ABSTRACT
From 1940 to 1980, 19 Irish writers published 234 prose pieces in The New Yorker. At least nine of them had the prestigious “first-reading agreement.” This type of contract meant good payments and helped establish enduring relationships between the writers and their editors. It is widely assumed that The New Yorker paid its authors extremely well and that the “first-reading agreement” guaranteed easy publication. This chapter puts these assumptions to the test by investigating The New Yorker’s digital archive and the records housed in the New York Public Library. Sifting through financial documents and editorial letters, this chapter establishes contractual details by paying close attention to terms and conditions, as well as payment systems. It reveals the editorial relationships between the Irish writers and their New Yorker editors and the extent to which these transatlantic connections helped shape the contours of their careers.
