Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1904-06-30
HOW JACK LONDON ARRIVED"
Popular &uthor Struggled Hard FOR
HIGH PoaItlon He Holds.

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 "arri-es;-
stepping-stone TO success. -
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, hut dig 1t out
yourself.
Fiction pays best OF all.
Don't write too much. Don't dash
OF 6000-word story before breakfast,
Avoid the unhappy ending. the
harsh, the brutal, the tragic, the horri-
ble--if you care to sec In print the
things you write.
Keep a notebook. Travel with IL.
cat with il. sleep with it. Slap into
it every stray thought that futters
up into your brain.
"As soon as a 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 II happened 10 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 q minimum rate OF $40 q
thousand words was paid, and figured
on earning 5000 4 month, without
overstocbing the market.
One morning the postnban 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. 1t con
tanned the written words of an editor
of a big magazine. When, modest as
ever, he had figured in his mind whE
the offer for this 4000-word story
would be at the minimum rate-s40,
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
tho turning point in Jack London's
literary career, as he SO graphically
tells t.:
Nothing remained but to get out
and shovel coal. l had done IL be
| fore, and earned more money at &C.
l resolved to do II again, and GER
tainly should have done IL, had it not
been for The Black Cat.
Yes, The Black Cat. The post
a 5000-word story which was more
lengthy than strengthy, If ! would
/ grant permission TO cut II down half
Grant permission? / told them they
could cut II down two-halves II they'd
only send the money along, which
they did, by return mail. AS for the
So previously mentioned, ] finally re
ceived il. after publication and a great
deal OF embarrassment and trouble"
And the rate he received for his -
| Black Cat story was nearly 20 times
what the iiy e-dollar 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 short-story readers
than any other publication.
! Each of its famous prize competi
| tons has brought new writer's TO the
front. In it's most recent, the $1,000
prize was won by young Texan who
had never before written story, and
tho second, 81 800, went TO lawyers
wife in an obscure Missouri town.
II has just inaugurated another con
test in which $4,000 will be paid TO
writer's in sums OF from 500 to 81. 500.
This will, no doubt, add many new
names TO the list of those who have
arrived" through its recognition
The conditions are announced in the
current issue Of The Black Cat, and
will also be mailed free to any one
by the Shortstory Publishing Com.
pany, Boston, Mass. Even those who
cannot write winning story them
selves may earn SO Ivy giving a time
| ly tip TO some friend who can.
But all should bear in mind that ~
will be entirely useless for any one
70 send story TO The Black Cat
without first reading and complying
with all the published conditions
Here Is chance for the reader to dig
dollars out Of his brain, for what Hfe
does not at least contain ono tale
worth telling?
/