XXVI.
PATRONS AND PROFITS FOR TWENTY-TWO YEARS
On the 20th of this month (September, 1911) it will be just twenty-two years since Edwards received payment for his first story. On Sept. 20, 1889, The Detroit Free Press sent him a check for $8. On that $8 the Fiction Factory was started.
Who have been the patrons of the Factory for these twenty-two years, and what have been the returns?
A vast amount of work has been necessary in order to formulate exact answers to these questions. Papers and other memoranda bearing upon the subject were widely scattered. During Edwards’ travels about the country many letters and records were lost. The list that follows, therefore, is incomplete, but exact as far as it goes. More work was realized upon, by several thousands of dollars, than is here shown. For every item in the record Edwards has a letter, or a printed slip that accompanied the check, as his authority. The errors are merely those of omission.
Titles of the material sold will not be given, but following the name of the publication that purchased the material will be found the year in which it was either published or paid for.
Adventure The Ridgeway Company, Spring & Macdougal Streets, New York City 1911 – 1 novelette $ 250. All-Story Magazine The F.A. Munsey Co., 176 Fifth Ave., New York City 1904 – 1 serial 225. 1906 – 2 short stories, 1 serial. 255. 1906 – 2 serials 950. 1908 – 3 serials 1,000. American Press Association, 45 & 47 Park Place, New York City 1905 – 2 Short stories 80. The Argosy, F.A. Munsey Co., 176 Fifth Ave., New York City 1900 – 1 serial 250. 1901 – 1 serial 200. 1902 – 1 serial 260. 1903 – 1 novelette, 4 serials 1,050. 1904 – 1 short story, 1 novelette, 4 serials 975. 1905 – 3 serials, 1 novelette 925. 1906– 2 serials. 600. 1911 – 1 serial 260. Boston Globe, Boston, Mass. 1897 – 1 short story 4. Boyce's Monthly, Chicago, Ills. 1901 – 1 short story 10. Banner Weekly, The, Beadle & Adams, New York City 1889 – 1 short story 4. Blue Book, The, Chicago, Ills. 1907 – 1 novelette 220. 1908 – 2 novelettes 400. 1910 – 1 short story, 1 novelette 240. 1911 – 1 novelette, 3 short stories 350. Chips, Frank Tousey's Publishing House, New York City 1901 – 1 short story. 4. Chatter, 12 Beekman St., New York 1890 – 1 short story 5. – 1 short story 5. Chicago Inter-Ocean, Chicago, Ills. 1898 – 1 article, space rates 2.50 Chicago Record, Chicago, Ills. 1897 – 1 short story 5. 1898 – 1 short story 7. – 1 short story 4. 1901 – short story 6. Chicago Dally News, Chicago, Ills. 1898 – 1 short story 3. 1899 – 1 short story 3.50 1899 – 4 short stories 14.50 1901 – 1 short story 5. Chicago Blade, Chicago, Ills. 1891 – 2 articles, space rates, 1 short story 10. Chicago Ledger, Chicago, Ills. 1891 – 3 serials 120. 1892 – 2 serials 55. 1896 – 1 serial 50. 1904 – 1 serial 75. 1905 – 2 serials 80. 1906 – 2 serials 100. 1907 – 1 serial 75. Columbian Magazine, New York City 1910 – 1 short story 15. Demorest's Monthly, New York City 1899 – 1 article 5. Dillingham Co., G.W., New York City 1903 – royalties 96.60 1906 – royalties 10.20 1908 – royalties 1.50 1909 – Cloth book rights 100. Detroit Free Press, The, Detroit, Michigan 1889 – 1 short story 8. – 1 short story 7. 1890 – 2 serials 203. 