1 revisions. Thereafter it was some months before Campbell accepted another story.
Robert was one of a group of writers whose work is now called .”The Golden Age of Science Fiction. ” John Campbell helped his writers along with suggestions and brought them along to make Astounding the foremost science fiction pulp magazine of the time.
April 19, 1939: John W. Campbell, Jr. to Robert A. Heinlein
…I Jike your story, “Life-Line,” and plan to take it at our regular rate of 1 cent a word, or $70.00 for your manuscript.
August 25, 1939: John W. Campbell, Jr. to Robert A. Heinlein
At about this time you should receive our check for $310.00 for ” — Vine and Fig Tree — ” (“If This Goes On — “) — which title will have to be changed to give it more umph. The story, by practically all that’s good and holy, deserves our usual unusually-good-story 25% bonus. It’s a corking good yarn; may you send us many more as capably handled.
But-for the love of Heaven-don’t send us any more on the theme of this one. The bonus misfires because this yarn is going to be a headache and a shaker-in-the-boots; it’s going to take a lot of careful rewording and shifting of emphasis.
I genuinely got a great kick out of the consistency and logic of the piece. You can, and will, I’m sure, earn that 25 % bonus for unusually good stuff frequently. I ‘m very much in the market for short stories and novelettes. This piece can’t appear until after E. E. Smith’s “Gray Lens-man” finishes, so I’d like more stuff in between whiles.
December 15, 1939: John W. Campbell, Jr. to Robert A. Heinlein I was wrong, evidently, in believing you had difficulty working out “Lost Legacy” [published in Super Science Stories as “Lost Legion” by Lyle Monroe], but you are definitely wrong in suggesting that “If This Goes On — ” is, or has any tendency to be, hack. It has flavor, a roundness of background that makes it lovely.
EDITOR’S NOTE: John W. Campbell, Jr. started writing pulp science fiction stories while still in college. He was a large, tall man who threw off ideas like a sparkler and was addicted to various hobbies and hospitality to authors. Some of his hobbles were photography, ham radio, and dianetics.
Robert did not admire his writing style and objected strenuously to the various changes JWC made in Robert’s stories. Despite their differences in personality and style, the two men became good friends after Robert began writing for Astounding. John turned down a number of Robert’s stories after the first one had been published. Those were changed slightly and later sold to other pulp magazines. Whenever John considered a story particularly good, he was allowed by the higher-ups at Street and Smith to give the writer a bonus. Rates, in those days, were very low, and the bonus added nicely to the writer’s income.
Each month Astounding carried a reader poll, which rated the stories which had appeared in an earlier issue. Those stories vied against each other for placement in the “Analytical Laboratory.” Robert’s first story, “Life-Line, ” was second in the reader poll three months following publication.
During the three years Robert wrote mainly for Astounding, he often placed first and second (using his own name and a pseudonym) with his stories. He quickly became John’s leading writer.
The stories which appeared in Astounding had blurbs written by the editor, both on the contents page and at the beginning of the story. Robert complained that John often gave away the point of the story in these blurbs.
However, Robert learned much about the art of writing from John.
January 23, 1940: John W. Campbell, Jr. to Robert A. Heinlein
Now, the idea I’d like to have you mull over a while before giving me a definite answer. I think you’re one of the writers who can work up someone else’s ideas into a logical story with enthusiasm. Some can, you know, and some definitely can’t. You are in a position to know, and that’s why I’d like to have your own reaction to this.
February 23, 1940: Robert A. Heinlein to John W. Campbell, Jr.