The state herald., 1904-07-01
HOW JACK LONDON ARRIVED"
Popular Author Struggled Hard for
hiuh Position he Holds.

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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. he
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 1t out
yourself.
Fiction pays best OF all.
Don't write too much. Don't dash
on 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 n notebook. Travel with II.
eat with 1t, sleep with 1t. Slap into
up into your brain.
"As soon as a 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
he goes on, In his own racy way, to
tell how 1t 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 Sunday supple
ment, that a minimum rate Of $40 .
thousand. words was paid. and figured
on earning $500 a 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 It con-
tanned the written words of an editor
OF 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-$4O.
Of course-he opened the letter. Five
dollars!
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 Its
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 London 8
literary career. as he SO graphically
tells II:
Nothing remained but TO get out
and shovel coal. had done 1t be-
fore. and earned more money at It
I resolved to do II again, and | GER
tainly should have done It. had II not
been for The Black Cat.
Yes, The Black Cat. The post
man brought me an offer from It for
n 4000word story which was more
grant permission to cut II down half
Grant permission? | told them they
could cut II down two.halyes II they'd
only send the money along. which
they did. by return mail. As for the
IS previously mentioned, | finally re-
ceived It. after publication and a great
deal OF embarrassment and trouble !"
And the rate he received for his first
Black Cat story was nearly 20 times
what the iyedollar 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
truly said, has done more for short
story writer's and shortstory readers
than any other publication.
Each of its famous prize competi-
tions has brought new writer's to tho
front. In Its most recent. the s2,iO0
prize was won by young Texan who
had never before written a story. and
the second, $1,000, went to lawyers
wife in an obscure Missouri town.
II has just Inaugurated another con-
tost in which $4,000 will be paid to
writer's In sums of from 500 10 81, 500.
This will. no doubt add many new
names TO the list Of those who have
arrived" through lis recognition,
The conditions are announced in tho
current Issue OF The Black Cat. and
Will also be mailed FREQ 10 any one
by tho Shortstory Publishing Com
pnny. Boston. Mass, Even those who
cannot write winning story them.
selves may earn $40 by giving time.
ly tip 10 some friend who can.
But all should bear In mind that Il
will be entirely useless fog any ono
TO send story 10 The Black Cat
without first reading and complying
with all tho published conditions.
Here iB n chance for the reader 10 dig
dollars out OF his brain for what lifo
does not at least contain one taio
worth tclling7
uirlH may not convert young men.
but they at least draw them 10 church
Thi, VIII Interest Mothers.
Mother Gray's Sweet Powders for Chill.
| drpn. used by MOthgr IraV "a t,tra. Ia,