The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-13
AUTHORSHIP THAT PAYS
New York the Center of
One Kind of Writing.
DIVIDED INTO CLASSES
Most OF the Country Looks to Liter
atnre and Art in That City to Sup
ply Its Advertising Matter-.Even
Fame Is tc be Had in the Calling,
Though 1t Is Limited.


There Is one branch OF literature
that book writer's and poets mention
In tones of mild irony, It pays rather
better than either poesy or book
writing, so It's followers easily put up
with the scorn.
That is the business of writing ad-
vertisements. II has made this city
It's principal headquarters and the
result is that half or three quarters
OF the advertising done throughout
the United States is undertaken In
New York, says the New York Sun.
There are 1876 advertising agencies
OF all sizes In the city. They employ
about 500 artists and / 900 copy
writer's. The largest of these agen-
cies have staffs numbering from ten
to fifteen writer's and from four to
ten artists.
The most successful advertising
agencies are those which place the
advertisements in newspapers, maga-
zines and trade papers throughout
the country The greatest of these
worth Of business. Such concerns en-
Joy profits in excess of advertising
firms devoted only to preparing ad-
vertisements and giving advice to
manufacturers.
IL manufacturer In Kansas City,
say, has a new piano or a new soap
to put upon the market he gets into
communication with New York. He
knows that If his product is to have
the sale he hopes the advertising to
make 1t sell must be written by a
New York copy writer. In the West,
which is any place the other side OF
Buffalo, the word advertising" has
come to be synonymous with New
York.
There is some reason for this
When young man, or an old one,
for that matter, develops any sort of
ability as writer of advertising he
comes to New York, because here he
can sell his talents at the highest
market price. The same thing is true
Of artists.
Many OF them work two or three
days a week and thus insure the rent
money. During the free days they
draw covers for the magazines, or
illustrate books. or follow any one of
the hundred other occupations so
dear to the heart OF the true artist
and so Improbable. Many of them
do piecework, such as drawing cata-
iogue covers for $25 each, making
designs to Illustrate an eloquent shoe
booklet or picture with painful accu-
racy the advantages OF new corset.
About half the street car advertis-
ing used in the United States, Can
ada, Mexico and the Philippines is
written In New York, is illustrated
here and not little is actually print
ed In this city. The remainder Is
done by merchants and advertising
companies in the cities in which the
cars operate.
Managers In this business receive
from 5000 to $500 a week. They
are the men who have complete
charge OF campaigns for the untu-
tored advertiser and each OF them
holds his job by virtue OF past
achievements. In many instances
these men own their agencies and
derive greater profits than the sal
aried managers.
Good copy writer's receive from
$50 to SIS a week and the cream OF
the writing crowd--they are few
draw from 800 to 5000 week.
These are the hard thinkers. They
are gifted enough to sell palm leaf
fans In Iceland merely by jotting
down a few we'll chosen remarks un-
der a striking picture OF the fan.
The ordinary pallid copy writer
starts In at $25 week and some
times gets to $50 II he can break
himself of the habit of saying that
something or other is the best In its
line. N44
Artists rank trihe lower than
writer's. A poor artist can find plen-
~ ofadvertising jobs at SIS or $40
a week A poor copy writer cannot
poasibiyNbe worth less than $25. II
he is there's sorrow in his family
when his company finds 1t out, and
the want columns have new
reader
Advertising writer's are divided
into several classes. Technical men
write about the insldes of locomo-
tiyes, gas engines. dynamos, puri-
fiers, air brakes. injectors and so on.
They are generally mechanical en-
gineers who couldn't make a go In
their regular business and so drifted
into literature. They are very neces-
sary because the average copy
writer couldn't tell the fywheel OF
an engine from barn door.