Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1904-07-01
HOW JACK LONDON ARRIVED"
Popular Author Struggled Hard for
HIGH Position He Holds.

story writer and brilliant war CORE.
twenty-eight years old. Three years
ago he was unheard OF by the reading
world. To-day he is read everywhere.
u sought by publishers, and the pages
Of the magazines. from The Century
down. are open TO him.
Tho story OF how he arrived"
how he first set foot upon the
stepping stone to success, be
tells In Tho 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 a 6000-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
II every stray thought that nutters
up into your brain.
"As soon as fellow sells two or
three things to the magazines" says
Jack London, his friends all ask him
how he managed TO do It," and then
be goes on. In his own racy way. to
tell how II happened to him.
He had many liabilities and no as
sets. no 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 he 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 a minimum rate OF $40 O
thousand words was paid. and figured
on earning 5000 month. without
overstocklng the market.
One morning the postman brought
him. instead OF the usual long, thick
manuscript envelope. a short, thin
one. He couldn't open II right away.
It seemed = sacred thing. 1t con-
tanned tho written words OF an editor
OF big magazine. When. modest as
ever. no 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
dollarsi
Not having died right then and
there. Mr.. London Is convinced that
he may yet qualify as an Oldest In
habitant. Five dollarsl When2 The
editor did not state.
hut. by and by. In the course OF its
wanderings. one OF his stories reached
an editor who could see the genius Of
Jack London. and had the patience to
penetrate beneath tho husk OF wordy
introduction and discover tho golden
grain.
Here is tho incident that proved
the turning point In Jack London's
literary career. az he SO graphically |
tells II:
Nothing remained but to get out
and shovel coal. | had done It be-
fore and earned more money at It
resolved to do II again. and Ger.
lainiy should have done it, had II not
been for The Black Cat.
"Yes. The Black Cat. The post
man brought me an orrer from It for
! 4o00-word story which was more
lengthy than strengthy. II would
grant permission to cut 1t down half.
Grant permisslong | told them they
could cut II down two-halves II they'd
,niy send the money along. which
hey did. by return mail. As for the
IS previously mentioned. finally re-
,eived It. after publication and great
Zeal OF embarrassment and trouble"
And the rate he received for his frst
Black Cat story was nearly 20 times
shat tho n, e-doliar editor paid
Nor Is Jack London the only writer
Who has been lifted from obscurity to
prominence by the lucky Black Cat.
which. as the New York Press has
ruly said. has dore more for short
tory writer's and short-story readers
han any other publication.
Each OF its famous prize competi-
ions has brought new writer's to the
ront. In its most recent. the $3.100
rite was won by young Texan who
lad never before written story. and
he second. 1880 went to lawyers
gife In an obscure Missouri town.
II has Just lnaugurated another con-
est In which $4,000 viii be paid to
writer's In sums OF from 800 to 81 500.
his Will. no doubt. add many new
ames 20 the list OF those who have
arrived through It's recognition.
The conditions are announced In the
urrert Issue OF The Black Cat, and
sili also be mailed free to any one
y the ShoTtstory Publishing Com