Daily Republican., 1883-07-11
SUCCESSFUL BOOK AGENTS.
Men Who Make $4,000 and More
Year by Means Of Their Pleas.
ing Address.

|
New York Sun.
81 have been told that there is
hook canvasser who has earned So, ,ON
year. Is that so?" Sun reporte
said to Mr. Geo. Washington Davis
who is in charge of the canvassing de
partment of D. Appleton &Co.
:" You may judge for yourself" saio
Mr.. Davis, pulling out a memorandum
book. "This Arm has paid go, 600 tt
Mr.. Samuel Collins since Septembe,
last for his personal services for can.
vassing for one book, Artistic
| Houses.
" Is not that an exceptional amount"''
That is large sum, but Mr.. Col
Inns has been book canvasser for fifteen
years, and lie made handsome income.
He be gan at $40 week. The book sells
at $500 a set. One Of our agents made
g., 900 in one month selling Appleton
CyclopIdia. Snch men think it a poor
week wheL they do not earn 500. One
OF our canvassers, named Bust, earned
81 ,2iS in ten weeks selling the Art
journal Another earned $50 in a
month selling " The gallery Of British
Art" | could give you the name Of a
woman who has earned si57 in one
week selling our books. There is Mr..
Fowke, who has been forty years a book
canvasser.
i" should say he averages $1,000 a
year by his personal sales. He has
sold many sets Of the Cyclopndia.
There is lady who has Just come in
who earns $4,000 a year | suppose
there are fifty men in this country
who are earning 500 a week as book
agents.
"Df course, these are not the sort OF
men that funny paragraphs are written
about. They are gentlemen who are
good con versationalists. People like to
hear them talk and they know how to
talk to the right people. They ride in
carriages, dress well and lose no lime.
They know thoroughly what they have
to sell and how to sell it. We can
depend upon them to sell given
Quantity.
"Could they take any kind of books
and earn such wages %
Probably not. The most money is
made in selling expensive books. Pub
fishing runs in that direction now.
This firm put $500,OO0 into the Cyclic
pTdia before they got cent back.
They put 500, 900 into Picturesque
America before they began to get their
money back. That sells for $24 copy.
If we depended on the trade to sell il
we should have to get $500 copy to
make it pay. Agents sell books that
could not be sold in any other way.
People will not go to stores to look for
books, but when they see really good
books offered in the right way they
will buy. The best books are now pub
ished by subscription.
"Do you find women or men the best
agents? ?"
"Men. There have been some sue.
tessful women agents, but they do not
show the same perseverance as men. .
I" Do men often fail at it 90
con, yes. try 5000 people yeal
who think they can he good canvassers
and l think I am lucky if ! get te,
good canvassers out Of the 5000. 1t il
like any other business, and requires
brains, aptitude and perseverance. Mere
b ass and assurance will not do. A
good book agent must be a pleasant
person.
"How do you find them"
They come to us. The most prolific
season for good canvassers is immedi
ately after a business panic. Men who
get out of business and have no capital
but brains, often begin as book agents
and get a fresh start in lite. Some
times they keep at the canvassing only
until they get capital to begin business
again Sometimes they keep on fol
life. The dem and for good book agents
is brisk and likely to increase.