The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920, 1904-06-30
HOW JACK LONDON ARRIVED
Popular Author Struggled Hard for
HiQh Position He ioids.

J6ck LONDON, the 1ascinatinS snCftr
story writer and brilliant war corre-
spondent. now Mt the front. 10 but
twenty-eight years old. Three years
ago no was 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 to him.
The story of how he arrived
how he first set foot upon the
stepping-stone to success, no
tells In The Editor. the New
York magazine for literary workers.
incidentally giving the latter class
some excellent advice. Here are .
few OF his terse. pregnant sentences.
Work! Don't wait for some good
Samaritan to tell you. but dig It out
yourself.
Fiction pays best Of all.
Don't write too much. Don't dash
on 6o00-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 II.
eat with II. sleep with II. Slap into
It every stray thought that nuttcrs
| up into your brain.
AS soon as fellow sells two or
three things 10 the magazines says
Jack London. his friends all ask him
how he managed to do It," and then
he goes on. In his own racy way, to
tell how 1t happened to him.
He had many liabilities and no as
-. A..
to feed. He lived in California. far
from the great publishing centers.
and did rot know what an editor
looked like. But he sat down and
wrote. Day by day his pile of manu-
| scripts mounted up. He had vague
ideas. obtained from a Sunday supple
mont, that a minimum rate OF $40 a
thousand words was paid. and figured
on earning 5000 month. without
overstocking the market.
One morning the postman brought
him, instead OF the usual long. thick
manuscript envelope. a short. thin
one. He couldn't open 1t right away.
1t seemed sacred thing. 1t 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 4000-word story
would be at the minimum rate-s40.
of course-he opened the letter. Five
dollarsl
Not having died right then and
there, Mr.. London is convinced that
he may yet qualify as an Oldest in.
habitant Five dollars! When? The
editor did not state.
But, by and by In the course OF It's
wanderings. one of his stories reached
an editor who could see the genius OF
Jack London. and had the patience to
penetrate beneath the husk of wordy
Introduction and discover the golden
grain.
Here is the incident that proved
the turning point In Jack Bondon'i
literary career as he SO graphically
tells It.:
Nothing remained but to get out
and shovel coal had done It be
fore. and earned more money at II
I resolved to do It again, and | GER
tainly should have done II. had 1t moi
been for The Black Cat.
Yes, The Black Cat. The post
man brought me an offer from 1t fol
a 4000-word story which was more
lengthy than strengthy. II l would
grant permission to cut 1t down half
Grant permissionf told them they
could cut 1t down two-halves II they d
only send the money along. which
they did, by return mall. AS for the
Sc previously mentioned, I finally re
ceived II. after publication and a great
deal of embarrassment and trouble
And the rate he received for his firs
Black Cat story was nearly 20 times
what the flye-dollar editor paid
Nor is Jack London the only writer
who has been lifted from obscurity tt
prominence by the lucky Black Cat
which. as the New York Press has
truly said, has done more for short
story writer's and short-story readerl
than any other publication.
Each of its famous prize competi
lions has brought new writer's to ths
front In its most recent, the 81 .10'
prize was won by young Texan wht
had never before written a story. ant
wife in an obscure Missouri town.
It has just inaugurated another con
test in which $4,000 will be paid t,
writer's In sums of from 800 to 81 500
This will. no doubt. add many new
names to the list Of those who hav'
arrived" through its recognition.
The conditions are announced In tn,
current issue of The Black Cat. an,
will also be mailed free to any on'