Grumbles From the Grave by Robert A. Heinlein
February 1, 1955: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I am surprised and pleased to hear that you think Schoolhouse [Tunnel in the Sky] may have slick possibilities. I am still more surprised that you passed the hunting scenes without suggesting changes. (I would be most happy to make such changes.) I did not use a central nonhuman character in this book because the book is filled with the killing of animals . . . all perfectly legitimate, of course, but I was afraid of questionable empathy if I let this story shift at any point to a nonhuman viewpoint in view of the necessity of showing them killing for meat. In my next one I will no doubt have a successor to Willis, Lummox, etc.
In the meantime, I have been hung up for a solid week on the new adult novel. It is the Man-from-Mars idea that I first talked about several years ago. It is an idea as difficult as it is strong and one I have had trouble with twice before. If I don't break the logjam soon I'll put it aside and write a different novel. I am not especially distressed about it; if I don't whip it this time, I will some other time, and I expect to deliver an adult novel some time early this year, either this one or another one.
TIME FOR THE STARS
(76)
Time For the Stars, Scribner's, 1956. Cover art by Clifford N. Geary. Dalgliesh thought that the hero might be too old for a juvenile novel.
Tom and Pat are identical twins. When tested by the Long Range Foundation, they are found to be telepathically linked. Thus, eventually, Tom is chosen to go to the stars on a torch ship, reporting back to Pat, who remains on Earth (investing their combinedincomes and building in time a financial empire). At almost light speed, time is slowed enormously—as Einstein showed—so Tom seems to stay young while Pat ages. Eventually, Tom can no longer contact his twin, but by then can contact Pat's daughter—and then granddaughter and finally, Vicki, Pat's great-granddaughter. The ship explores new worlds, but finally cannot go on. Then they are rescued by the first faster-than-light ship, made possible by what the ship has revealed of time. Back on Earth, Tom finds Pat is a very old man. But Vicki is just the right age!
December 13, 1955: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I have finished the new Scribner's book, Time for the Stars, and it is today being started by the typist. I expect to send you ms. in January, which should be plenty of time to try to sell serial rights.
Please do not tell Miss Dalgliesh I have finished it, or she will want to see it early—and I don't want her to have any more time to second-guess than her schedule requires. If she asks about it, please tell her that you understand I have it in process and that you are sure that I will be on time as usual . . . all of which is the literal truth.
March 9, 1956: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Now, about Time for the Stars. I don't feel strongly about it at all. If [Dalgliesh] wants to cut some of the opening, she is welcome to do so. If she prefers to have me cut it, tell her to send the chapters she wants cut back to me with specific instructions as to just what parts she wants eliminated and just how many words she wants taken out. Or she can do it herself, if she prefers.
I don't understand the criticism about age group appeal. She complained that I had lost them the Armed Services market in Rolling Stones by making the twins two years under draft age when the story opened, even though they were eighteen when the story closed. So in this story I very carefully made the boy just graduating from high school with an implied age of eighteen—and he is too old, she tells me.
Is Stover at Yale no good for high school kids just because the hero is old enough to be in college?
I can make my central character any age she wants at the opening of the story. But it can only be one age. If she will tell me what age she thinks is best for the market, I can tailor the central character of my next book to fit. But I can't make him simultaneously of draft age and of junior high school age. Nor can I keep him from growing up as the story progresses without limiting myself to a simple action story spanning not more than a few weeks. This is difficult to do in space-travel stories—but I can do it if she wants it.
CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY
(77)
Alice Dalgliesh considered Citizen of the Galaxy to be Heinlein's best book.
Thorby is a slave, abducted as an infant and suffering all a slave's mistreatment for years. Now he is sold again, this time on Sargon to Baslim, a beggar. But Baslim treats him well, frees him, adopts him, and teaches him all a beggar's tricks. Baslim, he slowly realizes, is really an intelligence agent in a war against slavery. Then Baslim's work is discovered and he is eliminated.
Thorby finds safety for two years among the Free Traders and learns their ways. Then he is taken to the Guard and enlisted. But then he is identified as the lost heir of one of Earth's most powerful families—one secretly supplying the slavers!
It takes more time to learn new ways. Then he forces out the crooked managers and takes over—to use his wealth and life fighting the slave trade.
(78)
Citizen of the Galaxy was also serialized in Astounding from September to December 1957, but there were some differences from the Scribner's book edition. Here, cover art by Van Dongen.
December 11, 1956: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I have completed a draft of the next novel [Citizen of the Galaxy] intended for Scribner's. The present title is The Chains and the Stars. It ran considerably too long, so I have two or three weeks of cutting to do on it. I hope to have the chewed-up copy in the hands of a typist by Christmas, which should enable me to place a copy of it for possible serial sale in your hands around the middle of January. The Scribner's copy will meet Miss Dalgliesh's deadline (what date this year?), but I will send it later, as I want to cut and slant the serial (adult) version slightly differently from the Scribner's (juvenile) version. As usual, it is an ambivalent story, actually adult in nature but concerning a boy and with no sex in it that even Great Aunt Agatha could object to. But I am going to try this time to improve it a little for each market with some changes in emphasis.
