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The Pulp Jungle
Frank Gruber's first sale as an author came with a short story, "the Two Dollar Raise," which went to a Sunday School newspaper. The payment was $3.50.
The time was 1927, and for Gruber this first sale meant much more than being able to get a job as an editor of a farm paper on the basis of being a published author. It meant the beginnings of a massive assault on the pulp jungle.
The time was 1927, and for Gruber this first sale meant much more than being able to get a job as an editor of a farm paper on the basis of being a published author. It meant the beginnings of a massive assault on the pulp jungle.
189 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
1 person is currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Frank Gruber
149 books19 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Frank Gruber was an enormously prolific author of pulp fiction. A stalwart contributor to Black Mask magazine, he also wrote novels, producing as many as four a year during the 1940s. His best-known character was Oliver Quade, “the Human Encyclopedia,” whose adventures were collected in Brass Knuckles (1966), and will soon be republished in ebook format as Oliver Quade, the Human Encyclopedia,featuring brand-new material, from MysteriousPress.com, Open Road Integrated Media, and Black Mask magazine.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Frank Gruber was an enormously prolific author of pulp fiction. A stalwart contributor to Black Mask magazine, he also wrote novels, producing as many as four a year during the 1940s. His best-known character was Oliver Quade, “the Human Encyclopedia,” whose adventures were collected in Brass Knuckles (1966), and will soon be republished in ebook format as Oliver Quade, the Human Encyclopedia,featuring brand-new material, from MysteriousPress.com, Open Road Integrated Media, and Black Mask magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 19, 2014
Publishing is changing. Advances are going down, it's getting harder to push through the traditional publishing bottleneck, and more people are choosing indie publishing. Going it alone means having to do all your own marketing and even more importantly, being prolific in order to boost your visibility.
It's for this reason that I've been studying the old pulp days, when writers often got paid only half a cent a word and had to write reams of tales in order to make ends meet. Many starved, while others made a decent living and a few made it big.
Frank Gruber was one of the lucky few. He wrote for all the best pulp magazines (sometimes earning up to two cents a word!) and ended up writing novels and for Hollywood too.
The Pulp Jungle gives a fast-paced, fun account of Gruber's struggle to make it as a writer during the Depression and is filled with anecdotes of those long-gone days. For example, when he was really down in the dumps he'd go to the Automat--a coin-operated, self-serve restaurant--and get a free meal. It turned out that hot water was free, as was ketchup, so presto! Tomato soup.
The story follows Gruber as he works his way up from poverty to middle-class comfort through grindingly hard work, cultivating contacts in the industry, and sheer optimism and persistence. The book is filled with portraits of other writers, such as one who was hosting a party and announced around midnight that he had a 12,000 word story due the following morning. Gruber assumed the party was over, but instead the host went to a corner with his typewriter, banged out 12,000 words, and then poured himself a gin and rejoined the party!
As Gruber says, "They don't make them like that any more!"
Anyone who is a writer will find this book inspiring. Readers interested in classic pulp fiction will find this book to be a fascinating glimpse into how those stories were made.
It's for this reason that I've been studying the old pulp days, when writers often got paid only half a cent a word and had to write reams of tales in order to make ends meet. Many starved, while others made a decent living and a few made it big.
Frank Gruber was one of the lucky few. He wrote for all the best pulp magazines (sometimes earning up to two cents a word!) and ended up writing novels and for Hollywood too.
The Pulp Jungle gives a fast-paced, fun account of Gruber's struggle to make it as a writer during the Depression and is filled with anecdotes of those long-gone days. For example, when he was really down in the dumps he'd go to the Automat--a coin-operated, self-serve restaurant--and get a free meal. It turned out that hot water was free, as was ketchup, so presto! Tomato soup.
The story follows Gruber as he works his way up from poverty to middle-class comfort through grindingly hard work, cultivating contacts in the industry, and sheer optimism and persistence. The book is filled with portraits of other writers, such as one who was hosting a party and announced around midnight that he had a 12,000 word story due the following morning. Gruber assumed the party was over, but instead the host went to a corner with his typewriter, banged out 12,000 words, and then poured himself a gin and rejoined the party!
As Gruber says, "They don't make them like that any more!"
Anyone who is a writer will find this book inspiring. Readers interested in classic pulp fiction will find this book to be a fascinating glimpse into how those stories were made.
