Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-11

| low covers. like Gunters books In a 90
! cent edition. They are very similar even
| TO the titles.
| Some time ago there was announced in
a family story paper sensational tale Of
| Russian nihlism, founded on fact. Inc
| authors long residence in Russia, II was
! stated. had enabled him to deal realisti-
cally with the subject. and the romance
had been secured at a high price for the
benefit exclusively Of the readers of that
periodical. The story was not written at
the time OF announcement. but before II
appeared the writer in whose brain the
idea originated. one OF the regular staf
of the paper. surrounded himself with a
score of histories and other books
treating Of the country of the Car. and
saturated himself with their contents
so 20 speak. Soon thereafter piece of
fiction spun itself out from under his
pen that was n marvel of ingenuity and
true 10 life narrative.
Stories are written with the meagerest
basis for their construction. In some
houses "A number Of women are employed.
whose duty IL Is to scan hundreds Of eX-
changes which come into the office for
news items and other paragraphs that
suggest ideas for possible plots.
MULTIPLE AUTHORSHIP.
Sometimes one individual writer will
have two or more stories running in
serial form in the same paper, produced.
apparently, by two separate writers. a
half dozen noms de plume are not uncom-
mon with these authors. To make nun
dred dollars and more a week at this
sort of work is as easy with some of
them as is the aforementioned process OF
rolling off log. a knack at reelng off
sentence after sentence almost without
pause, and lively imagination for all
sorts of imposSibiities and situations is
what Is required. IL is said of a certain
writer of half-dime novels. who has made
thousands of dollars out of his work,
and whose home is not far from Wash
ington. that he one day expressed to his
publisher the wish that there was some
faster instrument than the typewriter. IA
at the present rate he could only grind
OUT six novels week, whereas, he had
the material at his fingers ends for a
dozen at once? This gentleman never
plots chapter ahead Of the one on
which he is engaged. and has produced
scores of sea-stories for boys. rivallng
in popularity those of the famous Captain
Marryat.
There are other ways that are dark
and tricks that are fyain," besides those
already mentioned. in this business. Hun
dreds of stories are pirated from English
and other foreign periodicals published
before the date Of the International copy
rlght-law; hundreds are resurrected from
old files in the publishing houses. Some
times the names OF the present popular
pseudo writer's are attached. and old
cuts are hunted up and made TO = rye as
illustrations. The schemes of the average
publisher of cheap literature are hard to
improve upon.
lturiand L. HaiSeN, known to the youth
OF the land as "Old Sleuth." on account
of detective stories which he writes under
that suggestive nom. has probably made
more money than any other writer of
"blood-and- thunder" romances. lie is said
To have been paid at one time by his
publishers $4,000 year for his exclusive
work
Edward H. Wheeler. author of the noted
DeadWood DICK" novels. was the orici-
nator OF some remarkable plots, but was
otherwise very ill,erate His earnings
were divided. strangely enough. with a
New York Episcopal clergyman, who used
TO edit his matter. Wheeler died a victim
10 his passion for drink He used to dis
appear periodically. and turn I'D dead
broke. In some out-of-thc-w place
where he was always rescued by one of
his publishers STAFF. and Kept under lock
and Key until he wrote more scent litera-
ture He was gold-mine TO his en-
ployers.
"REMINISCENCES or NED Bt'NTIINE
III ever the writing Of lurid and roman
VIC hcnon was regarded as art. IL must
have been in the palmy days of the old
yellow back when Mrs Radcliffe Can
tain Mavne Reid. and Ned Buntline"