XVIII.
KEEPING EVERLASTINGLY AT IT
Edwards had not visited New York in 1903, but he landed there on Friday, Jan. 1, 1904, – literally storming in on a train that was seven hours late on account of the weather. A cab hurried him and his wife to the place in Forty-fourth street where the pleasant landlady used to hold forth, but they found, alas! that the old stamping ground was in the hands of strangers. It was like being turned away from home.
Where should they go? Edwards remembered that, on one of his previous visits to New York, Mr. Perkins had recommended the St. George Hotel, over in Brooklyn. The St. George was within a few blocks of the south end of the bridge and the offices of Harte & Perkins were in William street, close to the north end. So Edwards and his wife went to the Brooklyn hotel and there established their headquarters.
On Jan. 2 Edwards called on the patrons of his Factory. The result was not particluarly encouraging. Harte & Perkins instructed him to stop work on the Five-Cent Library, but said that in about two months they would have a new library for him to take care of.
Edwards had brought with him to the city his dramatic version of “The Tangle in Butte,” the play which had come so near turning $5,000 into the Factory’s strong-box. It was Edward’s hope that he might be able to dispose of the play, but the hope went glimmering when he learned that there were 10,000 actors stranded in New York, and that things theatrical were generally in a bad way.
During 1903 Edwards had corresponded with Mr. H. H. Lewis, editor of The Popular Magazine, a recent venture of Messrs. Street & Smith’s. He had submitted manuscripts to Mr. Lewis but they had not proved to be in line with The Popular’s requirements. It is difficult, through correspondence, to discover just what an editor wants. The only way to get at such a thing properly is by personal interview. If the would-be contributor does nof then get the editor’s needs clearly in mind it is his own fault.
Edwards called on Mr. Lewis and had a pleasant chat with him. The assistant editor was Mr. A.D. Hall, a capable gentleman who had been with Messrs. Street & Smith for many years, and with whom Edwards was well acquainted.
At that time Louis Joseph Vance was writing for The Popular Magazine, among others, and Edwards met him in Mr. Lewis’ office. As Edwards was leaving, after outlining a novelette and receiving a commission to write it, he paused with one hand on the door-knob.
“I’ll turn in the story, Mr. Lewis,” said he, “and I hope you’ll like it and buy it.”
“Of course he’ll like it and buy it,” called out Vance. You’re going to write it for him, aren’t you?”
“Why, yes,” returned Edwards, “but–”
“You’re not a peddler,” interrupted Vance, “to write stuff and go hawking it about from office to office. We’re writers, and when we know what a man wants we deliver the goods.”
This was before the days of “The Brass Bowl” and “Terence O’Rourke,” but already Vance had found himself and was striking the key-note of confidence. Confidence – that’s the word. Back it up with fair ability and the writer will go far.
From The Popular’s editorial rooms Edwards went up Fifth avenue for a call on the editor of The Argosy. Much to his disappointment Mr. White was out of town for New Year’s and would not return until the following week.
The story which Edwards had presented to Mr. Lewis in its oral and tabloid form was one that had been written in 1903 and turned down by Mr. White. Before offering the manuscript to The Popular, Edwards intended to rewrite it and strengthen it.
A typewriter was ordered sent over to the St. George Hotel, and on Jan. 3 the rewriting of the novelette was begun. The story was called “The Highwayman’s Waterloo,” or something to that effect. On the following day twenty-four pages of the manuscript were submitted to Mr. Lewis, won his approval, and the rewriting proceeded.
Two chapters of a serial were also offered to Mr. White for examination. The story was called “The Skirts of Chance,” and had been begun before Edwards left home.
During 1902 and ‘03 Edwards had worked, at odd times, on what he designed to be a “high-class” juvenile story. It was 60,000 words in length, when completed in the Summer of 1903, and in September he had submitted it to Dodd, Mead & Company. Not having heard from the story, on this January day that saw him passing out fragments of manuscripts to The Popular and The Argosy he went on farther up Fifth avenue and dropped in to ask D., M. & Co., how “Danny W.,” was fareing at the hands of their readers. He was told that five readers had examined the story and that it was then in the hands of the sixth! Some of the readers – and this came to him privately – had turned in a favorable report. Because of this, the author of “Danny W.,” went back to Brooklyn considerably elated. It would be an honor indeed to have the book break through such a formidable brigade of readers and get into the catalogue of the good old house of Dodd, Mead & Company.
The “highwayman” novelette was finished and submitted in its complete form on Jan. 6. On the same day Mr. White informed Edwards that he was well pleased with the two chapters of “The Skirts of Chance” and told him to proceed with it.
Fortune was on the upward trend for Edwards, and he was sent for by Dodd, Mead & Company, on Jan. 15, and informed that they would either bring out “Danny W.,” on a royalty or pay a cash price for the book rights. Edwards, remembering his disastrous publishing experience with “A Tale of Two Towns,” accepted $200 in cash.
