How to write Little Blue Books

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How to write Little Blue Books by Lloyd E. Smith is a practical guidebook for aspiring contributors to the Haldeman-Julius five-cent series, written in the late 1920s. The book explains how to propose and prepare manuscripts that fit the series’ mission, outlining acceptable subjects, editorial expectations, and the mechanics of submission and style.

The book opens with Smith’s role and the series’ aims, then lays down core principles: seek broad, self-educational topics; avoid narrow scholarship, original fiction or poetry, vanity projects, and oversupplied fields like religion, philosophy, psychology, and evolution. It details how to obtain an assignment by pitching a specific idea with credentials, the 60-day delivery expectation, and the acceptance-and-payment process. A substantial section gives exact manuscript specifications—Little Blue Books must be 32 or 64 pages; target word counts; typing, spacing, margins, pagination; handling quotations, chaptering, contents vs. index; and how to supply simple line illustrations. Style rules follow, standardizing spelling (per Webster’s New International), capitalization, hyphenation, punctuation, and the use of accents, plus the requirement to include the author’s name and address. Smith also explains how to abridge or condense classics, add clear footnotes (using superior numbers), and write helpful introductions. He closes with a list of needed subjects—especially sports, business skills, practical how-to topics, simple instrument lessons, travel sketches, timely issues, and hobbies—urging writers to secure an assignment first and deliver precise, readable copy.