The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-09-22
Extract.

One branch of the publishing business re-
mains to be mentioned before closing these
remarks-Advertising. entirely disapprove
of the practice, altogether too common, of
taking column or half-column of advertise
ments on contracts for year at time, at
greatly reduced rates. These advertisements
are mostly quack medicines, lottery swindles
or humbug patent-rights Such advertise
mentS are an abomination in the sight of
readers, particularly the detestable cuts
which accompany them. To thrust this lying,
swindling trash by the column full, cuts aud
all, into the face of decent and respectable
people, for year at stretch, is enough to
cause them to discontinue their paper until
the nuisance is abated. For all such adver
tisements you should charge single rates,
without discount, and demand advance pay
ment. In addition to publishing this trash
at shamefully low prices, printers are general
ly, or frequently, swindled out of the pay
promised, and confess to certain degree
of satisfaction that they are cheated, for it
is deserved punishment for inserting the
stuff at such prices, on generous confidence,
instead of cash down. The true way is to
make no contracts at less than monthly rates,
and if any one insists on keeping an adver:
tisement standing for six or twelve months,
charge him monthly rates, and collect every
month.
Open wants department. in your pa
per; put the price not to exceed ten cents a
line per insertion; encourage the people to
make known their wants and transact their
business through the columns of your paper !;
classify these advertisements under their
proper heads, and insert them in a conspicu-
Gus part of your sheet. By little tact,
and considerable perseverance, you can estab
lisa this line of advertising, and, once estab-
lished, it will prove not only profitable to
the paper, but very useful to it's patrons.
When advertising is dull, fill up with read
ing matter and dispositions on all kinds of
local topics; and be not tempted to save
composition by taking in quarter price quack
medicines. The additional reading matter
will, in the long run, help your paper more
than enough to make good the cost of the
extra type setting and loss of the humbug
advertisements.
Establish living scale for advertising,
and adhere tenaciously to it. If your neigh
bour is so foolish as to cut under you and
refuses to listen to reason, do not follow his
weak example, for he will hurt his own bust
ness far more than he can yours. When a
publisher puts down his subscription rates.
people begin to suspect he is "hard up,
and they decline to pay in advance, lest he
may fail and if he reduces his advertising
rates below customary prices, it will be taken
as confession that his circulation is diminu-
tive and declining Such are always the
effects of the cut-under game of the player /;
for if you set low value on your services
or paper, the public is sure to place lower.
How, then, are you profted by insane efforts
to cripple or kill your neighbours paper?
Rather "ive and let live" be the sentiment
that governs your action. Stand by your
rates, and do as nearly cash business as it
is possible. Long credit is the bane that
destroys so many country papers. 1t is this
slow poison that kills them, or causes them
to drag out a miserable, sickly and unremu-
nerative existence. All the expenses attend ,
ing the publishing business are cash, and
unless you receive cash for your labours, how
can you expect to succeed or prosper?