Democratic messenger., 1893-04-08
WHAT TWRITERS EARN
SOME MAKE FORTUNES AND OF:
ERS MERELY A PlTTANCe.

What the Late James Parton Earned
who Receive Big Pay for Comparative
Iy Little Labor-The Average Man.
Not long before his death James Par
ton is reported to have said that person
who decided TO support himself exclu
sively by his pen must be content TO live
on about 1900 a year. The best. ac-
cording to Mr.. Parton, that literary
man could hope to attain would be $6. 900
or 8: 600 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 rs
Mr.. Parton. yet it was reported in such
a way as leaves but little doubt that this
was his opinion. Yet he was himself an
example of the falsity of it. although he
may have thought that his case was the
exception that proves the rule.
Mr.. Parton was constant writer and
pretty frequent author for more than
forty years. Some of his books had a
phenomenal SALE His Life of Horace
Greeley" brought him not only hand
some income. but u 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 money 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 n
sufficient property to support him. even
if he did not write another line. Ot
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 business, and it was his busi-
ness to give what his clientage wanted
And that is the secret of the success OF
those who have adopted literature as a
profession. Those who take up the pen
in order to win an exalted and perma-
nent fame must undoubtedly give but
little heed to the pecuniary considera-
ton, but those who expect to make a
living out of authorship must do as is
done in every other profession-serve
their clients and increase them il pos.
sibie
There are good many other examples
which indicate that Mr.. Parton was MIS-
taken. In his own vicinity there lived sev
eral men who had done exceedingly we'll
at the business of authorship MIR. r.Charles
Carleton Coffin abandoned journalism
after brilliant career rs war CORE.
spondent, and has made comfortable
fortune and a 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 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 year. for he is Il very
rapid workman, and while the precise
terms of payment are not known. it is
believed that he will receive not less
than SIS 900 for them.
General Lew Wallace is said to have
received from $s5 900 to $4,000 royalty
upon his single book, ben Hur," bul
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 500. 900
all of which has been made in about
twenty years. Mr.. George Parsons
Lathrop. his brother-in-law, Julian Haw
thorne, Edgar Saltus and Edgar Faw
cett have no other profession than liter
ature Lathrop and Hawthorne dc
some journalistic work. while Fawcett
has private fortune. Each of these
men counts on making rs much as $. .OOt
year. and Saltus' income one year was
nearly $4,000.
SOME YOUNG AUTHORS.
There have been number of success.
ful authors of late who have complained
that they cannot live by their pens.
A few years ago novel appeared EN-.
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