1889 – 2 short stories 23. 1891 – 1 short story, space rates 95. 1892 – 6 short stories 48.50 1893 – 1 short story 10. 1894 – 1 space rate 20. 1895 – 1 space rate 22. 1896 – 1 short story 1.50 1899 – 2 short stories 7. 1900 – 1 short story 3. Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Illinois 1910 – M.P. scenario 25. Figaro, 170 Madison St., Chicago, 1890 – 1 space rate 30. 1891 – 1 space rate 90. 1892 – 1 space rate 10. Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, 110 Fifth Ave., New York City 1891 – 1 short story 8. Gunter's Magazine, Street & Smith, New York City 1910 – 1 short story 40. Harper's Weekly, New York City. 1911 – 1 short story 75. Illustrated American, 1123 Broadway, New York City 1896 – 2 verses 10. Kellogg Newspaper Co., The A.N., 71–73 W. Adams St., Chicago 1903 – 1 serial 115. Life, New York City 1897 – 1 short story 3. Ledger Monthly, Ledger Building, N.Y. 1899 – 1 short story 10. Lubin Mfg. Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1910 – M.P. scenario 30. Ladies' World, The, New York City 1890 – 2 short stories 8. 1891 – 1 verse 2. – 1 verse 2. 1892 – 2 verses 4. 1894 – 1 verse 2. 1898 – 1 short story 2. McClure'e Newspaper Syndicate, The, 116 Nassau St., New York City, 1901 – 2 short stories, 2 serials 295. – 1 serial 200. McC's Monthly, Detroit, Michigan 1898 – 2 short stories 10. Munsey's Magazine, New York City, 1896 – 1 short story 10. 1904 – 1 short story 40. 1910 – 1 short story 75. New York World, New York City, 1894 – 1 short story 5.64 1897 – 2 short stories 15.02 1898 – 1 short story 4.68 1899 – 1 short story 5.50 Overland Monthly, 508 Montgomery St., San Francisco 1897 – 1 short story 10. Ocean, F.A. Munsey Co., New York City 1907 – 1 serial 450. People's Magazine, The, Street & Smith, New York 1906 – 1 serial 200. 1907 – 1 serial 250. 1908 – 2 serials 600. Popular Magazine, The, Street & Smith, New York City 1904 – 2 novelettes 265. 1909 – 1 serial 200. Puck, Keppler & Schwartzmann, Puck Building, New York City 1891 – 2 short stories 20. 1892 – 1 short story 5. 1893 – 2 short stories, 1 verse 14. 1896 – 1 short story 6. 1897 – 2 short stories, 1 verse 22. 1899 – 2 short stories 17. Railroad Man's Magazine, F.A. Munsey Co., New York 1906 – 2 serials 700. 1907 – 1 serial 500. 1908 – 2 serials 650. 1909 – 2 short stories 70. Red Book, Chicago, Ills. 1906 – 1 short story 75. 1909 – 1 short story 40. Scrap Book, F.A. Munsey Co., N.Y.C. 1905 – 1 serial 200. 1908 – 1 serial 300. 1910 – 1 serial 400. 1911 – 1 serial 400. Saturday Times, The, Chicago, Ills. 1907 – 1 serial 60. Southern Tobacco Journal, Winston, N.C. 1897 – 1 verse 2. Short Stories, Current Literature Pub. Co., New York City 1891 – 1 short story 5. 1898 – 2 short stories 10. 1900 – 2 short stories 30. San Francisco Chronicle, San Fran. 1896 – 1 short story 6. Saturday Night, James Elverson Pub. Philadelphia, Pa. 1890 – 1 serial 75. 1891 – 1 serial, 8 short stories 166. 1892 – 5 short stories 10. 1893 – 1 serial, 5 short stories 160. Truth, 203 Broadway, New York City 1893 – 1 short story 3.50 1897 – 7 short stories 57. Top-Notch Magazine, Street & Smith, New York City 1911 – 1 serial 150. Translation Rights 1908 40. Vitagraph Company of America, The, Brooklyn. N.Y. 1909 – M.P. 10. Wayside Tales, Detroit Monthly Publishing: Co., Detroit, Mich. 1901 – 3 short stories 23. 