Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-10-13
WEEKLY STORY WRITER'S.


Who They Are and How Much They Ar
Paid.
There IL q popular tradition that
people who write serial novels for
weekly publications devoted excIus.
lively, or almost exclusively to that
kind Of literature, get enormously
paid. Like many other traditions,
this ono contains some truth and q
good deaf that Is the reverse of truth.
A very small minority Of such au.
thOrs. says the .vw York Morning
Journal, yet largely paid, 80 largely
that their receipts might we'll awak-
On the envy Of many writer's who hold
u high rank In literature proper, but
whose incomes are lamentably small.
There Is one prolific serial writer, Of
the feminine gender, who Is stated on
good authority to receive from the
proprietor to whOse paper she con.
tributes not less than 500 per week.
Every one acquainted with average
literary receipts will acknowledge
that this reward il great, especially
when It IL horne In mind that the
writer In question Is endowed with
nothing that In the world Of litera.
ture IL denOminated genius or talent
From this down to S25. or even $15
per week, the sums paid to story
writer's are to be calculated. Az q
rule. the prOprietOrs Of weekly story
papers prefer that the matter should
DO furnished by women. The read.
ers ale q most exclusively girls and
women, who naturally have a preju.
dice 10 favO. OF their own sex, and
believe that man-not knowing o.
much about the workings Of the fc.
male heart rs a woman dUes-cannot
be as interesting as u woman can Ia
any story which concerns itself with
such workings. And IL ~ needless &c
say that all OF these stories must
have deep heart interest, Of which
Q young girl Is the subject
Occasionally YOU lind mans nam,
among the contributors: but II YOU
will search the story paper through
you will dnd that eight out Of TEL
Of tha authors arc women. Deepe
investigation would pc. hays dis over
In rare instances, that though tn,
author 10 masculine, he has. from tn,
necessity Of tho case adopted femi
niue non dc plume.
It will surprise u z cd many read
ers to learn that great deal Of car
aud Judgment Is exercised In the &c
lection Of these tales There ar
story papers which are eXtremel,
moral In their tone, and which hav,
made II their rule to publish nOthinI
which cannot be read aloud, In tn,
home circle, before young people o
both sexes, without causing embar
rassmcnt
Very few papers, however. draw S,
! frm and clean liue as this Pas
sion, sensation, mystery, adventure
love-these are the factors princi
pally required; and - q rule tn
writer may 20 rs far as he like
toward the border line OF imprC
priety, 80 that he d0as not actual
overlap It. or. 70 quote tho slgnif
cant language OF q well.knOwn put
Usher, provided the character
''keep their hats and bonnets on"
Some of our readers may rcmem
Der the olden times when Mrs T. L
Il. N. Southworth (christened Mr.
Paradise Southw0rth by the late Oh
pheus Q. Kerr and Sylvanus Cob
we're supreme In tha weekly stor
paper world. Mrs SouthwOrth sti
iiOurishes, and cont nues to v ito Il
the paper TO which she original
contributed. or recent years Mi.
Laura Jean Libbey has como to tn
front, and may be aaid to lead tn
van among several w.iteis Of th
class Amusing stories are told {
the methods she adopted To Obtai
success, but tho fact remains thu
she 10 q very industrious youn
woman, and that no one can perpe
ually furnish serials month afte
month and year after year. withou
realizing that TO do 80 ma 'ntainin
ones hold on ones clientele implit
work.
Mira Georgia Sheldon. who write
'realistic love stories" IL anotht
contributor who IL In great re tues
Mrs Mary Il. Bryan, Julia Edward
| pCgVuo NAs way ~AoV "kuOS CiCu
Ing, Mrs. Alexander McVeigh Mi
Ter, Mary Kyle Dallas, Mrs. I
Burke Collins. Wenona Gilman
Elizabeth Stiles Charles Carrie,
William Ralston, Charlotte n
Braeme, 'Old sleuth." and the q,
thor Of "Nick Carter" whoever
may be, are among the more prom
nent OF this class Of writerG Gee
sioaally Q new name appears, b.
not often. Alberta Edmunds az
Marah Ellis Ryan are two OF the Ia
est additions
Occasionally o writer OF real powe
like Mira Bryan, y southern w0maI
is found among the galaxy, but %
rule the literary style Of these no
= elists 10 not remarkable tor eth,
strength or charm. 1t. has som
times happened That = we'll .kn0w
novelist Of unusual ability. holdiu
Q c0napicu0us place among u
esteemed ticCiOn makers Of the da,
has sought to enter the charmed CT
Gle, under an assumed name, becau,
he realized less from his publishe
books than his merits warrante,
The average experience OF such wri
ers IL that 1t Ia difficult, II not imp0
sible, for them to subordinate ever
| thinv IN tho damn nds M thu sens