His First Story Earned Him $400
One particular job brought him to the world of stories. He found a job selling pencil sharpeners (of all things), and while he read pulp magazines, Burroughs realized something that gave him the push he needed. “Although I had never written a story, I knew absolutely that I could write stories just as entertaining.”
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His first story was “Under the Moons of Mars,” which was later renamed as “A Princess Of Mars.” The story was purchased by The All-Story magazine for a nice sum of $400. And while the magazine rejected Burroughs’ second story, it did end up publishing his third: “Tarzan of the Apes.” But, of course, he wasn’t going to have any pride in the matter.