The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-08-18
A second Literary Reynlution.

A second Literary Reynlution.
The first literary revolution consisted in
the publication Of standard books in every |
department of literature at from one third |
to one-tenth of their former cost.
The second literary revolution consists
ip q still further very great reduction: con-
ditionaD even from the revolution prices.
while, at the came time, the average quali-
tally improved.
HOW CAN THESE THINGS BE?
To attempt an impossibilisy could of
course result only in failure, and it would
of the many thousand customers who have
shown US such essnest favor, and have Civ
en- us such great patronage, to announce
or promise what could not be performed
We have dealt frankly with our customers
in giving facts concering costs iand profits
in the past, and wa do it now, by giving
facts and figures illustrating how we can
afford to atill futher reduce prices.
FACTS AND FIGURES.
Please note. At the start, our apology for
not having done heretofore what we now
propose to do, and consider
1st-We published our first book only
GO long ago as January. 1879 Previous
te that time..we were entirely without ex-
perience in book publishing. What
knowledge we had of the businass was
gained in newspaper publishing, and in
hookselling.
2d-We we're also at that time almos
entirely without capital, and until 30 .late
a. February, 1881. we labored under the
difficulty of being without capital even ap-
proximately adequate for the enterpris- we
were undertaking.
3d-Onr entire scheme was in opposi-
,ion to all previous methods of publishing
and book-selling. And from the begin
ming to the present, we have had the com.
bined bitter oppoaision of almost the entire
book publishing and book-selline classes
of the United States.
4th-Stariing thus, with q minimum Of
knowledge. and less capital. and with such
immense opposition, We thought il hest. in
the interest of both the reading public and
ourselves, that We undertake too little
rsther than too much; partial success wolud
be better than total failure.
5th-In spite of sour want Of resources
and of experiences, and in spite of resources
and of experience, and in spite of :opposi
tion. and with the necessarily trying man,
experiments. all of which no one could ex
pect would be uniformly euceessful, vi
have from January /. 1880, to June 30
1881, manufactured and sold near 1000,
600 volumes Of standard books, for whicl
We have received the considerable surn o
$709, ,52l, 80.
6th-In a circular issued in January o
the present year 1--WE made the following
statement: "The public have 40 long beel
taught to believe books 70 be expensiv
luxnries and low prices impossible. tha
incrednlity has from the Literary Reve
luton. It was rasier to make eooc book
cheap than it was to make people believ
il could be doue. We would readily hav
made prices even lower than they hav
been, but for the terrible tax we have bee
compelled TO pay to this Incredibly"
We have during this period, from Jan
uary 1. 1880 to June 30, 1881. paid 70
advertising, the sum Of $140,87S, go. Thi
} immense item necessarily ..has to come ou
of the profts we make on the books aole
7th-Althoueh our scheme originall
embodied the principls of selling directl
, to the consumer. and doing away with III
exorbitant cost of middiemen, We have nj
undertaken to put aside the book-sellt
, and the book agent altogether, because
, large portion of the book ok-buyers of Ii
coudtry have got into the habit Of lookin
to them for their supplies. and if we vel
, to supply the wants of such customers
all, we were compelled to do it throue
} there ordinary channels. But We ha,
! endeavored to induce or compel these mit
!. dlemen TO work. a. We have been doin
: on more reasonably small percentage
3 profit (the immensely increasely increase
/. sales at the reduced prices, even with Il
: smaller commissions. really give the booI
I seller larger net profit than he former
: had). Accordingly, we have during tn
n period, from January l, 1880. 10 June 8
E 1881. allowed to the book sellers and box
agents commissions averaging about Esp
; cent OF our total receipts. In other wor
+ in addition to the SOS, ,52132 We have ;
:. ceived from the ublic for our books, q
n public has alsopaid to the middlemen q
/ large sum of SIT, 1898 simply for han
= ling these books. making the total cost
the books 60 the consumer $3.50. .9O1 65.;
8th-From these statements you c'
readily ace that If
b From the total amount
It which the public has
g paid for our books. 1886, ,90l.
e We deduct the amount
|s we have paid for ad-
} vertising these boohs.sl4O.s 1888
a And the amount paid
e to middlemen for
il handling the books. III, ,3s0.33
y We have total decuction of318, ,259.
\. And remainder S568, ,642.
% This it is evident that II the public b
le bought these books directly from as. I
- Unnecessary expenses of advertising, a
% Of paying middlemen for handling the
(, being avoided. the books would have c,
ID them only $56S.652.39, being almost
X ,... a.. ~. eees on, es ,vh;