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ings of Bibbs as a means of introducing many shrewd and humorous criticisms.

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The Influence of the Epic. - Ancient types of literature frequently serve as models for the novelist to follow. For example, an author whose story deals with elemental forces naturally seeks to impart to his tale something of the spirit and form of the epic. In such a case fullness of detail and episodic structure are entirely apposite. The catalogue of the winds in "The Toilers of the Sea" suggests many a similar catalogue in the pages of Homer and Virgil. Just as Eneas and his companions in their stupendous task of seeking a new land and founding a new nation pause to celebrate with games and athletic contests "a day for ever sad, for ever dear," so in "The Scarlet Letter" the Puritans, also builders of a new state, are represented as "relaxing the severe and close application to their various modes of rugged industry" and indulging in "the New England holiday."

Nor were sports wanting, such as the colonists had witnessed, and shared in, long ago, at the country fairs and on the village-greens of England; and which it was thought well to keep alive on this new soil, for the sake of the courage and manliness that were essential in them.

Wrestling-matches, in the different fashions of Cornwall and Devonshire, were seen here and there about the marketplace; in one corner, there was a friendly bout at quarterstaff; and - what attracted most interest of all on the platform of the pillory, already so noted in our pages, two masters of defence were commencing an exhibition with the buckler and broadsword. But, much to the disappointment of the crowd, this latter business was broken off by the interposition of the town beadle, who had no idea of permitting the majesty of the law to be violated by such an abuse of one of its consecrated places.

How reminiscent of the Trojan festivities is this concise but vivid description!

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The Bell

We have carefully considered: presented to our attention at the office of the Associate Editor of the Woman's National Magazine and we are very much interested.

Our service to authors is fully explained on the enclosed leaflet. Owing to the fact that your work was recommended to us, we are willing to add an extra clause to the contract which guarantees acceptance and payment for your work. We cannot hold this proposition open much longer than 10 days, as we might not have as good an opportunity to place the MS. at a later date. If you cannot accept this matter, request for the return of your work should be sent to the Woman's National Magazine, as the MS. is in their office.

Very truly yours,

THE PUBLISHERS' SERVICE BUREAU, J. S. Claire, Secretary.

JSC-P. "The enclosed leaflet" read as follows:

OUR SERVICE TO AUTHORS The Publishers' Service Bureau Washington, D. C. Our service is one designed for the exclusive use of authors and publishers. We do not accept work for placement unless we believe our service will be a benefit. We do not burden publishers with material they do not find use for, in the main. We make a business of carefully studying the literary market, and can make the most out of everything we handle. Through our knowledge of the material used by publishers and our personal acquaintance with editors we are placed in an intimate contact with the literary field.

In order to make the most out of any literary work, whether article, story or poem, it is our

practice to make a number of copies of the MS. and get these copies out quickly, thus placing them before several editors at once. We hold back the newspaper syndicate acceptances until we hear from the magazines as a MS. cannot be published in more than one magazine, but can be in newspapers and journals. This means a wide field, and with stories it includes motion picture rights. which may come before or after magazine acceptance. With poetry it includes post-cards, calendars, booklets, novelties, etc.

Through our method, in which the author retains the copyright to his work, we enable the author to secure the maximum cash returns possible from his writings. Our service is simple. yet exact. We are constantly selling material and we handle few MSS. which do not bring some returns, which under the usual literary "agent's" method result in failure. The recommendations that editors give us are very gratifying. Sometimes authors waste their time and ours asking us useless questions such as the exact amount they can expect from the sale of their MSS., the time necessary, for such sale, etc. All such matters cannot be stated exactly in advance and much depends on the nature of the MS. Only by actually submitting a MS. can satisfactory results be obtained.

The fee for handling any MS. or poem is a very reasonable one when it is taken into consideration that we stand all the expenses of preparation, mailing, correspondence, postage. copyright, etc. Our commission of ten per cent. applies on sales' returns when such returns exceed the specified amount named in contract.

