The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-09

Readers like to know what other
readers like to read. A good way to
get comprehensive view of this is
to find out what the publishers or the
EDITORS of magazines know from OBJ
servation and what demands they are
trying to meet. Opportunities of this
sort do not often come, but the New
York Times Saturday Review has
made a few inquiries, the answers to
which show the trend of the editors
conclusions as to timely" articles, the
long serial, poetry, descriptive and
historical articles, and supply and de-
mand of short stories. Here are the
questions and answers:
The Timely Article.
LIS the tendency toward the
timely article in the monthly mag
azines growing or diminishing?
Colonel George Harvey, (Harper's
and The North American Review
Growing, I should say, in all except
Harper's Magazine.
Robert U. Johnson associate Edi-
tor of The Century)-There is I'M
doubtedly Il growing tendency toward
the timely article in some quarters,
and / believe it not to be to the detri-
ment of the magazines that they
should have in mind the psychological
moment; but it is possible to carry
this tendency to excess, and to fatigue
the reader with actualities.
S. S. Mcclure (McClure's Magazine)
If anything, the tendency toward
| timely articles is increasing. 1t has
always been the policy of McClure's
to take up such subjects as are enlist
ing the public interest; so much so
that the magazine has been defined as
National Journalism"
| Bliss Perry (Atlantic Monthly)-Is
there any such uniform type of 1.-The
monthly magazine" as your question
implies? Magazines that make a spe-
cialty of "timelness" are constantly
perfecting their machinery for discuss
ing contemporary events. Re~tively
therefore, many of the older maya
zines seem less timely than they die
ten years ago. Actually they are
I more timely.
Edward Box (Ladies' Home Jour.
I nal--Undoubtedly the public likes
timeliness in it's literature, whether If
a monthly or a daily, but it stands tc
reason that, as the magazines increase
In circulation, necessitating an earlier
date of going to press, the timely ar
ticle will become more difficult to give
with any security of its being timely
! upon publication. And as between
4 many copies and no timely articles, OF
few copies and timeliness, is there {
choice? Editors like q few of the
iluxuries of life as well as authors.
The Long Serial.
II-Are long serials as much in IA
vor as they We're, or are nOVel-readers
now generally inclined to await pub
lcation in book form?
Mr.. Johnson think that among
readers in the cities loEg serials are
less in favor than in the days of leis
urely reading. At the same time we
have no conclusive evidence on this
lpoint. The readers of The Centur.
lare not of the class that write much
Ito the editor. Readers living out o
1.-The cities, to whom the coming of
magazine is more Of an event, prob
- ably still like the serial form, will
Its charm of arrest, anticipation ant
return; but this, of course, depends
upon the character of the serial itself
Colonel Harvey-The long serial il
no longer essential.
Mr.. BOk-Our experience is that thu
shorter serial of five parts as a limit
is the popular standard, so far a
length of serials is concerned.
Mr.. MCClure-Yes. Many novel
readers follow a serial thru and reat
again--Or, at any rate, purchaSe-il
book form.
Mr.. Perry-Theoretic there i
little or no reason for serials unde
modern conditions of book and mag
aZine publication. Practically a first
rate one justifies itself, but only
first-rate one.
Magazine Poetry.
III.-Do you regard the publication
of poetry in monthly magazines as