
her n competency. Dob" Burdcttc is
a rich man to-day. Maria parloa has
has built home from her domestic