Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-03
TO ASPIRING WRITERS


In an address delivered before the Medill
School Of Journalism, Northwestern univer-
sity, Chicago, William Harlowe Briggs, Z
director and executive head of the literary
department of Harper & Brothers, said:
"The work of an unknown writer Is well
come in any publishing house in America. II
you have never written story before, any
magazine editor will be glad to read your
first one. Your fate is in your own hands,
It's up to you-it's up to the novel and the
story you have written. AS a matter fact,
publishers and editor are eager for the new
touch-the fresh impulse. They spend a
GOO deal of money every year in going over
the flood of material that comes to them in
the hope of finding this hitherto unknown
Kipling, or Deland, or Harrington.
"H. L. Mencken told me the other day that
he often had occasion to impress this fact
upon inexperienced writers who wrote 70
him or came to see him. Once, In an un-
guarded Aloment, Mencken made statement
in an article in his newspaper, The Baltimore
Evening Sun, that he would agree to lace
any good novel that was sent to MIN. Menchen
thus unwittingly put himself in the place of q
publisher He was swamped by manuscripts
! he received nearly 500. Out of the 500
came one novel which has achieved a good
mea sure Of success, both critical and finan-
| cIo' -1d perhaps two or three others which
~cnieved pubicaton-and then oblivion
ST quote Mencken because of his independ-
| emit position, and because you know o. his
| dsinterested love of literature and his en-
| thusiasm for the work and the spirit Of writ
| ing men and women in America today.
sit may be- well for us to elaborate scme
| of the details already suggested. To do
/ this, we must be very elementary-but only
| for few moments.
"t1. No manuscript in longhand should be
| submitted. A typewriter manuscript,
| double-spaced, on the standard size paper, win
receive the careful attention which you expect.
! ''2. From two weeks to one month should
! be allowed the publisher for the consideration.
| of your manuscript. Do you worry if you
| do not hear from him before a month has
elapsed from the sending of the manuscript
- Always put your name and address at
| the top of the first page of the manuscript.
! 1t is well to write a letter to accompany the
manuscript, but your name and address should
! be IN the manuscript itself also.
/ ca In the case of non-fiction manu-
/ script, where the author supplies the illus
! trations, it is best to send only sample of
the Illustrations. If you keep the ilulstra-
| tions yourself they will never be lost. There
| will be ample time to consider them after the
manuscript itself has been favorably passed
! upon.
"'5 Generally speaking, it is not consider
| ed playing the game for an author to submit
! the same manuscript to more than one pub
4 Usher at time M 4
$50. Do not be Harmed If the publisher.
suggests change Of title Often the title
| you have selected has already been used.
| Sometimes the reason for change will be
| that u.s. a juvenile instead of novel--or .
! biographical or historical work instead of flo.
| tion-or vice versa.
| "7. IF you desire dedication for your
| kook-or If there is to be an introduction by
| yourself or some other person--this material
| should be furnished the publisher either with
the manuscript or very early in the printing
| process
esq If you have ideas of your own con.
| corning Observation-Disclosures should be taken
! up with the publisher as soon after accept
ance as possible so that he may have OPP
| portunity to work out your ideas in salts
| factory way
'sTwo new novels are published in this
country every business day in the year--the
actual figures for last year being IT'S new
ovels. This is rather startling competition
and it is even more startling when you real
ize that last year there were published in this
country 8,422 new books. This figure, be-
lieve shows falling off in The total book
production from the years just preceding the
war. Vs6
"If you will put yourself in the position
of the bookseller, you will see that he is
asked to buy 750 new books month. He
| was asked to buy $50 books last month and
| the month before--last year and the year be-
| fore. So, l. will not be surprising II Jour
book Is not always in stock at even some OF
the good bookstores The pressure of the
book is not always in stock at even some OF
the good bookstores. The pressure of the
| condition where all books have an equal OPP
portunity. The fttest suryive-the books in !
| demand are the books which the dealer keeps
| in stock, generally speaking. u
.--Nr------ sB4
H..I.1