The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-22
CONTRIBUTORS AND EDITORS.
writers OF Talent Have No Complaint "a
Make Against the Magazines.

Wrhtof8 OF Ealcut HAVE NO C0mp1Asut 70
Make Against the Magazines.
To Il EDITOR OF TIE SUN-Sir: The
grievance OF most Of the contributors to the
recent discussion In your columns concerning
the relations Of author and magazine editor
seems to lie In the fact that their particular
literary standards have not been held a. anal
and authoritative In other words. these
writer's have failed TO produce work for which
there was any demand. They have failed In
an open market. and instead Of blaming their
own lack OF ideas. technique or timellness. they
fall to abusing somebody else. In no other
vocation will you find 80 much OF this morbid
egotism and fstuous self-satisfaction which
refuses to learn lessons In defeat or to take
It's medicine The writer's who are loudest
In their walls would have nothing to say
against the literary standards OF the editor
II he should accept their work. Recognition
Of their special brand Of talent would stamp
him as a critic Of rare discernment.
The fact 10 that sS per cent. Of the unsolic-
ited manuscripts that pour into any first class
magazine onioe are not worth a second read
ing. Either they are so crudely expressed
or so barren Of ideas that the vast waste Of
time and effort involved In producing them
becomes q matter OF pity and regret. The
average person believes that after making
q failure of everything else he can make q
success as q newspaper reporter or maya
zine contributor. nor does he think 1t worth
while to try to At himself for a calling In which
there Is keen competition and the need OF
arduous apprenticeship.
A physician without patients or q lawyer
without clients does not rush into print with
lamentations that his genius Is not recos-
nized or that there is q conspiracy to suppress
honest merit In his profession. He pcroeives
that the battle Is hard and long. and a q rule
he buckles down to it with a still upper lip
and finds q manly satisfaction in the risor
Of the game. Not 80 at all with the would-be
author. He Is a starving and neglected
genius in a sordid. sodden. mercenary world
of editors and publishers who do not know
q good thing when they see IL.
Three and q half years ago I left q position
as reporter on a New York newspaper 20 try
the magazine game My name was wholly
unknown to magazine editors, and I knew
little about the kind OF work they wished.
Nor did l make any attempt to cater to the
popular fallacy that happy endings" and
"mushy sentiment are most In demand In this
field. I wrote a short story which was q plain
picture of q bit OF life as I had known Il. 10
was promptly accepted by the editor of
Scribner's Magazine. and prominently 'fes-
tured.- although written by q man whose
name had not the slightest circulation value.
MY second story, which was q narrative OF
failure and tragedy. was bought by The edi-
tor OF the Century. who was kind enough TO
ask me TO call on him for the purpose of
encoura ginR me TO attempt more ambitious
work in the field OF fiction.
Before either Of these stories had been
published l had sold others to these magazines.
and within two years had made a market
also with McClure's Magazine and several
other periodicals at steadily advancing prices.
Within six months after l had begun to oner
manuscripts which had to take their chances
with the food Of contributions daily received
a.. NhAaa ANq,aa n vraa aaaNraA IF n haNNQr in
come than 1 had made In Journalism. Since
then l have had many more requests and orders
for work than l could ill. until / can count
upon an income OF between $1,000 and 5000
year from magazine work. In addition to book
royalties. Nor is my case unusual.
From the start l met with courtesy and con-
alteration from editors who did not know me
from Adam. I have yet to find a magazine
editor in New York. Boston. Philadelphia or
Chicago who is not keenly on the lookout for
new talent and with whom the unknown
author does not have as good a chance OF
acceptance as the man with a reputation. l
know Of at least two magazines which employ
assistant editors to follow up by personal
appointment every writer whose work shows
the slightest promise. | have known editors
to return manuscripts as unavailable. but with
letters OF kind and careful suggestion regard
ing possible Improvement in future work.
And while acting editor OF one OF the high
priced MAGAZINES l not only read every manu-
script that was not absolutely impossible. but
correspondent with dozens Of writer's who
seemed to have a chance OF making good"
" they were given some helpful advice.
When a New York weekly magazine offered
a prize OF IS, 200 for the best short story SUBJ
mitted the committee of judges was chosen
wholly outside the magazine editorial field.
These gentlemen reported that OF II, 200
manuscripts submitted not 10 per cent. were
worth a second reading. The scribbling public
thinks that anybody can write q story. and
that IL will be better than the trash they
publish in the magazines The talk OF an edi-
torial trust organized to bar these suffering
victims is childish and absurd. The COM
petition among editors is as keen as that
among sellers OF any kind OF merchandise.
Every month there appear stories by writer's
Of no previous reputation. There was never
a time when a writer with sufficient talent
or larger rewards.
Stevenson and Hawthorne could not sell their
stories to a magazine of to-day. If the maya
zines are not publishing great literature IL is
because America has not the writer's capable
of turning il out. Take Joseph Conrad, for
example. He Is writing pure literature. and
magazines are glad to publish it. Yet his
stories have a very limited popular appeal
and his books have had an inconsiderable sale.
There IL not a writer Of recognized literary
talent in this country or England to-day who
has not found ready access to the magazines
regardless OF his or her circulation build
ing" power. A PROFESSIONAL WRITER.
NEW YORK.. November 2I.