February 8, 1957: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Alice Dalgliesh says Citizen Robert's best story to date.
February 28, 1957: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
No more cutting on Citizen—it's a tight story, more can't be taken out. Miss Dalgliesh wants one very small cut, about organized religion.
May 17, 1957: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Thanks for the suggestion about submitting plots for approval to Miss Dalgliesh, but we tried that once or twice and it just caused trouble; she approved the plots in outline but not when she saw the story, even though I had stuck to the plot line. This caused the biggest hassles I've had with her, over Red Planet. . . which has merely turned out to be her biggest seller of the list, even though I refused all of the changes she wanted where they differed from the approved plot. No, if I ever submit to her another story, it will be sight unseen till then and take it or leave it. I know I have not made clear why two changes, admittedly easy and unimportant, threw me into a spin and lost me ten days working time, cum much anguish. I don't know that I can explain it, but it is true. Part of the reason lies in that Chicago lecture of mine you read recently: [Mark Reinsberg arranged this as a seminar of four lectures, which were published as The Science Fiction Novel by Advent Publishers]. I necessarily write science fiction by one theory, the theory of extrapolation and change—but once it reaches the editor (in this case) it is tested by an older theory, the notion that this our culture is essentially perfect and I must not tinker with any part of it which is dear to any possible critic who may see the story. These things have now added up to the point where I feel unable to continue. I may write another. I don't know yet. I can't until some of the depression wears off. But I don't know how to tell her that I probably won't deliver the story she is expecting—I've tried six or eight times, wasted many days, and all the ways I can express it either sound rude or inadequate. I know this
HAVE SPACE SUIT—WILL TRAVEL
(80)
Have Spacesuit Will Travel, Scribner's, 1958, became a Heinlein classic.
While Kip Russell is trying out the repairs he has made on the space suit he won in a soaf contest, he hears a voice over his radio: "PeeWee to Junebug!" And he is off on an adventure with PeeWee and the Mother Thing to the stars.
Set down on Pluto, the Mother Thing attempts to communicate with her people, but fails, and Kip must go outside in blistering cold to rescue her. They are then taken to the Lesser Magellanic Cloud where, together with a Roman centurion, lunio, PeeWee, and Kip are put on trial to defend the human race before a tribunal of a highly civilized race.
* * *
November 8, 1957: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Here are three copies of my new novel for Scribner's Have Space Suit—Will Travel. They are intended (I hope) for trade book, American serial, and British serial.
November 19, 1957: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Have Space Suit—Will Travel is a fine story . . . enjoyed all of it.
December 6, 1957: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Scribner's enthusiastic about the book.
CHAPTER IV
THE LAST OF THE JUVENILES
STARSHIP TROOPERS
(82)
Alice Dalgliesh and the entire Scribner's editorial board turned Starship Troopers down. Putnam's eagerly picked up the title and Heinlein moved his career.
In this culture, the franchise or right to vote must be earned by volunteering for Federal Service. It is not necessary that this service be in the military—quite the opposite. Johnny's decision to enter the military is opposed by his father, but upheld by his instructor in history and moral philosophy. So Johnny goes into the Mobile Infantry. We first see him in a drop.
Equipment and training has changed since the twentieth century, and each trooper is as well equipped as a modern army. Johnny makes several drops, and gains in experience and rating, and eventually becomes an officer candidate.
November 22, 1958: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I finished a draft of a novel, working title Sky Soldier, at 5:20 this morning; I will start patching its solecisms and such on Monday. It won't have to be cut other than for dramatic reasons, as the draft runs about 60,000 words—proving that I can write a novel without forcing the publisher either to jack up the price or use smaller type . . . a point on which you may have entertained legitimate doubts.
You will receive the ms. some time after the first of the year; my typist will do it during her Christmas vacation. Miss Dalgliesh has inquired as to whether I intended to submit a book; I have admitted that I have—but I have not admitted that it has been written. I don't want her to see this until the last possible moment (I have given her only the title and theme: a boy serving his military service in the future). I want to give her the least possible time to have nervous-Nellie second thoughts about it . . . because I am not going to change it to suit her.
January 10, 1959: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Earlier today we mailed you two copies of Starship Soldier . . . since I anticipate that [Dalgliesh] is not going to like parts of this book,
I might as well get the row over with . . . It is not a juvenile; it is an adult novel about an eighteen-year-old boy. I have so written it, omitting all cleavage and bed games, such that Miss Dalgliesh can offer it in the same list in which she has my other books, but nevertheless it is not a juvenile adventure story. Instead I have followed my own theory that intelligent youngsters are in fact more interested in weighty matters than their parents usually are.