Mr. Lewis bought the novelette for $125, and Harte & Perkins, on the same day, gave Edwards a new library to do – 35,000 words in each story at $50.
Complete manuscript of “The Skirts of Chance” was submitted to Mr. White on Jan. 22, and on Jan. 27 Edwards received $300 for it.
By Feb. 8 Edwards had written and sold to Mr. Lewis another novelette entitled, “The Duke’s Understudy,” for which he received $140.
On Feb. 9 he and his wife returned to Michigan. Edwards had been in New York forty days and had gathered in $965. He left New York with orders for Argosy serials and with the new library, “Sea and Shore,” to be turned in at the rate of one story every two months.
In May he was requested to go on with the Old Five-Cent Library. These stories were forwarded regularly one each week, until November, when orders were again discontinued.
In September, “Danny W.,” appeared. As with “A Tale of Two Towns,” the reviewers were more than kind to “Danny W.,” and there is just a possibility that they killed him with kindness. The idea obtains, in supposedly well-informed circles, that the only way for reviewers to help a book is to damm it utterly. Be this as it may, although illustrated in color and put out in the best style of the book-maker’s art, “Danny W.,” did not prove much of a success. A California paper bought serial rights on the story for $50, and thus the book netted the author, all told, the modest sum of $250.
During this year, also, The A.N. Kellogg Newspaper Company sold serial rights on “Fate’s Gamblers” for $30, took 50 per cent. as a commission and presented Edwards with what was left.
A short story, “The Camp Coyote,” was sold to Mr. Titherington, for Munsey’s; and Edwards had opened a new market in Street & Smith’s magazines. Thus was brought to a close a fairly prosperous year.
In 1905 the returns slid backward a little. During this year, and the year preceding, some stories which had failed with Mr. White were received with favor by Mr. Kerr, of The Chicago Ledger – at the Ledger price, ranging from $30 upward to $75.
The Woman’s Home Companion, to which Edwards had vainly tried to sell serial rights on “Danny W.,” accepted a two-part story entitled, “The Redskin and the Paper-Talk,” and paid $200 for it. This is the story of which a chapter was lost in the composing room, and Edwards received an honorarium of $5 for having a carbon duplicate of the few missing pages.
In 1905, also, The American Press Association did business with Edwards to the amount of $30. Another market for the Edward’s product – worth mentioning even though the amount of business done was not large.
The returns for the two years were as follows:
1904:
"The Highwayman's Waterloo," $ 125.00
"Danny W.," 200.00
"Danny W.," serial rights 50.00
"The Skirts of Chance," 300.00
"The Duke's Understudy," 140.00
"At Large in Terra Incognita" 175.00
"The Man from the Stone Age," short story 25.00
"The Honorable Jim," 250.00
"Fate's Gamblers" serial rights 15.00
"A Deal with Destiny," 150.00
"The Enchanted Ranch," 75.00
"The Camp Coyote," 40.00
"Under the Ban," 75.00
"A Master of Graft," 225.00
26 Five-Cent Libraries @ $40 each 1040.00
4 Sea and Shore libraries @ 50 each 200.00
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Total $ 3085.00
1905:
"Cornering Boreas," short story $ 30.00
"The Redskin and the Paper-talk," 200.00
"The Redskin and the Paper-talk,"
additional pay't 5.00
"Mountebank's Dilemma," short story 25.00
"Helping Columbus," 350.00
"The Edge of the Sword." 200.00
"Yellow Clique," 100.00
"A Mississippi Snarl," 200.00
"The Black Box," 200.00
"A Wireless Wooing," short story 15.00
"The Freelance," 50.00
"The Luck of Bill Lattimer," 30.00
"Machine-made Road-agent," short story 15.00
"The Man from Mars," 275.00
10 Sea and Shore stories @ $50 each 500.00
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Total $ 2195.00Good, philosophical Ras Wilson once said to a new reporter, “Young man, write as you feel, but try to feel right. Be good humored toward every one and everything. Believe that other folks are just as good as you are, for they are. Give ‘em your best and bear in mind that God has sent them, in his wisdom, all the trouble they need, and it is for you to scatter gladness and decent, helpful things as you go. Don’t be particular about how the stuff will look in print, but let’er go. Some one will understand. That is better than to write so dash bing high, or so tarnashun deep, that no one understands. Let’er go.”
§
There was once a poor man hounded to death by creditors. Ruin and suicide vied for his surrender. But he was a man of the twentieth century, and flippantly but with unbounded faith he collected a few odd pennies and hied him to a newspaper office. Stopping scarcely to frame his sentence he inserted a “want” advertisement, stating his circumstances and declaring he would commit suicide unless aid was proffered. Within twenty-four hours he had $250; before another sun his employer advanced as much more. Carefully advising the newspaper to discontinue the advertisement, he paid off his creditors – and lived happily ever afterward! No, this is not a fairy tale. The time was a few weeks ago, the city Chicago and the newspaper. The Tribune. The moral is, that originality in writing, coupled with a fresh idea, brings a check.
