The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-10-18
WEEKLY o WRITER'S
VINO They Are and How Much Tb.v NJ.
Paid.

people who write serial novels tou
weekly publications devoted exclus.
lively, or almost exclusively to that
KIM OF literature, get enormously
paid Like many other traditions.
Ilis one contains some truth and a
good deal that IS the reverse of truth.
A very small minority of such an.
thors. says the New York Morning.
Journal, get largely paid, so largely
that their receipts might we'll awak.
en- the envy OF many writer's who hold
a h;gh rank in literature proper, but
whose incomes are lamentably small.
lhere Is one prolific serial writer, of
n feminine gender, who is stated on
1000 authority to receive from the
proprietor to whose paper she con.
tributes not less than $50 per we. k
Every one acquainted with average
literary receipts will acknowledge
mat ,his reward is great, especially
when 1T is borne in mind that the
writer in question is endowed with
nothing that in the world of litcra-
ture is denominated genius or talent.
From this down to $50. or ever SIS
per week, the sums paid to story
writer's are to be calculated. AS a
rule, the proprietors Of weekly story
papers prefer that the matter should
be furnished by women. The read
ers ale a most exclusively girls and
women, who naturally have a preju-
lice in favor of their own sex, aud
believe that a man-nOt knowing as
much about the workings Of the ie-
male heart as a woman dOeS-cannot
be as interesting as a woman can ia
any story which concerns itself with
such workings. And it IS needless to
say that all of these stories must
have a deep heart interest, Of which
a young girl is the subject.
Occasionally you find a mans name
among the contributors: but if you
will search the story paper through,
you will find that eight out Of ten
OF the authors are women. Deeper
investigation would perhaps dis over,
in rare instances, that, though the
author is masculine. he has. from the
necessity of the case adopted a femi-
nine O de plume.
1t will surprise a & Cd many read
ers to learn that a great deal of care
aud judgment is exercised in the Sc
lection of these tales. There are
story papers which are extremely
moral in their tone, and which have
made it their rule to publish nothing
which cannot be read aloud, in the
home circle, be ore young people OF
both sexes, without causing embar.
%raiSncnt
very few papers, however, draw so
firm and clean Il line as this. Pas.
sion. sensation, mystery, adventure,
love-these are the factors princi.
pally required; and as a rule tn
writer may go as far as he likes
toward the border line OF impro.
priety. so that he does not actually
Overleap it, or. to quote the signiti.
can't language Of a well known pub.
Usher, provided the character,
keep their hats and bOnnets on"
Some Of our readers may rcmem.
Der the Olden times when Mrs. e ID.
4. n. SOuthworth (chriStened Mrs.
Paradise Southworth by the late Or
pheus G. Kerr and Sylvanps Cobb
we're supreme in tn. weekly story
paper world. Mrs. SOuthwOrth still
tiourishes, and cont nues to write for
the paper to which she originally
contr. buted. OF recent years Miss
Laura Jean L.ibbey h is cOlne to the
front, and may be said to lead the
van among several w.iteis OF this
class. Amusing stories are told of
the methods she adopted to obtain
success, but the fact remains that
she is a very industrious young
woman, and that nc one can pcrDet-
ually furnish serials month after
month and year after year. without
realizing that to do so maintaining
ones hold on ones clientele implies
work.
Mrs. George Sheldon. who writes
''realistic love Stories" is another
contributor who is in great request.
Mrs. Mary f. Bryan, Julia Edwards,
Bertha NJ. Clay, May Agnes FIem-
ing, Mrs. Alexander McNeigh Mil.
Ter, Mary Kyle Dallas. Mrs. f..
Burke Collins, Wenona Gilman.
Elizabeth stiles, CnarleS dafrlce,
William Ralston, Charlotte M.
Braeme, 'Oll Sleuth." and the au-
thor of ''Nick Carter" whoever he
may be, are among the more promi.
nent of this class of writer's Occa-
sionally a new name appears, but
not often. Alberta FdmundS and
Marah Ellis Ryan are two OF the lat
est additions
Occasionally a writer of real power,
like Mrs. Bryan, Il Southern woman,
is found among the galaxy, but as a
rule the literary style Of these nov
eliSts is not remarkable tor either
strength or charm. 1t has some
times happened that Il we'll known
novelist, of unusual ability, holding