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ness could be replaced for the price of a few premiums.

The cost of paper supply is reduced since, with a place to keep your equipment, you can buy in large quantities. A wholesale paper house frequently sells, as well as paper and envelopes, such matters as clips, erasers, pencil sharpeners, labels, etc., at a cost of less than half that of a retail stationer. Ink may be stocked by the gallon, also pencils by the gross. It does not pay to stock up on typewriter ribbons as

they are perishable. Unluckily there is no reduction in the price of stamps for quantity.

All this sounds, when set down, rather expensive, but you will find that after a few weeks in an office of your own the increase in quality and quantity of your work will so cheer up your income as to take care of this cost easily and leave a comfortable margin. Maristan Chapman.

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Editor, the Forum:

RENEWING ACQUAINTANCE WITH MAGAZINES

We all concede that the advice to "keep hammering" is good, but there comes a time when perseverance ceases to be a virtue and becomes a loss of time.

No would-be adviser can state definitely how many trials a writer should make to land his work with a given magazine. It depends on circumstances. Most fictionists have a specialty, a type of story that they write best, and if this kind of story has been offered to a certain magazine ten or twelve times without any encouragement, I think it best to shift the export to some other market. There are too many periodicals for any writer to be discouraged because he cannot make the grade with some particular one. It surely is better judgment to send your stories to a new place than to try writing something you cannot handle, with the hope of opening the unwelcome door.

But don't scratch those "impossible" magazines off your list. Some writers never seem to think of possible changes in magazines.

But the truth is that magazine policies have to be changeable. Life was never before so full and varied, and magazines are an expression of national life. Stereotyped methods, in most cases, are fatal, and the

editors of all important publications know this even better than the best writers.

And there are many reasons within the office. During the war when printing materials were expensive and hard to obtain many magazines reduced their bulk. Because your stories ran too long for "A-B-C" magazine then is no proof that you would still be "unavailable." A magazine that last year used no serials because of its small size may be twice as big now.

Changes in the personnel of a publication often mean a great deal indeed. No two persons are going to judge a story or article in exactly the same way. The owners of a magazine may lose their editor, and try to put in his place a man of the same ideas; but you can wager there will be a difference in the editorial judgment at that office - frequently enough difference to cause consternation among the old contributors!

I know a woman's magazine that had four or five different editors in one year, and a household periodical that had three in as many months. I wrote for one of these regularly, and I found it necessary to make some changes in my work to suit each new editor. L. E. Eubanks. Seattle, Wn.

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The Manuscript Market

THIS information as to the present special needs of various periodicals comes directly from the editors. Particulars as to conditions of prize offers should be sought from those offering the prizes. Before submitting manuscripts to any periodical, writers should examine a copy of the magazine in question. - MARGARET GORDON, Manuscript Market Editor.

HARPER'S BAZAR-119 West Fortieth street, New York, is a very specialized magazine which should be studied very carefully by contributors before they offer their work. Charles Hanson Towne, the editor, says: "Most of our articles, I will confess, are arranged for in the office. I think of ideas and give them out to authors. Our fiction must appeal to readers of culture. I do not like dialect stories or stories of the underworld, but, of course, now and then I would take a powerful tale of low life if I thought it would interest our type of reader, though there would be very little chance of my wanting such a piece. We use only one or two poems each month and the bins are filled up temporarily. Our fashion articles are all done by experts on our regular staff, but I am receptive to ideas of every kind at all seasons."

street, New York, is a new publishing house. It is interested in the young writer with something to say, and wants interesting and absorbing stories written in the modern manner, and also good biographies and nonfiction works of general interest. It does not care for books of a highly specialized nature, nor for unsolicited poetry manuscripts. Books are accepted on a royalty basis, with only first book rights retained, as a rule. THE DELINEATOR- Butterick Building, New York, is at present a slender market for contributed material, but the editor is always glad to consider manuscripts of unusual merit.

THE CHRISTIAN HERALD - Bible House, New York, is planning to run one short story a week hereafter, and is now in the market for stories containing about 3,000 words. Stories need not be along distinctly religious lines, but they must be clean and wholesome, and cheerful, optimistic fiction is much preferred. The periodical is in the market, too, for a limited number of articles suitable for a

THE DREYFUSS ART COMPANY, INC. -514 Broadway, New York, is in need of many Birthday verses for use on greeting cards. THE UNICORN PRESS-5 East Fifty-second

general home magazine, and it also uses four or five serials in the course of a year. Payment is made the first of the month following acceptance.

THE AVONDALE PRESS-1841 Broadway, New York, with Charles R. Rideal as president, publishes books of "unusual" character, as far as it can select them. All manuscripts should be submitted in typewritten form, and manuscripts of any kind, including verse if it has the right "tang" to it, will be considered.

THE FARMER'S WIFE-St. Paul, Minn., wants fiction suitable for farm women, as well as feature articles and household material. F. W. Backman is now the managing editor. THE AUTOCAR MESSENGER - Ardmore, Penn., is in the market for material relative to the truck industry or of interest to truck owners. The editor is particularly anxious to examine something of a humorous nature, such as a truck driver's experiences, written either in the form of a diary or of letters to a friend. Photographs should accompany all manuscripts, when possible, and will be paid for separately at from three to five dollars each.

FILM FUN-97 Fifth avenue, New York, is in the market for all types of short humorous material, which may or may not be about motion pictures. Curtis Mitchell, who is now the editor of Film Fun, says it should be remembered that the magazine "can use nothing of a subtle nature. The sophisticated wisecrack or windy esoteric anecdote have no place in our columns. We want fun, humor inclined toward custard pie and slapstick rather than toward irony or sarcasm." The present especial manuscript needs of the magazine are: Jokes of the brief "he and she" variety which can be used in conjunction with illustrations or specially posed photographs; short paragraphs of a humorous sort, which may or may not refer to moving pictures; short verse, not exceeding eight or

ten lines, which has a good swing and a joke; and quips of any and every sort. All manuscripts are paid for on acceptance. TRIPLE-X Robbinsdale, Minn., is in the market for all kinds of cowboy stories, preferably not exceeding 6,000 words, although all lengths are used from the short shortstory to novelettes and three-part serials. Western stories with mystery plots are also wanted, as well as an occasional war story. Triple-X welcomes the new writer, and offers a ready market for Western frontier railroad stories, jungle stories, stories of the North woods, the mines, sports, aviation, and himorous cowboy tales.

DORRANCE & COMPANY-Drexel Building, Philadelphia, Penn., at the present time are practically interested in authentic, original, and unusual book-length manuscripts on the world war. These may be fact or fancy, biography or fiction, history or adventure, as long as they are by authors who fought the war in the service and are, accordingly, firsthand.

NORTH-WEST STORIES-461 Eighth avenue, New York, needs immediately some short stories of the West and North, containing from 3,000 to 6,000 words. The magazine can also use a Northern serial and a couple of Northern novels. The longer material must have woman interest, but the scene may be laid anywhere from the Yukon to the Arctic Circle. Stories should be packed with the glamor and tang of the outdoors and be written with a dash of humor.

THRILLING TALES-271 Madison avenue, New York, is in the market for short stories, novelettes, and serials which are really thrillers. War stories and short humorous stories are especially desired.

GOOD Books CORPORATION- Harrisburg, Penn., successors to Handy Book Corporation, asks THE WRITER to announce that it is interested in finding writers capable of producing interesting work on religious and

secular subjects, who would be willing to prepare moderately-sized book manuscripts at the Corporation's suggestion and direction. Writers must show promise on religious and secular themes, and the Corporation will furnish subjects and make necessary suggestions, giving the writer a fairly free hand in working up his material, as well as in choosing that material.

FARM LIFE- Spencer, Indiana, at present is most in need of jokes, small cartoons and illustrated jokes, cheerful, original verses and poems, humorous rural sketches, and short short-stories, containing from 1,500 to 2,000 words. Short feature stories, if really good, would also be welcome, although most of

these have been arranged for with special writers, as has most of the paper's main fiction.

ACTION STORIES-461 Eighth avenue, New York, especially needs two or three short novelettes, containing from 9,000 to 12,000 words, with an outdoor locale where adventure is high.

TRUE CONFESSIONS- Robbinsdale, Minn., is buying more short stories now, containing from 3,000 to 4,000 words, and wants a larger variety. Stories for True Confessions are judged first for their human interest and dramatic values. Then they are considered from the point of probability - whether or not they sound true. Next the women readers determine if the story is interesting to girls and make sure that it is free from objectionable situations and untainted by suggestiveness. Writers are advised to make these tests for themselves before submitting material. PRODUCTION MACHINERY-503 Murray Building, Grand Rapids, Michigan, a new periodical published by the H. & J. Stevens

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FAWCETT PUBLICATIONS, INC. - Robbinsdale, Minn., is planning to publish a new magazine of war stories, and wants the best tales of battle and conflict in France of the army, the navy, the air service, and the submarines. Both long and short stories will be used.

TURNER'S WEEKLY, a new publication of national scope and general interest will be issued next fall for the American Turnerbund by the Lessing Company, Box 383, Pittsburgh, Penn. George Seibel will be the editor. The magazine will print interesting fiction, good poetry, thought-provoking essays, and lively humor, as well as a "History of Our Times." An "Open Forum" will provide for free discussion, and a department, to be called "The Pillory," will expose current "bunk." There will also be the usual departments devoted to books, drama, science, art, finance, sports, health, and hygiene.

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Prize Offers and Awards

THE ARCHER the publication of the Society of Friends of Roerich Museum, offers a prize of $500 for the best short story, containing from 3,000 to 10,000 words, received by October 1. The object of this contest is to discover and publish stories totally different from the type now most popular in American magazines. The quality most desired is an interpretation of life in its more permanent aspects, neither omitting nor unduly emphasizing the spiritual side, and the editor hopes to receive manuscripts which were written because they had to be and were then laid aside, perhaps, because they were neither piquant nor timely enough for the general market. The Archer is not interested in stories where cleverness, realistic accuracy, timeliness, sensuality, or complex psychology form the chief appeal. Stories may be written originally in any language, and may be submitted in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian. Manuscripts must be typewritten, with pages securely bound together, and

should have the author's name and address at the top of the first page, with a minimum price in case the author wishes to place one, and should be accompanied by stamped and addressed envelope, for return if unavailable. Unavailable stories will be returned as soon as possible, and the editors will be glad to accept at regular rates any story which they can use. Manuscripts should be addressed to Charles Wharton Stork, Editor in Chief, Society of Friends of Roerich Museum, 310 Riverside Drive, New York.

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Bartholomew, is best adapted to musical setting. The contest will close December 1, and all poems must be submitted in triplicate, addressed to the "Judges of the SongPoem Contest." They should bear no marks of identification, and should be accompanied by a sealed envelope, containing the author's name and address.

THE ASSOCIATED GLEE CLUBS OF AMERICA — 113 West Fifty-seventh street, New York, offer the Association's gold medal, supplemented this year by a cash award of $500, offered by Dr. Herbert J. Tily, for the best male chorus composition submitted by December 1. The composition should be for a four-part male chorus, either unaccompanied, or with accompaniment of piano, or piano and organ, or piano with one or more string or wind instruments, obligato, but not with string, chamber, or full orchestra. It is desired that the competition will bring forth original music that tells a story, paints a picture, or expresses a mood or aspiration. Four copies of each composition should be submitted, marked: "Attention of Judges of Prize Song." Manuscripts must be submitted anonymously, and be accompanied by a letter giving author's name and address. The title to the composition will remain with the composer, but the Association will, if desired, assist the composer in securing publication of the song, and will announce the award widely through the press and in its official bulletin. THE INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY MONTHLY Hamilton, N. Y., offers an award of $100 in gold, and an honorable mention with $20 in gold, for the most helpful work on morale. The awards will be made preferably for a description of an actual experiment in developing morale; otherwise they will be given for the statement of a plan for such development. Morale is here considered as the mobilization of enthusiasm, interest, and energy on

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