The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1904-06-30
NON IAoK LoNpoN eAaaNsO..
Popular Author struggled Hard for
High Position he Holds.

ago he waa unheard OF by the reading
world. To-day he Is read everywhere.
Is sought by publishers, and the pages
OF the magazines. from The Century
down. are open 10 him.
The story OF how he arrived
how he first set foot upon the
s-tepping-stone 70 success, he
tells in The Editor, the New
York magazine for literary workers.
Incidentally giving the latter class
some excellent advice. Here are a
few OF his terse. pregnant sentences
Work. Don't wait for some good
Samaritan to tell you. but dig 1t out
yourself.
Fiction pays best OF all.
Don't write too much. Don't dash
OF a e000-word story before breakfast
Avoid the unhappy ending. the
harsh. the brutal. the tragic. the horri-
ble-if you care to see in print the
things you write.
Keep a notebook. Travel with Il,
lat with It. sleep With Il. Slap into
Il every stray thought that nutters
up into your brain.
"As soon as a fellow sells two or
three things to the magazines" says
Jack London. his friends al ask him
how he managed 10 do H." and then
he goea on. in his own rAcy way, 60
tell how Il happened 10 him.
He had many liabilities and no as
sets, pa income and several mouths
to feed He lived in California. far
from the great publishing centers.
and did rot know what an editor
looked like. But be sat down and
wrote. Day by day his pile Of manu-
scripts mounted up. He had vague
ideas. obtained from a Sunday supple
ment, that q minimum rate OF SO 4
thousand words was paid. and figured
on earning $500 q month. without
o%verstocking the marSet
one morning the postmAn brought
him. instead Of the usual long. thick
manuscript envelope, a short. thin
one. He couldn't open Il right away.
II seemed a sacred thing. Il con
tanned the written words Of an editor
OF a big magazine. When. modest as
ever. he had figured In his mind what
the offer for this sO00-word story
would be al the minimum rate-slO.
Of eourse-hs opened the letter. rive
doilArsi
Not having died right then and
there. Mr.. London IL convinced that
he may yet qualify a. an Oldest In
hAbitant. Five dollars! Wheat The
editor did not state.
But by and by. In the course OF lie
wanderings. one Of his stories reached
an editor who could see the genius OF
Jack London. and had the patience 10
penetrate beneath the husk OF wordy
Introduction and discover the g0ldea
grain.
Here IL the Incident that proved
the turning point In Jack London's
literary career. Is be so graphically
tells a.:
Nothing remained but 20 set out
and shovel coal I had done q be,
foro. and earned more money al II.
I resolved 10 DO Il again. And I Ger.
tAinly should have done Il. had e not
been for The Black Cat
Eyes. The BLACK Cat The post,
man brought me an offer from Il Tor
a 4000-word story which was more
lengthy than atrengthy. II I would
grant permission 10 cut I; down half,
Grant permissionf told them they
could cut Il down t~wo-halves n they'd
only send the money along. which
they did, by return mail. As for the
t5 previously mentioned. ! nnally 70
ceivcd II. after publication and a great
deal Of embarrassment and trouble
And tho rate he received for his aral
Black Cat story was nearly 20 times
what the nv e-dollar editor paidl
Nor IL Jack London the only writer
who has been lifted from ohscurity &
prominence BY the lucky Black Cat
which. a. the New York Press hal
truly said. has done more for short
story writer's and shortstory roaden
than any other publication.
Each Of Sc famous prize eompeti
tons has brought new writer's 10 th'
front In lie most recent the 1910
prisa wAa won BY a young TEXAN VIII
had never before written q story. an,
the second, u.309. went TO a lawyer
wife In an obscure Missouri town.
IL has Just inaugurated another con
test I'm which $4,000 will be paid q
writer's IN sums Of from 500 20 $500
THIS viii. no doubt add many nov
names 10 tho llat q those Who hayI
arrived" through tn recognition.
The conditions are announced IN IN
current iasue OF The Black Cat. an
viii also be mailed free 10 any on
By the ShortstoFy Publishing Con
pany. Boston. Mass. Even those VII
cannot write a winning story then
selves may arm go By giving a time
ly tip 10 some friend who car.
But all should bear IN mind that
will be entirely useless Tor any on
10 send a story 10 The Black ca
without first reading aud complyin
with all the published condition.
Here is a chance for the reader 10 a.