Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1917-06-02
Confessions Of a
Successful Author
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

! entered upon u literary career with
misgiyiugs Having formed my taste
from reading classic authors who
wrote in the English language.
thought that in order TO succeed my
work must be up 10 their standard
and l had sense enough to believe that
this was beyond the bounds Of prob.
ability.
After spending several years writing
novels, into which | put my best eff
forts. and having failed to secure ii
publisher for any one Of them, it oc-
CURED to me that the public taste re
quired something with less literary
merit and more calculated to excite the
curiosity and other similar human at
tributes therefore turned my atten-
tion to detective stories aud extraya
ganzas
The fate OF unsuccessful authors Is
usually that they are condemned 10
judge of the works Of Others strug
Cling for literary fame. In other
words. they sink into positions of
editors Their own failure fills them
with natural prejudice against the
works OF those who are eudeuv oring
to come up behind them. was con
scientiOus enough to struggle against
this feeling. bat | soon learned that, so
far as the publishers were concerned
literary merit had little to do with the
matter, ANA sought for sellers"
From the editorial chair | sank into
the position Of turulsher Of that lit
erary fodder on which the public feeds
as "A horse eats corn or hay. In this
way | managed to keep body ana soul
together for ten years one morning
when | had become somewhat indie
pendent from having received prompt
pay for grinding out copy the mail
brought me letter from a publisher
asking me If had anything on hand
in which he would be Interested SUP
posing that the letter was a catch FOR
printing that | would he expected to
pay for, | returned his letter 10 him
with the Endorsement that | never
paid the expenses for publication OF
my works, He replied that he would
publish anything OF mine, II at all. on
u royalty.
Now. If | had achieved literary fame
this would not have been surprising.
As 1t was l could have been knocked
down with feather Unfortunately
the opportunity, II such It would prove
to he, came too late. 1 had fallen heir
to a small property, ana the income,
together with what made at produc-
ing literary fodder. supplied my wants.
was not disposed to write anything
more. taking the risk Of It's being lie
clined by the publisher. and | was sat
isfied that nothing l had on hand would
meet the public demand.
My grandmother on my fathers side
had become chronic invalid and was
confined to her room with nothing 10
occupy her She had never shown any
literary taste, though she had been a
yolumiuous reader Of cheap novels.
Some one suggested to the Old lady
quite likely To relieve those about her
~ the task of keeping up her spirits
that she try her hand at scrlbblins
She listened to the suggestion and
the result was novel In manuscript
one day when visited The old lady
She suggested that /, being man OF
belles-ettres objected to the term
and suggested literary hack instead
might ind a publisher for her novel
Ii happened that this request came Il
day or TWO after had been asked by
Dowley q Co, publishers, for some OF
my work. / told my grandmother that
[ would submit her novel for her ana
took il away with me aud without
reading 1t / sent It to the boWleYs rs
NV own work OF course / expected
that il would be returned with thanks
and an explanation why il was not
exactly what the fun was looking for
Within week received notice that
aly novel, "ArabelIa NoonS,' was &c
-epted. and was offered 10 per
cent royalty Like fool, / ran on to
my grandmother with the news. That
fixed me as the author OF "Arabelia $
Nooiug." The old lady would have
Iisowued me aud ! was down ia her
viii for $4,000 had l spoiled he op-
portuulty by confessing nay imposition
On the publisher.
felt obliged to consent to the pub
LEGATION Of my graudmother's work I'M
der my own name without having read
IL. 1t was issued IN due time, aud ]
opened copy u It, / confess, with
dread But / was not prepared for
what found iu It Great hea' ems.
Was this maudlln effort Of woman
IN her dotage, this hideous effort al
sentiment, 10 90 forth as my work
Rather would | offend my grandmoth
er rather would I forego the legacy.
( telephoned Bowling q % to know
II the book had been issued, intending.
II It had not been. to urge it's suppres
sion. TOO late. A first edition Of TO-
O0c copies was on the stands
BY few friends I had been regard.
ed as a real literary man, ana they had
great respect FOR NY opinion on books