May 7, 2013
Frank Gruber wrote and wrote and wrote. He wrote over 400 short stories, 53 novels, 65 movie screenplays, 100 TV scripts, created 3 television shows, and sold 25 of his books to the movies. At his height he was writing over 800,000 words a year. He admits in the book that some of his early stuff was trash but he sold a lot of books in the United States as well as in foreign markets with over 850 editions published in 24 different countries for total sales of over 90,000,000 copies.
He is rarely read today.
He is rarely read today.
November 19, 2020
Frank Gruber wrote for The Black Mask magazine among other pulp magazines. Late in the 1960s he received a telephone call from someone at Popular Culture Association where they were having an exhibit of Black Mask magazines. I guess they wanted him to attend. At any rate it inspired him to write this account of what it meant to be a writer for pulp magazines in the 30s and 40s at the height of their popularity. It wasn’t easy since the pay was anywhere from half a cent a word to two cents or if you were very good three cents a word. Gruber was determined to be a writer and wrote prolifically sending his stories to various magazines and sometimes getting them accepted. He left his wife at home with her parents when he ventured into New York to break into the business. Again, it was not easy. Although rents were cheap, the income was uncertain. He recounts many days when he went hungry or when he had a well-known lunch where one would go to the automat and get a cup of free hot water, ostensibly for tea, but one would take it to the table where there was catsup, pour some into the hot water and have tomato soup for lunch. He badgered editors, agents and all that he could. His output was impressive. He wrote for all different types of pulp magazines. Black Mask in its origins was not just focused on mysteries. He talks about the many talented and famous ones including Hammett, Gardner and Chandler. Many I never heard of other than Carroll John Daly and Cornell Woolrich. Gruber strongly believed that what made a writer was writing. He didn’t think a college education was necessary. Actually in many ways, it might be a hindrance. At one point he made a move from the pulps to the slicks. He was back with his wife in Scarsdale since they decided to have a child. Once he made his mark with the various magazines, he didn’t need to live in New York and haunt the publishing companies. One of the problems he encountered was that when a story was accepted, the check was not paid until it was published. He moved to writing novels and at one point took the family to Hollywood to make it as a screenwriter which paid what were astronomical sums in those days of depression and slow recovery. One understands why Faulkner did screen writing reading this account. He devotes one chapter to the terrible loneliness of the writing profession. He also outlines the eleven elements necessary for a mystery story. He also describes the seven basic western stories. Of all the many stories he wrote, he sold four hundred. He wrote fifty-three novels, sixty-five feature films, three successful television series and possibly one hundred television scripts. That is an impressive record. He did finally make money, much of it from Hollywood, but also from his novels. He talks about the surprising phenomenon of paperback books. This is a fascinating account of the life of a writer who worked in every medium and every genre, determined to succeed which he did. It is also a glimpse into the history of the changing world of magazines and books as film and television came to be the vehicles of much story telling. Seeing it all from the perspective of a hard working writer is intriguing and informative. It is interesting to think how the world of writers changes over time.
November 22, 2013
One of the earliest (the earliest?) memoir by a pulp writer, it is a fun read but mostly for those of us interested in the back story of 1930s writers. There is a lot of name dropping, but a lot of the people mentioned would be only familiar to those who already know the people involved, In at least one case, Gruber is the source for what happened to a writer.
Well recommended to pulp and 1930s-1950s buffs who want behind the scenes info.
Well recommended to pulp and 1930s-1950s buffs who want behind the scenes info.
May 6, 2022
The Pulp Jungle by Frank Gruber My Copy-ebook
Frank Gruber was one of the most Prolific Pulp writers of the period. His output was astronomical (especially by today’s standards) and his work ethic unquestionable. He wrote all types of fiction submitting stories to publications like Black Mask and Detective fiction. I first came across his work when I was on holiday with my parents and the place we stayed had a shelf of books to read and I picked up Broken Lance by Frank Gruber. I only remember small bits about the book (I was 11 or 12 years old). I remember the cover and the general plot but for some reason even though I wasn’t a fan of westerns the book has stuck with me.
As well as short stories for the pulp magazines (over 400) Gruber went on to write over 50 novels and 150 Tv shows and film scripts. The Pulp Jungle is more a memoir than an autobiography and it covers Grubers career up to the mid 1940’s.
