company wants, of course it will not be purchased at all. If your
story does suit them, you may be certain of receiving a check for
$1,000 at least--and we say "at least" because they have been known to
pay still higher prices if the story is really unusual and hence
especially valuable to them. This same company--as do nearly all
concerns--frequently pays a price greatly exceeding $1,000 for the
work of authors with "big names," because, of course, the value of the
big name is not to be denied.

Experience alone will teach you which companies pay the best prices;
after you have sold several scripts, and have become acquainted with
the price-scale of different studios, you will, if the play suits that
particular market, naturally offer your material first to the company
that has paid you best. But just as soon as a script comes back from
one company--so long as you feel certain that it is not in your power
to improve it before letting it go out again--send it out to another,
and then to another, until it is either accepted or so worn or soiled
that it is politic to recopy it. And don't wait too long to do this
simple act of justice to your brain-child. Whatever you do, don't stop
with three or four rejections--keep at it until you are _sure_ the
market is exhausted. But be certain to review your script for possible
improvements each time it comes back to you.

Keep up your output. Do not write one story, send it out, and then
wait patiently for its return, or for the editor's check. Plan a new
story, write it, and send it out. Then plan another and follow the
same course. Photoplay marketing is a business, and a business man is
usually "on the job" six days a week.

It is best not to write a letter to the editor, to accompany your
script, unless there is a very special reason for so doing. Nor should
the writer rush a letter of inquiry off in case he does not hear from
the editor within a week or two after submitting his story. Delay may
be a hopeful sign. If you hear nothing in two months it is time enough
to write--briefly and courteously. Nearly all companies, however, will
report well within that period.

It is utterly impossible in a work of this nature to include a list of
the requirements of every photoplay editor. The policy of the
manufacturers is always subject to change. Their requirements are
governed by the number of scripts of each kind they have on hand, the
disposal of their field-companies, the se