The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-06-28
WHAT WRITER'S EARN
SOME MAKE FORTUNES AND 9TH
eRs MERELY A PlTTANce.

who Receive Big Pay for Comparative
ly Little Labor-srhe Average Man.
Not long before his death James Par,
ton Is reported to have said that a person
who decided to support himself exciu
siyely by his pen must be content to live
on about So 900 a year. The best, ac
cording to Mr.. Parton, that Il literary
man could hope to attain would be 81. 900
or 81 900 a year for perhaps ten or twelve
years, when the authors experience was
ripe and while he was still in his prime.
This statement seemed rather strange
coming from so successful an author as
Mr.. Parton, yet it was reported in such
way as leaves but little doubt that this
was his opinion Yet he was himself an
example of the falsity of it. although ne
may have thought that his case was the
exception that proves the rule.
Mr.. Parton was constant writer aud
pretty frequent author for more than
forty years. Some of his books had a
phenomenal sale. His Life of Horace
some income, but small capital His
History of Ben Butler" and especially
Of Buffers life in New Orleans after the
capture of that city. was. very popular
during the war days, and Parton's life
of Aaron Burr added materially to his
possessions.
Parton earned SO much ti1ofley that he
was able to accumulate, and when he
left New York and went to Newbury
port. Mass, to live. just as old age was
beginning to come upon him. he had a
sufficient property TO support him. even
if he did not write another line OF
course he could not live in luxury. but
he lived in comfort, surrounded by all
those things which made life agreeable
to him.
MEN WHO RECEIVE BIG INCOMES.
Parton was not a great author He
wrote as u business, and it was his bust
ness to give what his clientage wanted
And that is the secret of the success OF
those who have adopted literature as 4
profession. Those who take up the pen
in order to win an exalted and per1ua-
nent fame must undoubtedly give Dut
little heed to the pecuniary colsidera-
ton, but those who expect to make
living out of authorship must do as is
done in every other profession-serve
their clients and increase them if pos
sible.
There are a good many other examples
which indicate that Mr.. Parton was mis-
taken. In his own vicinity there iivetssey
eral men who had done exceedingly we'll
at the business of authorship. MIR. Charles
Carleton Coffin abandoned journalism
after brilliant career as i war CORE
spondent. and has made a comfortable
fortune and good income By writing in
a popular manner historical and anec-
dotal works designed mainly for young
persons.
Mr.. j. T. Trowbridge lives comfort
ably on the income he gets from his
boys stories, and SO does Oliver Optic.
Mr.. Adams, who is Oliver Optic in real
life, although his hair is gray and he
has become an old man. has just entered
into a contract to furnish n series of ten
stories for young persons, written in the
style which earned him popularity forty
years ago He will probably write those
ten stories within Il year, for he Is very
rapid workman. and while the precise
terms of payment are not known. it Is
believed that he will receive not less
than $I5, 900 for them.
General Lew Wallace is said to have
received from So, 900 TO 800, 900 royalty
upon his single book. ben Hur. but
that is one of those spasmodic and phe-
nomenal successes which become tradi-
tional. Miss Alcott, besides living hand
somely, left an estate valued at $100, 900.
all of which has been made in about
| twenty years. Mr.. George Parsons
Lathrop, his brother-in-l law, Julian Haw-
thorne, Edgar Saitus and Edgar Faw-
cett have no other profession than liter
ature Lathrop and Hawthorne do
some journalistic work. while Fawcett
has private fortune. Each of these
men counts ON making as much as $1,000
a year. and Saltus' income one year was
nearly $4,000.
SOME YOUNG AUTHORS
There have been number of success
full authors of late who have complained
that they cannot live by their pens
| A few years ago a novel appeared en-
! titled '.Guerndale.' It was published
over nom de plume, y. S. of Dale,
and it was regarded as one of the sue
cessful books of the year. Its author