For those with an interest in publishing and anecdotes it’s a fun read. Telling of how Gruber worked and survived through the great depression. There’s some telling scenes of descriptions about how he made ‘Tomato’ soup with hot water and tomato sauce just to survive. What you get from the book is Gruber’s obvious drive and willingness to write anything to make a living. Initially the book feels like he is just reeling off how much he got paid for each individual story and this can feel tiresome to read through. There is a lot in this book about money and pay rates, it could be just that living through the depression means that Gruber’s focus has always been the money. The book though excels on some of the anecdotes around other writers and Hollywood executives. The most interesting thing for me is when he describes how he put a story together at such short notice
I wanted more of those sort of stories but unfortunately, they are thin on the ground. What does come across negatively in the book is Gruber’s arrogance, which in hindsight could be part of the drive that made him so prolific. The belief that he was so much better than everyone else does not always just come across as someone driven to write.
His distain for editors comes across in the book
If you have an interest in the subject matter this is a small insight to workings of the pulp era of writing. It’s not the sort I would recommend for those without an interest in this specific area as unlike some autobiographies/memoirs it would struggle to grab those not interested in the subject matter. It could have been so much more.
It is quite a hard book to get hold of as in 2022 it is out of print. Second hand copies are thin on the ground and expensive. After much searching though I did manage to find an ebook version.
I’ve given this 2 stars but it is in fact more of a 2 ½ but Goodreads does not allow half stars.
Goodreads ratings are pretty limiting, my benchmark using those ratings are anything 3 or above is a good strong recommendation that I would happily reread at some point. I only rarely give out five stars
My Blog http://www.backawayfromthedonkey.co.uk/
Frank Gruber was one of the most Prolific Pulp writers of the period. His output was astronomical (especially by today’s standards) and his work ethic unquestionable. He wrote all types of fiction submitting stories to publications like Black Mask and Detective fiction. I first came across his work when I was on holiday with my parents and the place we stayed had a shelf of books to read and I picked up Broken Lance by Frank Gruber. I only remember small bits about the book (I was 11 or 12 years old). I remember the cover and the general plot but for some reason even though I wasn’t a fan of westerns the book has stuck with me.
As well as short stories for the pulp magazines (over 400) Gruber went on to write over 50 novels and 150 Tv shows and film scripts. The Pulp Jungle is more a memoir than an autobiography and it covers Grubers career up to the mid 1940’s.
For those with an interest in publishing and anecdotes it’s a fun read. Telling of how Gruber worked and survived through the great depression. There’s some telling scenes of descriptions about how he made ‘Tomato’ soup with hot water and tomato sauce just to survive. What you get from the book is Gruber’s obvious drive and willingness to write anything to make a living. Initially the book feels like he is just reeling off how much he got paid for each individual story and this can feel tiresome to read through. There is a lot in this book about money and pay rates, it could be just that living through the depression means that Gruber’s focus has always been the money. The book though excels on some of the anecdotes around other writers and Hollywood executives. The most interesting thing for me is when he describes how he put a story together at such short notice
It was Friday afternoon. They were going to press the next day, Saturday, and needed a fifty-five-hundred word story to fill out the issue of Operator # 5. Could I write a fifty-five-hundred-word story overnight? I could, I solemnly assured Rogers. I sat down at the typewriter.
…… By twelve o'clock I still needed a plot. At two A.M. I had Captain John Vedders of Military Intelligence and the beauteous Leone Montez, the Panamanian spy. All I needed was a plot. At three-thirty, the entire United States Atlantic Fleet was about to be attacked by a fleet of bombers originating in a country in Europe. ……. All Captain John Vedders had to do now was find the beautiful Leone Montez and get the stolen plans from her. Unfortunately, however, the dastardly villain had mistrusted Leone Montez. He had abducted her, along with the plans, taken her to the hideout in the Catskills where he would hold her until he radioed his people in Europe.’
I wanted more of those sort of stories but unfortunately, they are thin on the ground. What does come across negatively in the book is Gruber’s arrogance, which in hindsight could be part of the drive that made him so prolific. The belief that he was so much better than everyone else does not always just come across as someone driven to write.
His distain for editors comes across in the book
I do not believe that one single editor has ever contributed anything to the craft or skill of any single writer at any time.This in my opinion is quite ironic because I think what this book really needs is a good editor to bring it together more. To reign back some of the arrogance and tell the story he wants to. The book also ends quite strangely in what feels like mid-sentence, some of these points a good editor would have helped with.