1902 – 2 short stories 35. 1903 – 1 short story 15. White Elephant, Frank Tousey's Pub. House, New York City 1897 – 2 short stories 30. Western World, Chicago, Ills. 1900 – 2 serials, 7 short stories, 1 space rates 308.80 Woman's Home Companion, New York 1905 – 1 serial, space rate 205. Yankee Blade, Boston, Mass. 1890 – 2 short stories 20. 1891 – 3 short stories, 2 verses 13. 1893 – 1 short story 6.50 – 1 short story 4. Powers Company, New York City 1910 – M.P. 25. Street & Smith, New York City 1900 – 34 issues "Motor Boys" 2,550. 1908 – 7 paper-book rights 700. 1909 – 21 paper-book rights 2,100. 1910 – 2 paper-book rights 200. 1911 – 5 paper-book rights 500. Dodd, Mead & Co., New York City 1904 – Cloth book rights 200. Harte & Perkins, New York Nickel Novels: $ 23,964.44 1893 – 4 @ $ 50 each 200. 1894 – 3 @ $ 50 each 150. – 31 @ $ 40 each 960. 1896 – 24 @ $ 40 each 960. 1897 – 2 @ $ 40 each 80. 1898 – 16 @ $ 40 each 640. 1899 – 33 @ $ 40 each 1,400. 1900 – 51 @ $ 40 each 2,040. Completing Story 20. 1901 – 10 @ $ 30 each 300. – 8 @ $ 50 each 400. – 16 @ $ 40 each 640. 1902 – 31 @ $ 40 each 1,240. 1903 – 44 @ $ 40 each 1,760. 1904 – 26 @ $ 40 each 1,040. – 4 @ $ 50 each 200. 1905 – 10 @ $ 50 each 500. 1906 – 18 @ $ 50 each 900. 1907 – 33 @ $ 50 each 1,650. 1908 – 45 @ $ 50 each 2,250. 1909 – 9 @ $ 60 each 540. 1910 – 54 @ $ 60 each 3,240. 1911 – 54 @ $ 60 each 3,240. Ten-Cent Novels: 1893 – 13 @ $100 each 1,300. 1894 – 10 @ $100 each 1,000. 1895 – 2 @ $ 40 each 100. Serials for "Guest;" 1894 – 2 @ $300 each 600. – 2 @ $500 & $400 900. 1897 – 1 300. 1895 – 2 @ $300 & $200 500. 1898 – 2 @ $300 600. 1899 – 1 300. 1906 – 1 250. 1907 – 1 300. Juvenile Serials: 1893 – 2 @ $100 & $75 175. 1894 – 1 175. 1894 – 1 100. 1901 – 4 @ $100 each 400. 1902 – 4 @ $100 each 400. Miscellaneous: 1897 – 4 magazine sketches 40. – 1 magazine sketch 6.16 1900 – 10 magazine sketches 100. 1901 – 9 trade-paper sketches 100. 1902 – 1 trade-paper sketch 10. ___________ Total $ 65,859.60
The finest music in the room is that which streams out to the ear of the spirit in many an exquisite strain from the hanging shelf of books on the opposite wall, every volume there is an instrument which some melodist of the mind created and set vibrating with music, as a flower shakes out its perfume or a star shakes out its light. Only listen, and they soothe all care, as though the siiken-soft leaves of poppies had been made vocal and poured into the ear. – James Lane Allen.
§
When William Dean Howells occupied an editorial chair in Harper’s office, a young man of humble and rough exterior one day submitted personally to him a poem. Mr. Howells asked:
“Did you write this poem yourself?”
“Yes, sir. Do you like it?” the youth asked.
“I think it is magnificent,” said Mr. Howells. “Did you compose it unaided?”
“I certainly did,” said the young man firmly. “I wrote every line of it out of my head.”
Mr. Howells rose and said:
“Then, Lord Byron, I am very glad to meet you. I was under the impression that you died a good many years ago.”
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