January 21, 1959: Lurton Blassingame to Robert A. Heinlein
Starship Soldier enjoyed. Except that there were places where action stopped and author went in for lecturing.
Editor's Note: Starship Soldier, later Starship Troopers, was turned down by the entire Scribner's editorial board.
Lurton called and advised me; Robert was still asleep. I had to tell him.
As a matter of fact, Lurton was certain that he could place the book with another publisher. Walter Minton, president of G. P. Putnam's Sons, later said that one of his editors told him that there was a Heinlein juvenile available. Walter instructed the editor, "Grab it."
Miss Dalgliesh made the following suggestions about the book:
1. use it only as an adult serial
2. sell it elsewhere
3. put it away for a while
The Scribner's connection had ended; with it, the annual quarrels over what was suitable for juvenile reading. After Starship Troopers was published, Robert wrote only one more juvenile—Podkayne of Mars.
February 19, 1959: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
. . . I think I have handed you a less salable item than most in this ms. and I will be happy indeed to place it with Mills [Robert P., editor of FcvSF magazine] and with any major trade book house—for which purpose I am willing to rewrite, revise, cut, or expand to any extent necessary. From a story standpoint, I am now convinced that this is not my best work; I intend to sweat and make it so. (But, privately to you, revision will be literary revision; I will not let even the ghost of Horace Greeley order me to revise my ideas to fit popular prejudice—I'll hike up the story but the ideas will remain intact.) "Eppur si muove!" I stand by my heresies. But I have no intention of saying this to an editor quite so bluntly; I'll simply improve the story as story until he will pass it.
March 23, 1959: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
Now to the pièce de resistance, the Putnam contract for Starship Soldier.
First, my very warmest thanks to you for your unsparing efforts on this ms. I know that you thought it was weak (and so do I . . . and I intend to try to repair the weaknesses); nevertheless, you sold the serial rights to the leading specialty magazine and trade book right to a major trade house. My morale is greatly bucked up thereby.
I've been rather "shook up" over this ms. . . . The book should be better than it is; I think I can improve it. I certainly will try to, working closely with an editor. Who will be my editor at Putnam?
(84)
Starship Troopers went on to win the Hugo Award as Best Novel of 1959, given at the World Science Fiction Convention in Pittsburgh.
September 19, 1960: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
. . . However, the Scribner's angle is a special case. Yes, I do know that Miss Dalgliesh is no longer there. But my irk is not alone at her; it includes Mr. Scribner himself. I feel that I was treated in a very shabby fashion, and I regard him as in part responsible and do not wish to place any more stories with his firm. Scribner's had published twelve of my books and every single one of them made a profit for them and each one is still making money for them. At one time Miss Dalgliesh told me that my books had kept her department out of the red.
So I offer a thirteenth book . . . and it is turned down with a brisk little note which might as well have been a printed rejection slip, for it was just as cold and just as informative.
I then found it necessary to write to [George McC] to find out what the score was. He told me that it had been a joint action, in which several of the editors had read my ms—including Mr. Scribner—and that Scribner himself had joined in rejecting it.
Based on my royalty records I conjecture that my books have netted for Mr. Scribner something between $50,000 and $100,000 (and grossed a great deal more). They have been absolutely certain money-from-home for his firm . . . and still are. Yet after years and years of a highly profitable association, Mr. Scribner let me be "fired" with less ceremony than he would use in firing his office boy . . . not a word out of him, not even a hint that he gave a damn whether I stayed with them or not. I submit that this is rudeness, unpardonable in view of the long association.
Writers hear a lot of prattle about how speculative the trade book business is and how p
Furthermore, the ms. couldn't have been bad enough to justify dumping me in view of the fact that three other editors bought it . . . and then it went on to win the Hugo [Award] for [1959]. (Besides that, I notice that, despite ----'s earlier worries, the trade book sold 5,000 copies in the first two and a half months . . . and now he tells us that sales are picking up.)
It seems to me that, if the pious crap they hand out about "taking a chance" on authors actually meant anything, Mr. Scribner himself would have said to his editorial board: "Maybe this isn't the best book Mr. Heinlein has ever done—possibly it will even flop and we'll lose a little money on him this time. But his books have been steady sellers in the past and we'll have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps with a little revision it will be more acceptable; if you don't want to write to him about revisions, let me look over the ms. again and I will write to him . . . but we can't simply reject the book out of hand. Mr. Heinlein is part of the Scribner's family and has been for years."
Too goddamned much to expect, I suppose. At least that was not the way he handled it.
Lurton, it seems to me that, with any other successful writer on their list, Scribner's would have published that book—perhaps with revisions and perhaps not as a juvenile—but they would have published it. But if Mr. Scribner felt that he simply could not publish it, I think the circumstances called for a note, a letter, a measure of polite discussion, from the boss to me . . . a minimum of formal politeness.