If you have an interest in the subject matter this is a small insight to workings of the pulp era of writing. It’s not the sort I would recommend for those without an interest in this specific area as unlike some autobiographies/memoirs it would struggle to grab those not interested in the subject matter. It could have been so much more.
It is quite a hard book to get hold of as in 2022 it is out of print. Second hand copies are thin on the ground and expensive. After much searching though I did manage to find an ebook version.
I’ve given this 2 stars but it is in fact more of a 2 ½ but Goodreads does not allow half stars.
Goodreads ratings are pretty limiting, my benchmark using those ratings are anything 3 or above is a good strong recommendation that I would happily reread at some point. I only rarely give out five stars
My Blog http://www.backawayfromthedonkey.co.uk/
January 14, 2018
Reading this book is enough to make today’s writer feel lazy.
I first heard about it through an off mention in a Dean Wesley Smith post and decided it was worth the effort to procure. Reading through confirmed it was worth every penny to get it to my doorstep.
While it can be looked at as a history book of where writing was in the thirties, as it follows the lives of those who wrote for the pulp magazines (”pulp fiction”), it’s really a story about what writers were doing and sacrificing to earn a living.
Gruber does a lot of name dropping, which would be neat if you knew who any of these authors were, but the gems were in-between (and a few times on) the lines.
While today’s bite-sized social media laden messages about rejection and never giving up are meant to be an inspiration, it was an accepted part of the job for these writers. Gruber speaks about the numerous times he kept submitting to magazines without any avail (for years, in a few cases) and how this was the norm.
You submitted work and it was either accepted or rejected. You hoped for acceptance, but if you didn’t get it, you kept going. Even after establishing yourself, there was still a chance you would be rejected (as was the case with Gruber trying to break into Hollywood).
Then there were the stories of the work ethic of these writers, including one who, in the middle of a party, realized he needed to submit a 12,000 word short story for publication in the morning. He sat in the corner, typed non-stop for four hours, then came back to enjoy the festivities.
There is also an entire chapter between the meeting of Gruber and Max Brand (the pen name of one of America’s most prolific literary giants). Between the consistent output and constant drinking, it’s stunning to hear his commitment to the written word.
Gruber does provide direct advice to writers near the end. What’s telling is the advice he gives here (written in the 1960s), is identical to what every working writer suggests today:
Put your butt in the seat, write a lot, read a lot and put it out there.
I’m glad to have read through this one.
I first heard about it through an off mention in a Dean Wesley Smith post and decided it was worth the effort to procure. Reading through confirmed it was worth every penny to get it to my doorstep.
While it can be looked at as a history book of where writing was in the thirties, as it follows the lives of those who wrote for the pulp magazines (”pulp fiction”), it’s really a story about what writers were doing and sacrificing to earn a living.
Gruber does a lot of name dropping, which would be neat if you knew who any of these authors were, but the gems were in-between (and a few times on) the lines.
While today’s bite-sized social media laden messages about rejection and never giving up are meant to be an inspiration, it was an accepted part of the job for these writers. Gruber speaks about the numerous times he kept submitting to magazines without any avail (for years, in a few cases) and how this was the norm.
You submitted work and it was either accepted or rejected. You hoped for acceptance, but if you didn’t get it, you kept going. Even after establishing yourself, there was still a chance you would be rejected (as was the case with Gruber trying to break into Hollywood).
Then there were the stories of the work ethic of these writers, including one who, in the middle of a party, realized he needed to submit a 12,000 word short story for publication in the morning. He sat in the corner, typed non-stop for four hours, then came back to enjoy the festivities.
There is also an entire chapter between the meeting of Gruber and Max Brand (the pen name of one of America’s most prolific literary giants). Between the consistent output and constant drinking, it’s stunning to hear his commitment to the written word.
Gruber does provide direct advice to writers near the end. What’s telling is the advice he gives here (written in the 1960s), is identical to what every working writer suggests today:
Put your butt in the seat, write a lot, read a lot and put it out there.
I’m glad to have read through this one.
October 1, 2024
A nice snippet in the life of a pulp writer. Things were tough and you had to be resilient. We are almost one hundred years away from that period, so it is interesting to see and compare how things have changed or how they stayed the same.
The writing itself was pretty bare bones. The book is basically a series of "I wrote this, I sold that, They rejected this, but then bought that" and so on.
