...She [a romance writer] writes very well, and rather than have her run out of material, I would be glad to volunteer my services. I'm not as energetic as I was in the Coolidge administration, but I've learned a lot since then and that's what a writer needs: ideas.
FOREIGN SALES
February 19, 1959: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
...Is it really true that my foreign sales have been "fabulous"? You see, I have no experience whatever on which to form an opinion. I know that I take warm, special pride in these translations and we both enjoy the regularity with which the money rolls in. But are my foreign sales numerous in comparison with other writers of comparable domestic success? I just thought I had been damned lucky in being in the hands of an agent who had formed such excellent connections abroad and used them so well. I am sure that part of it is true.
February 26, 1959: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
There are very few writers who sell in as many countries as you do. I try to line up with the agent in each country who is most respected for results and I check on this through visiting publishers to New York, and through them try to help our representatives in these publishers' countries; but in other countries, as here, the quality of the story is the deciding factor. It's the high quality of your stories that makes them so popular. Fortunately, you are writing about a subject that is of interest everywhere; we'd have great difficulty in selling your stories, even of this quality, if you were writing about baseball and football.
CHECKS
December 2, 1961: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
It seems certain that Ginny gets more fun out of these checks than I do. She always grabs a letter from you first and you should see her eyes light up when she sees one of those long yellow pieces enclosed. Cash has the same effect on her that Elvis Presley has on teenagers-for the past hour she has been sitting in the tub, talking dreamily about how she is going to spend the money that came in today-a new ball gown, setting some emeralds she just happens to have sitting in the bank vault getting rusty, etc. I am sure she regards you as the source of all blessings.
December 5, 1961: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
The Scribner royalties roll on and on. Here is another nice check to help with your Christmas shopping. And we have received a big batch of marks for you from Germany, and the check for this will go to you before the end of the week.
Boxing Day 1961: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
...and also for a nice check from Germany to make our Christmas green. You will be pleased to hear that Ginny has already spent quite a chunk of it; she bought five dresses and a coat before I was out of bed this morning.
SHORT SHORT
May 9, 1962: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Carson Roberts, Inc., the advertising firm which has been preparing these short-short science-fiction ads for Hofiiman Electronics (which you may have seen in Fortune, Scientific American, or elsewhere) have been bothering me for months to do a 1,200-word story for them. I have not bothered you with this because it is my usual policy to refer to you only such business as is really business-and I had no intention of writing 1,200 words of SF for anybody at any price. Such length is poorly suited to the genre.
But they kept raising the price, from $250 to $500 and then to $750 -- and I tried to shut them up by outlining in one paragraph how feeble a SF story would have to be to be told in 1,200 words...whereupon they accepted the outline and asked me to go ahead. I may possibly do so. If I do, I will submit it through you. Otherwise this is just for your information. It's a silly business at best -- sixty-two cents a word is more than it's worth, but 1,200 words is a silly length for science fiction.
CHAPTER XI
ADULT NOVELS
THE PUPPET MASTERS
November 4, 1950: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I have not written lately because I have been working seven days a week and far into the night on the new novel -- 75,000 words down on paper so far and all I need now is a smash ending. That is giving me trouble. I should be working on it at this moment (8:30 P.M., Sat. Eve.) but enough things have accumulated that I must write.
December 2, 1950: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Herewith the original and first carbon of The Puppet Masters.
As the story stands, it is a bit long (about 90,000 words) for serialization and much too long for a single-shot, but I would much rather cut to an editor's specific requirements than to cut blindly ahead of time. I append hereto something which you may or may not see fit to send along with the copy submitted for serialization: a list of possible breaks. I don't know whether this is good salesmanship or not, but I thought it might help if an editor could see at once that the story was very flexible, serialwise. As you know, I can cut, bridge, write around, etc., to shorten anything they want shortened to any extent they wish...
I suspect, too, that a magazine editor will want the sex in this toned down; that's easy.
January 5, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Oh yes-Bradbury [Walter Bradbury, science fiction editor for Doubleday] wrote to me about The Puppet Masters; I wrote back agreeing to make all suggested cuts and changes, but nevertheless expressing some difference of opinion as to the advisability of the revisions. In my opinion a horror story -- which this is-is not improved commercially by watering it down. Edgar Allan Poe wrote a great many things; I own and have read all his works-he is known for about 5% of his published writings, all sheer unadulterated horror, much of it much more grisly than mine. But I am going to do exactly what Bradbury says to do; he's paying for it and I need the money.
March 23, 1951: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Revision on Puppet Masters satisfied Doubleday. Sent word to Gold [H. L. Gold, editor of Galaxy].
April 3, 1951: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Talked with Gold today. The magazine is undergoing a policy change, and must wait before purchase. Controlled from abroad-France and Italy-will let LB know when there is definite word.
April 21, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
You will recall that you advised me that Gold's original demands for revision for serial publication were outlandish in view of what he would pay-about $2,000.
June 3, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Galleys for The Puppet Masters have arrived; galleys for Between Planets are expected this week; Gold wants synopses for The Puppet Masters. I am still on a merry-go-round but will take care of these items without undue delay. I learn from the grapevine (but not from -- ) that "Green Hills" is about to be published.
August 20, 1951: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I have been sitting on my hands this past week to keep from writing a stiff letter to Gold. He sent me an advance copy of the September Galaxy with the first installment of The Puppet Masters. Gold turns out to be a copy messer-upper; there is hardly a paragraph which he has not "improved" -- and I am fit to be tied.
Now Galaxy is an excellent market and I do not wish to make your task any harder by antagonizing an editor to whom you may be offering more of my copy-but if I were freelancing without an agent, I'd be quite willing to risk losing the market permanently in order to settle the matter. What I would like to say to him is: "Listen, you cheesehead, when we were both free-lance writers I had a much higher reputation than you had-in fact you never wrote a number-one science fiction story in your life-so who in hell do you think you are to be 'improving' my copy!"