October 2, 1994 Dear Sirs:
Here is a story I wrote. It is my first story. I think it’s pretty good, though it might have been better had I not run out of time. Flag football season. I’ll also warn you: I’m not much of a speller. Maybe you have one of those spellcheck programs on your computer. I don’t.
Forgive me, but I have not read your magazine. I’ve heard of it, of course (who hasn’t?), but the truth is I don’t read much. I tried when I was younger–Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, Salinger, the newspaper–but those people are so full of shit. Clutters your own brain, is what I think. Anyway, the reason I mention this is that I was wondering about dough. How much do you get for a story like mine? As you can see, my story is quite long, and those kinds of stories I don’t imagine come cheap. I’m proud of the length in particular.
If you like this story, I’ve got another one I’m currently writing. It’s not nearly done, but if it comes to it I can rush it out to you. I have Wednesdays and Sundays off. Keep that in mind. A lot will depend on the dough. If you’re going to give me some decent walking around money, I could see me skipping the second half of the Jets game to bear down and get something in the mail. I’m not talking about a really close game, but maybe a first-half blowout.
Also: I would like to read your magazine. The problem being I saw it in the store and it said $10.00. I went up to the clerk and asked if there was a mistake, but she said no, that was the actual price. Even more in Canada, huh? I said, and she said she guessed.
That’s too much. I’m already down $2.40 for postage for this story and the self-addressed stamped envelope. That came out of my own pocket. Maybe you could just send me a freebie. I’m sure you get stuck with a certain number each month and what good do those do you? If I read your magazine, I might even be able to make something with just your readers in mind. I told you about Wednesdays and Sundays.
Well, that’s about it. Let me know about the dough and when I might expect to see the story in your magazine. I think my mom would get a kick out of seeing it, if she knows in advance. There’s one more question, it’s sort of a standard question I ask whenever I write someplace, like cereal manufacturers or beer companies. The question is: “Free stuff?”
Your friend,
Don Evans