Our service is designed for professional authors and deserving amateur authors whose work is saleable after revision. We make no charge for revising after accepting work for placement. We cannot make comments or criticise MSS. that we are forced to return as not acceptable by us for placement. Every MSS. we handle is given personal attention and every effort is made to secure its sale in as broad a field as possible.

In writing kindly address J. S. Claire,
Secretary,

THE PUBLISHERS' SERVICE BUREAU,
Washington, D. C.

[The reader will note the interesting description of the method of the Publishers" Service Bureau, in the second paragraph of this circular, which seems to be really ideal from the author's point of view if newspaper syndicate managers and editors of magazines, "newspapers, and journals" will only do .their part. But editors are so notional Editor THE WRITER.]

66

Also enclosed was the following printed 'Agreement," with clause 12 at the bottom

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THE PUBLISHERS' SERVICE BUREAU, of Washington D. C., and Beth Nichols of Haverhill Mass I. We agree under the terms of this agreement to submit copies of your poem manuscript THE BELL

to magazine editors in the United States, whom we believe would be interested.

2. We agree to submit your poem to the prin cipal newspaper syndicates in the United States, and to such other publications publishing poems, as we believe would be interested, including post-card, calendar and novelty publishers.

3.

4.

5.

We agree to revise the poem if it is necessary, but not in such manner as to change the ideas of the author.

All expenses of the preparation of copies, mailing, postage and correspondence to be borne by us entirely.

It is understood that this story will be published with full credit to its author and no other and that all rights will be owned by the author.

6. It is understood that payment for each copy accepted will be reported directly to the author and that we will deduct no commission unless the amount received from publishers exceeds $50 in the total, then our commission shall be ten per cent.

7. It is understood that all rights of this poem remain in the author's possession, including its use on post cards, calendars, etc., either for cash or on royalty basis.

8. Further agreed that in addition to the Service stipulated in this contract for the above-named MS. the author is entitled to our six months' MS. service which includes Reading of all MSS. sent in by author in six months from date of signing this agreement, the criticism of such MSS. and suggestions as regards their sale; we to have the privilege of handling any such MSS. on a 10 per cent. commission basis. 9. Further agreed that THE PUBLISHERS' SERVICE BUREAU will make an effort to secure as many acceptances for above MS. as possible; that we guarantee to fulfill every clause of this contract and render the service herein stipulated or refund in full the amount paid.

TO.

In consideration of the above special and specific service and work, it is agreed that you will pay us the sum of ten dollars ($10) when signing this contract, which

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12.

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It is further understood and agreed that the Publishers' Service Bureau hereby agrees to secure at least one acceptance for above MS. and that payment for same will be (P.) secured and the full amount of publishers' acceptance rate remitted direct to the author within 90 days from the date on which the contract is returned by the author.

[The reader will note that this printed Agreement refers to a "poem manuscript" in all the clauses except clause 5, in which the manuscript is referred to as a story. He will note also that the Publishers' Service Bureau will not deduct a commission unless the amount received from publishers exceeds fifty dollars in the total, being satisfied in such case with the advance fee of ten dollars. Also he will note that in the gratifying special clause 12, while one acceptance for the manuscript is guaranteed no special price is promised to the author. However, if the single sale should bring only a dollar, or maybe fifty cents, the Bureau under the terms of the clause would, of course, remit the whole amount to the author, without deducting the commission, and in that case its profit would be only what was left of the author's ten dollars after all the expenses of handling had been paid. For instance, Rev.. R. L. Smith, of Rocheport, Missouri, writes: "I sent a story to the Woman's National Magazine, and they turned it over to the Publishers' Service Bureau, and, under contract, the Bureau sold the story to the Feature Magazine Company, 5 North La Salle street, who sent me a check for four dollars, so that I am out eleven dollars on the deal." Editor THE WRITER.]

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THE WRITER is published the first of every 'month. It will be sent, postpaid, for $1.50 a year. The price of Canadian and foreign subscriptions is $1.62, including postage.