There were some cool anecdotes here and there. Also, I just wish he spoke more about his writing itself. Sadly only the last two or three chapters spoke about it. I guess this is just to show that there's no magic formula, just, as Gruber himself says, the will to succeed.
It was a fast and entertaining read, but it could be so much better. Still, it's a good book for those interested in that period, such as myself.
The writing itself was pretty bare bones. The book is basically a series of "I wrote this, I sold that, They rejected this, but then bought that" and so on.
There were some cool anecdotes here and there. Also, I just wish he spoke more about his writing itself. Sadly only the last two or three chapters spoke about it. I guess this is just to show that there's no magic formula, just, as Gruber himself says, the will to succeed.
It was a fast and entertaining read, but it could be so much better. Still, it's a good book for those interested in that period, such as myself.
September 29, 2021
This was a fascinating autobiography by a very successful pulp writer back in the day. I'm a writer myself, and these kinds of books speak to me, particularly because they go strongly against a lot of the accepted wisdom on writing in our own times. There's a lot of hogwash mysticism around writing today, but also a lot of overbearing craft nonsense.
But even as a non writer, this book would be interesting as a historical autobiography on the writing, publishing and reading of the times in question. Near the end he even has a chapter on the emergence of the paperback books and how they began to effect the pulp markets.
But even as a non writer, this book would be interesting as a historical autobiography on the writing, publishing and reading of the times in question. Near the end he even has a chapter on the emergence of the paperback books and how they began to effect the pulp markets.
December 29, 2017
I enjoyed this short look at the life and experiences of a pulp fiction writer.
May 16, 2022
No nearly as interesting as it should have been
September 14, 2024
Fascinating first hand look into the pulps and the incredibly sketchy life of a writer who made it there.
June 10, 2025
a really nice insight into the early years of pounding out pulp stories, easy reading with lots of flavor.
July 10, 2018
An absolutely fascinating look into the daily life of a pulp writer, and his astonishing real-life rags-to-riches story. Useful advice and inspiration for writers that still rings true, even today.
July 4, 2013
The Pulp Jungle (1967)
This is Frank Gruber’s autobiographical account of his days as a pulp writer, starting during the Great depression and through to the early forties when he moved to Hollywood as a screenwriter. It really is about a guy who was passionate and driven about becoming a writer. A number of other key writers from the pulps are referenced, including Steve Fisher, Raymond Chandler, Carroll John Daly, Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner, Lester Dent, and others. It’s basically one rejection story after another, followed by one sale story after another. But it’s a nice glimpse at a lost way of life and his upfront-ness is engaging.
This is Frank Gruber’s autobiographical account of his days as a pulp writer, starting during the Great depression and through to the early forties when he moved to Hollywood as a screenwriter. It really is about a guy who was passionate and driven about becoming a writer. A number of other key writers from the pulps are referenced, including Steve Fisher, Raymond Chandler, Carroll John Daly, Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner, Lester Dent, and others. It’s basically one rejection story after another, followed by one sale story after another. But it’s a nice glimpse at a lost way of life and his upfront-ness is engaging.
July 26, 2009
Superb memoir of Gruber's efforts to, first, get into writing for the pulps, then books, then Hollywood.
It's filled with anecdotes about writers of the era he knew. Like Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner, Lester Dent, Walter Gibson, and a host of others I didn't know(I'm by no means any kind of expert on the pulp era).
It's filled with anecdotes about writers of the era he knew. Like Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner, Lester Dent, Walter Gibson, and a host of others I didn't know(I'm by no means any kind of expert on the pulp era).
February 4, 2021
Happily I have finally scored a copy of this book after many failed searches. Frank Gruber was right in the thick of the pulp era having had a multitude of stories and novelettes published in Black Mask and Dime Detective Magazine and scores of books. This is both a memoir of an amazing writer and the history of Black Mask Magazine.
June 26, 2019
I had to track this one down second-hand, since it was only published once, in the late 60's. Tracked down a copy in good condition for about $40 and read it over the course of two days. It's a short thing, very entertaining. Easy reading. There was something moving about it, too. I didn't want it to end.
May 26, 2009
Reading this in English, actually, not French.
"Borrowed" from the Ripon College scene shop and smells very much like it.
"Borrowed" from the Ripon College scene shop and smells very much like it.
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April 28, 2019Interesting look at the pulp magazine industry, but the author's arrogance gets a little tiresome at times.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews