Money between the storylines

More than 900 magazines read by 30 million readers: pulp fiction magazines that peaked during the 1930s gave rise to a phenomenon nothing else in popular writing has been able to emulate. Sold for as little as ten cents — the so-called ‘good-looking’ ones cost 25 cents — these magazines employed cheap paper and gave opportunities to hugely prolific but inexpensive writers. “Because pulp fiction writers were often paid no more than a cent a word, they had to be either prolific or starve. They also had to write aggressively,” notes Kevin J. Anderson in his introduction to a series of L. Ron Hubbard’s pulp fiction publications titled Stories from the Golden Age . Incidentally, Hubbard has 1,084 published works, an all-time record as unbeatable as the legendary Australian cricketer Sir Donald Bradman’s career batting average of 99.94.

As pulp authors needed to write more to earn more, very few could afford to explore insightful themes and incorporate inspired turns of phrases. But the interesting fact: the genre, which is viewed as a mass-friendly, non-literary one, featured several writers whose greatness is beyond dispute.

An extremely popular magazine during its lifetime, Argosy , which published writings across genres, carried Edgar Rice Burroughs. Adventure , whose name is self-explanatory, featured Erle Stanley Gardner. Planet Stories , the science fiction magazine, published Ray Bradbury. Dark Mask , a Western, detective and adventure stories magazine, showcased Dashiell Hammett. That pulp fiction magazines are viewed cynically by many serious readers even today is because the majority of contributors were mediocre: in other words, those who wrote to ensure cash flow with little or no attention to quality.

Pulp fiction magazines were mostly American. Yet, the person estimated to have written the maximum number of words is Charles Hamilton, an Englishman who contributed stories that ran in various magazines and is best known for creating a famous pupil named Billy Bunter. Named in the Guinness Book of World Records , Hamilton churned out around 100 million words in his active writing career. Upton Sinclair produced more than 7,000 words a day: that being the era of typewriter, with the aid of hired stenographers. With or without support, writing that many words and thinking up so many ideas to meet rigid deadlines would have been exceptionally tough. But then, those who weren’t naturally talented or wealthy — or both — but aspired to lead a reasonably decent life didn’t have an option. Being both gifted and prolific as Sinclair wasn’t very common.

One classic example of mediocrity is that of Charles Garvice, whose stories were put together in the novel format later. Garvice delivered more than 150 phenomenally popular novels, most with his own name and a few as Caroline Hart, his pseudonym. His romantic novels featuring female protagonists had laughable titles such as A Passion Flower , The Heart of a Maid , Angela’s Lover and Vengeance of Love . To his credit, however, Garvice had no illusions about being a writer with great literary merit. He wanted his books to fly off the racks. That they did, allowing him to discover affluence he had always wished for.

How do contemporary writers who eye sales figures compare to their predecessors? Even those who are prolific in the modern context seem lethargic and unproductive, an obvious consequence of minting millions as opposed to battling with deadlines to earn a measly sum. James Patterson, the rock star of modern-day speed writing, produced 14 novels in 2011. In 2012, he slowed down fractionally, coming up with one less. However, Patterson’s critics will view his score with a justifiable degree of cynicism. Of his 14 novels last year, 11 were co-written with somebody or the other. Of the 13 he has produced this year, 11 have co-authors again. That being the case, one has every right to question the extent of his actual participation in the works: and whether or not he is busy marketing his name as a brand to make millions every year.

John Grisham has written seven novels in the last three years, presenting a far more prolific self to his devotees. In 2012, Stephen King has added another volume to The Dark Tower series titled The Wind Through the Keyhole . That apart, he has co-authored an e-book named A Face in the Crowd . Be it Alexander McCall Smith, who writes in fine prose and has produced the inimitable lady detective Precious Ramotswe, or a writer of hardcore thrilling entertainers like David Baldacci, who has delivered 15 number-one bestsellers since 1996: no author of modern times is a patch on the pulp fiction writers from the past. Despite a technological asset like the computer at their disposal, it is easy to see why they have slowed down.

The average writer of pulp fiction then needed more money to have a reasonable standard of living. Those who make it to the top today, and even many others who sell pretty well, earn enviable amounts of money. Their need to be consistent is frequently driven by the awareness that they cannot get eclipsed by newcomers who enter the trade every month. The frequency of output has to compare with their contemporaries, who also do not break barriers of speed to survive anyway. Barring an oddity such as Patterson, who needs a lot of assistance, quick writing of today is practically synonymous with taking it slow and easy a century ago.

An estimate by Forbes in August 2012 throws up astonishing figures. Patterson had made a cool $94 million in earnings in 2011, followed by Stephen King ($39 million) and Janet Evanovich ($33 million). Among the usual suspects were Grisham ($26 million), J.K. Rowling ($17 million) and Stephanie Meyer ($14 million). According to estimates, the pseudonymous phenomenon E.L. James was making $1.3 million a week in royalties when her erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey was on a record-breaking spree. Rowling, who had gone into hibernation after the Harry Potter series, had managed an advance of $8 million for The Casual Vacancy , her first novel for adults released recently. Interestingly enough, Forbes had carried an estimate of Rowling’s net worth in March 2011. The figure: $ one billion.

The output of the modern-day writer has diminished. Understandable, the amount of money made being nothing short of bewildering. What is actually disappointing is that none have the talent of brilliant contributors to pulp magazines such as Edgar Rice Burroughs or Ray Bradbury. Now, why is that?

COMMENT NOW