Item ALL/11/51 - Letter from Frank Atkins to Herbert Allingham

Addressed: Mount House, Chartham nr. Canterbury. Signed.
'I don't know Mr Flower at Harmsworth's ... I am much obliged for the hint I am afraid, howver, it is not much in my line as I don't care to write very short stories. I certainly think you might do something with the Mr. Griffith I mentioned in my letter.. he is one of Mr Edward’s subs... but he has charge of the 'Marvel' and 'Pluck'. He is much taken up with Clark Hook, but he has room for a good deal outside that. The way to go to work would be to take him a good opening of some sort 3000 or 4000 words, with a synopsis of what is to follow. Then, if he likes it, he will tell you what length to extend it – whether 10,000, 17,000 or 21,000 at 10/- per 1000. I should go straight in to him with my card (enclosed) and have a shot. His room is on the 2nd floor – same as Mr. Back. Go past Back’s office, right to the end, turn to left and go to the end again and you will see the door of his room facing you. He’s a very decent little fellow. Reverting to the Aldine people do I understand that they pay cash on delivery? Suppose I were to do a 24,000 story would they pay for it as soon as they had read it & accepted it, or only when it was published? ... I ask this because I understood you to say that they pay prompt cash... but I did not quite understand whether that meant on publication or on acceptance. ...I've got a lot of stuff out now unpaid for, waiting to be published so much that I'm getting rather sick of it. I can go on adding to it - I have no difficulty in getting the stuff accepted - but where's the use when you never know when on earth it's goign to be paid for? Since I wrote to you I have heard that Mr. Langton Townley is still in 'Puck' office – i.e. over Mr. Sisley’s. As I said you can mention my name if you go to see him.’

Note : both Atkins and Back (editor, above) are mentioned in Lofts and Adley. Edwards is Hamilton Edwards and Griffiths, Percy Griffiths – both A.P. editors.