The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-16
Frederick Haskin's Letter
tepeaa cczssapeaAzs q Ar=uaJ
Rocky Road to Writing Fame.

in the power of suggestion a.
note book label might be reg.. "a >
as a determining factor in ~ ~
Hurst's later success. 'i'''
Ben Ames Williams found ;.
first hundred stories the hsrdss,' .s
dispose of. In fact, he saws So ~. .
he bombarded editors for four va Ia
without preaching their fort iis.'s
tons. The hundred and first Sc SO.
sold, and Mr.. Williams has iiS. ly
we INFER, famously ever affer W.
Another author who haIiav..
persistence, William Hamilto- ~ q
borne, tells of sending A sfo-,- ' !.
125 magazines and newspapers az y
at last selling it to Lippinco ~
Magazine. which had been So, go. >
how previously overlooked.
Gelett Burgess also found the. !,
is apt to take time to adjust ~.
self in tune with editorial mis-.
He soon saw the unlikeliboo5 :.
being especially invited to hin ~.
congregation of the literati 81 :.
he says, he broke in, as one brsaSs
into a house.
A Boston newspaper had = r,,.
of literary queries which rsaSssss
propounded and other readers en-.
wered. Burgess wrote to tie sdi
tor: vi
Who is the author Of the No..
commencing The dismal day viii
dreary pace and can you give t5s
verse? F r az
This was printed, and Burgess A.
once sent in the answer that r.
author of the poem in question vss
Frank Gelett Burgess. and that h
was sending the words. Burgess
recommended this as one sure wav
to get manuscript printed.
Kathleen Norris first story had
a long and honorable career. II
went to a few magazines and then
into a trunk. Seven years Later
she had acquired a journalistic hus-
band who understood the unroman-
tic business of marketing mann
scripts. He made an alphabetical
list of % fiction magazines and the
story began to shuttle back and
forth with monotonous regularity.
When the % were all tried. the
self-appointed literary agent did
not give up. He began again with
the first one and drew check.
This tale presents i doubtful NOR
al. A story irgenuOusly Offered to
the same editor twice might be
gratefully received, and then again
it might impress that parsonage so
unfavorably that the sight of the
authors name would become dis
tasteful to him-that is, unless the
author became famous. When an
authors existence once begins TO
be officially recognized by the mag
azines he enters a new caste in So
Ciety, and editors regard him with
respect. Burgess John
son describes this transformation
J0hnsOn's Curious Experience.
while 1 was d college student
I sent some verses TO Life They
were returned with a pleasantly
worded printed slip from the editor
[ sent some more. They we're re
turned with similar comment
lid it again and yet again, always
with the same result.
Then at last came acceptance
with handwritten note asking for
more. But there was an old flaw
in my respect for editors. [ pro
,eeded to nunt up all those rejected
and ] sent them in
to the request They were
all accepted.
1T was then that a great truth
1awned upon me. Editors were
humanity fallible. Anyone could
be one So, in time. I myself be-
came an editor
Henry Sydnor Harrison had A
similar experience. Once his name
was linked with success and popu-
arity, editors who had steadily re-
used to see any good in MS stories
when he had swamped their offices
with manuscripts, began to ask
politely for just one story,
The moral of such careers Is OBJ
Tiously that enc way 10 sell man
lscripts is to become a famous au-
hor.
Taking the book altogether. how
.ver. it doesn't seem to make muen
which one Of the writers
beginnings the incipient celebrity
selects to COPY. He may start ont
With heroic cOuplets or fiye-act
ragedies. Sooner or later, il ne
persists, he will find his medium
md an editor who appreciates him
that is, he Viii if he Is destined 10
,e famous American author.