The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-24
ROAD TO LITERARY FAME.
A Degree of Ability and Perseverance
the Chief Requirements

New Orleans Times Democrat
The author who committed suicide In
New York the other day for the reason
that his manuscripts had been rejected by
publishing houses is to be regarded as one
of the persons who die "as the fool dieth"
1t is well known, and in many Instances
is specifically stated that 'the return of
manuscript does not in any sense indicate
that articles are lacking in literary merit
Indeed, if the biographies of men whose
literary fame is secure may be believed,
the rejection of manuscripts not infrequent-
ly is reflection upon the publishing house
rather than upon the author. How many
of the really great books that are to-day
lasting contributions to literature have
been, while in manuscript, sent the rounds
or publishing houses, returning to the au-
thor with seldom failing regularity, until
at length the story or essay or history. as
the case might have been, has happend 70
come under the eyes of sympathetic and
kindly critics.
If authors clearly understood the process
by which manuscripts are either accepted
or rejected. they would be inclined to take
somewhat less seriously the return of these
children OF their brains. When an article
is first received at a publishing house il is
placed in the hands of one of the readers
"a gentleman whose ability is not always
commensurate with the responsibility OF his
position. If the manuscript please the
taste of this young, or sometimes old, critic,
1t is sent with commentator to persons
high In authority in the house and If it
again be approved ii is referred 10 the
publisher, whose judgment is final All this,
of course. in case the author be compare
lively unknown. Twill, therefore, be seen
that the chances of rejection are many. A
great deal depends upon the temper of the
critic under whose eyes the manuscript first
falls, and great deal depends also upon
the mood in which this critic happens to
be when he begins to read the article. An
inferior cup of coffee at breakfast: a dis
agreeable ride downtown on the cars; a de-
lay at the elevator; the haunting feeling
that one inadvertently walked under a lad
der as one entered the building; a sight of
the proverbial red-haired girl and the white
horse; letter from the butcher, the baker
or the Candlestick maker-any one of these
tri1ing incidents has made it easy for
new authors manuscript to find It's way
either into the waste paper basket or into
1.-THE stamped enveloped inclosed"-for the
purpose OF securing return OF the article
Writers. therefore, should not easily be-
come otsGourased, In lite, Ltera at uTeEnay we
tiOn?-the thing TO do is ito keep ever
lastingly at it, If one publishing house
returns an article, the wise author will
promptly put the manuscript into fresh
envelope and send it to another publisher.
In case II is again returned, he Will repeat
the performance, and keep on repeating it
till the article is accepted. This process
may he eXpcnsive-for "A time-in pOsta ge
stamps, but in the end twill prove sue
cessful 1t may be safely said that there
| is to-day no manuscript so deficient in
merit that it will not get into print if its
author will but have the perseverance to
send it to publishers, and, having done all,
| TO keep on sending il. There are cases of
| record in which a manuscript that was re-
| jected by publishing house in one decade
was accepted by the same house ten years
| later.
Too bad this poor fellow in New York
knew not the ways of publishing houses !
IF at first you don't succeed, try. try
| again" is the key to success in Iitera ture-
| that is in literature OF a certain kind. Be
| wise, then. before tits too late young
| authors, and remember that one road 10
| literary fame leads through-the postoffice.