A Study in Scarlet

Struggling in his medical career and seeking financial stability, Doyle penned "A Study in Scarlet," the inaugural Sherlock Holmes story. After facing multiple rejections, it finally found a home in Beeton's Christmas Annual of 1887. Doyle received a mere twenty-five pounds for the story's rights, never earning additional royalties, highlighting the precarious nature of literary contracts that could have significantly altered his financial future.