The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-26
In THE LITERARY FIELD
SIDE LINES OF BUSINESS AMONG
LONDON NOVEL WRITER'S.
Drift OF the Influence of Public Libra
ries-Most Widely Read Eng
Iish Novelist.

It Is becoming a subject for much discus
EiSa in London's literary circles as 10
whether a man or woman can make de-
cent. comfortable living at writing books
a man or a woman who writes good books.
saIabe books, books that people read and
talk about, and recommend to their friends.
Most book writer's emphatically say mol!
says a London correspondent of the Wash
ington Post.
The other day I was calling we'll
known woman writer. whose books are wide
ly known in England and America, and
have been well translated into one or two
continental languages. She writes two books
a year-that is, on an average Her books
are not great books by any means, but they
are not bad books, and that Is saying a
great deal. Over the teacups we talked
books and 1 complimented her upon the sue
cess of her last book. 1 looked about her
pretty home, and I said;
81 call Il a sign of woman's progress and
advancement that member OF my sex can
keep UP a home like this by book writing
II don't keep 1t up by book writing, she
answered.
but / thought you had always said that.
unlike most other English women workers,
your parents-that you had your own row
20 hoe entirely by yourself"
'sTruep she replied, but 1t costs me 800
a year to keep up this style of living, and
never make more than 80 a year out OF my
books. / make another $50 out of newspaper
and magazine writing. and make the rest
OF my income out or m1ncemeat
''Mlncemeat?' / echoed.
Eyes, mincemeati"
she sat back and laughed till the tears
rolled down her cheeks, till l got TO laugh
ing myself, and our tea got cold and we
had to wait for another pot to be brewed.
IL turned out that this writer Of many
books had for several years been carrying
on a private trade in mincemeat, made by
herself with the help of lady companion.
She started among her friends, they recon-
mended her TO their friends, they to others,
till finally she secured a steady income
from making mincemeat
Mincemeat and literature! Well, and why
not?
/ know literary mana genius, who
writes some OF the stories / love best. Once
he gave me pretty little bracket. hand
made, hand-carved, to hold some books in
II made it myself" he said. ST generally
sell them, but you being in one of my pro-
fessi0ns, / make you present"
He laughed and I asked what he meant
by one of his professions, whereat was in
formed that when he fell in love and wanted
to get married, he found he could not prop
erly support wife at storywriting, and
having talent for dainty carpentry and
wood-carving, he thought he would try to
make some money at it, which he did. and
now he Is married, expecting to live happily
ever afterward. He is In fair way to do it.
toe. His wife is good typist, and while
she copies his pencil-written stories on the
machine he makes brackets and fancy
knick-knacks.
Investigation among my literary friends
and acquaintance has brought me to the
conclusion that most Of them who are really
living comfortably or bit luxuriously are
carrying on ''sideshows'' OF one sort or an
other. They do not get rich and ride in car
rfages from the proceeds of book writing
Any man or woman who can turn out two
books a year-books of, say. 10000 words re-
wise them properly. correct the usual two
sets OF proofs. Is doing pretty well. A return
OF ECO or f10 for each book is not by any
nmeans thing TO be sneered at: but IL /.
enough to bring up family on. So
ASIDE from bO0k-writing, there must be ar
ticles written for newspapers and maya
zines, plays for the stage, book reviewing
risks on the stock exchange, mincemeat
making. the manufacture of shelves, toile
washes. complexion specialties and what
nots. Some persons make several hundred
year at their books, and still go in for sid,
shows" If they write plays that have gooC
runs on the stage, they are apt to have ar
income OF thousands instead of hundreds
but they carry on other sideshows.
Witness. I'm this respect, George r. Sims
: who runs a hair restorer, and witness agar
another literary debut in the same line, fol
John Strange Winter. who wrote "Bootles
Baby and don't know how many scores
of other books besides. has now got UP from
sick bed. upon which she lost much o.
her hair, and yet has now three times a.
much hair as she ever had before having
as she says, in her spare moments, beer
able to put together some ingredients that
properly mixed make hair food" which
she Is now going to put on the market. Al
ready her hair food" and her books are ad
yertised together, and they do say that al
literary people are expected to come forward
and try the food first on their door mats
TO see IL they can renovate them thus, ant
then afterward on their own and their chill
dren's heads. One literary man has tried 4
on bald spot on the top of his dogs head
and all literary London Is breathlessly en-
gagged In watching that dog.