All drafts and money orders should be made payable to the Writer Publishing Co. If local checks are sent, ten cents should be added for collection charges.

THE WRITER will be sent only to those who have paid for it in advance. Accounts cannot be opened for subscriptions, and names will not be entered on the list unless the subscription order is accompanied by a remittance.

* The American News Company, of New York, and the New England News Company, of Boston, and their branches are wholesale agents for THE WRITER. It may be ordered from any newsdealer, or direct from the publishers.

The rate for advertising in THE WRITER is two dollars an inch for each insertion, with no discount for either time or space; remittance required with the order. Advertising is accepted only for two cover pages. For special position, if available, twenty per cent. advance is charged. No advertisement of less than one-half inch will be accepted. .. Contributions not used will be returned, if a stamped and addressed envelope is enclosed.

THE WRITER PUBLISHING CO.,
P. O. Box 1905, Boston, Mass.

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dicating; the value of accuracy; using the wire, mails and specials; shorthand reporting; the picture story; marketing manuscript; covering a country murder case; writing heads; long-distance reporting; the newspaper "scoop"; the "follow-up"; clean journalism vs. yellow; court reporting; loyalty to your paper; the element of luck. To this list of topics add exchange reading; dramatic criticism; book reviewing; the city editor; the desk editor; editorial writing; and department editors, and it will cover pretty nearly everything that the newspaper man needs to know.

The Ladies' Home Journal has n't had room lately for any articles criticising "newspaper English," but the story, "Red and Black," in the March number includes this gem :

.... that subject which has employed so many clever pens and brushes since the war began, but than which there is none so universally pow erful in its importunity."

"The Piper A Monthly Chat with Booksellers and Book Buyers" presents the views of the Houghton Mifflin Company, and for that reason its suggestions regarding "the public's sudden change of interest from war literature to fiction" should interest writers making manuscripts to sell. "For four years," says the Piper, "people have been reading facts facts so tremendous that they have left no time for the wandering of fancy. During those four years war was all that mattered, but with peace gradually coming overseas, people's thoughts are turning into new channels. Our imaginations, held spell-bound so long by the fearful drama overseas, crave fresh stimulus. Adventure, romance, love, fantasy, caprice these are the things we crave to find between the covers of a book. These are refreshing and restful after the terrible reality to which the printed page has delivered us during the past years. The Piper does not wish to be understood to prophesy that war books are dead, but he does most emphatically assert that a war book must be an exceptional one to command our interest at the present time. The note of most profound interest which fiction can strike is the personal one; the story in which you see yourself mirrored is

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the one which most easily absorbs your interest. What girl has not identified herself with the romantic life of an adored heroine ? What man has not dreamt himself along with the adventures of a compelling hero-seeing himself in that hero's very thoughts? Now that the facts of life are less compelling, less tragic, let us once more dream our dreams of romance."

Sometimes statements of editors as to what they do not want in the way of manuscripts are highly significant. For instance, H. L. Mencken, editor of the Smart Set, in his list of manuscripts that he does not want to see, includes: "Stories in which the man and the girl meet in a Pullman car, or in a Greenwich Village eating-house; stories of politics, of the occult, of college life, of the cow-country, or of A.D. 2,000; stories and poems dealing with death" and thinking of these last he sighs in a sad parenthesis: "We already have four hundred and three on hand."

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Sophie Kerr (Mrs. Sophie Kerr Underwood), whose novel, 'The See Saw," has attracted wide notice, not only on account of the very human tangle it pictures, but also because of its careful workmanship in details and realistic characterizations, has published short stories in Harper's, the Century, McClure's, the Woman's Home Companion, the Saturday Evening Post, and other periodicals.

"Love at Large" was brought out by Harper's in 1916, and is a series of closely connected stories of suburban life; "The Blue Envelope" (1917) is full of vigorous action, and found a natural path to the moving pictures, where Lillian Walker and John D. Bennett played in it. "The Golden Block" is a tale of business life, presenting the case of a successful woman who has proved that "there is no sex in brains."

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