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Fanfare, v. 1, issue 4, October 1940

Page 9

FANFARE                                                          9
              THIS ONE'S ON THE HOUSE

thors, and used the house name consistently, hoping that they would become familiar to the readers and fans. Ephraim Winiki, John Coleridge, Dennis Clive, and Paul Edmonds, are a few of the pseudonyms he uses regularly--at the same time slyly letting it be spread about that Fearn, Binder, Ayre, and Kuttner masquerade behind those names. 
   This practice of house names is by no means a new development. Hugo Gernsback fully realized the necessity of this kind of procedure. He used Keller in ten out of the first twelve issues of SCIENCE WONDER STORIES, with such excellent stories that as a result, Keller has been just about the most beloved s-f author since. Gernsback also attempted to build up Repp--with fair success--finally being forced to drop him after financial conditions made it impossible to pay this author regularly.
   AMAZING STORIES QUARTERLY featured Coblentz novels with a level-headed consistency that made it pertinently obvious that Coblentz was the man who could best sell these magazines--and they made sure he rarely let you down. 
   AMAZING STORIES MONTHLY featured Harl Vincent regularly, building him up to renowned proportions.
   The Clayton ASTOUNDING made excellent use of this device by making certain that every time Capt. S.P. Meek, USA, Anthony Gilmore, and Sewell Parlee Wright appeared, (which was often) it meant also that a certain character of popular appeal was also present. Fans knew with Gilmore in the issue, there was a least one story they would enjoy. So they bought it, and gambled on the rest of the contents.
   Farnsworth Wright kept WEIRD TALES going for years on the popularity and general appeal of Robert Howard and Seabury Quinn, backed with such ever-popular favorites as Hamilton, G.G. Pendarves, Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, and innumerable others. Probably the death of Howard (who appeared in nearly ten of every twelve numbers of WT) contributed most severely to WT's loss in circulation. In an attempt to stem the loss, Wright featured the consistent favorite, Quinn, in every issue, accompanied by as much posthumous Lovecraft as he could muster. Apparently, the followers of these two authors were not sufficient to insure a regular profit, and the magazine kept sinking; not in quality, but in circulation. In desperation, Wright developed en masse a set of promising authors. Among them appeared Bloch, Kuttner, John R. Speer, Earl Pierce, Jr., Thorp McClusky, Thomas P. Kelly, Wellman, Gans T. Field, and a reanimation of Conan as perpetrated by Clifford Ball . . . all to no avail. Although all the above appealed to the audience--expecially Kelly and Ball--none of them seemed to have the gift of creating a following which would faithfully purchase any issue of any magazine printing their works. Perhaps it is not the fault of the authors. Howard, Quinn, Hamilton, etc., had been gradually worked up for years, until they became popular. No substitute could be found for Howard in the short space of one or two years.
   In WEIRD TALES, we find the loss of a great author meaning the very life of the magazine itself. Perhaps the greatest, and only disadvantage of featuring a popular author too regularly.
   The new, capable, regular author, who can repeat his successes again and again, like Eando Binder, is invaluable to any house. Too often magazines are too lax in their policies, not caring to workhard in building a novice into a name to conjure with, accepting only new authors who are virtual novas--instant successes--and how common are

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FANFARE 9 THIS ONE'S ON THE HOUSE thors, and used the house name consistently, hoping that they would become familiar to the readers and fans. Ephraim Winiki, John Coleridge, Dennis Clive, and Paul Edmonds, are a few of the pseudonyms he uses regularly--at the same time slyly letting it be spread about that Fearn, Binder, Ayre, and Kuttner masquerade behind those names. This practice of house names is by no means a new development. Hugo Gernsback fully realized the necessity of this kind of procedure. He used Keller in ten out of the first twelve issues of SCIENCE WONDER STORIES, with such excellent stories that as a result, Keller has been just about the most beloved s-f author since. Gernsback also attempted to build up Repp--with fair success--finally being forced to drop him after financial conditions made it impossible to pay this author regularly. AMAZING STORIES QUARTERLY featured Coblentz novels with a level-headed consistency that made it pertinently obvious that Coblentz was the man who could best sell these magazines--and they made sure he rarely let you down. AMAZING STORIES MONTHLY featured Harl Vincent regularly, building him up to renowned proportions. The Clayton ASTOUNDING made excellent use of this device by making certain that every time Capt. S.P. Meek, USA, Anthony Gilmore, and Sewell Parlee Wright appeared, (which was often) it meant also that a certain character of popular appeal was also present. Fans knew with Gilmore in the issue, there was a least one story they would enjoy. So they bought it, and gambled on the rest of the contents. Farnsworth Wright kept WEIRD TALES going for years on the popularity and general appeal of Robert Howard and Seabury Quinn, backed with such ever-popular favorites as Hamilton, G.G. Pendarves, Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, and innumerable others. Probably the death of Howard (who appeared in nearly ten of every twelve numbers of WT) contributed most severely to WT's loss in circulation. In an attempt to stem the loss, Wright featured the consistent favorite, Quinn, in every issue, accompanied by as much posthumous Lovecraft as he could muster. Apparently, the followers of these two authors were not sufficient to insure a regular profit, and the magazine kept sinking; not in quality, but in circulation. In desperation, Wright developed en masse a set of promising authors. Among them appeared Bloch, Kuttner, John R. Speer, Earl Pierce, Jr., Thorp McClusky, Thomas P. Kelly, Wellman, Gans T. Field, and a reanimation of Conan as perpetrated by Clifford Ball . . . all to no avail. Although all the above appealed to the audience--expecially Kelly and Ball--none of them seemed to have the gift of creating a following which would faithfully purchase any issue of any magazine printing their works. Perhaps it is not the fault of the authors. Howard, Quinn, Hamilton, etc., had been gradually worked up for years, until they became popular. No substitute could be found for Howard in the short space of one or two years. In WEIRD TALES, we find the loss of a great author meaning the very life of the magazine itself. Perhaps the greatest, and only disadvantage of featuring a popular author too regularly. The new, capable, regular author, who can repeat his successes again and again, like Eando Binder, is invaluable to any house. Too often magazines are too lax in their policies, not caring to workhard in building a novice into a name to conjure with, accepting only new authors who are virtual novas--instant successes--and how common are