Comment: I was paid 20 cents silver in my day. Happy to get it.

75¢ in silver is what it used to be... A fortune! I was paid upwards of 20¢ silver per word, & happy to get it.

Mark Twain Writing Contract, 1903

Two contracts were signed October 1903. The key points of the contract dated October 22, 1903 between Harper & Brothers & Samuel L. & Olivia L. Clemens were:

• All rights to Mark Twain's works were assigned to Harper & Brothers.
• Clemens would receive 20% royalties for individual copies of his books.
• Clemens would receive 17% royalties for uniform editions of his books that sold between $12 & $25.
• Clemens would receive a guaranteed income of not less than $25,000 a year for the first five years of the contract.
• Clemens would receive 10% royalties for any collections of short stories of less than 20,000 words.
• Clemens would receive 40% royalties after five years.
• Clemens would receive 30 cents per word for magazine & periodical articles.

Now, I ain't needing that contract anymore. If it suits your purposes, be my guest. Use it.

If it ain't suiting you, please be respectful... & keep quiet.