The bee., 1883-07-14
Successful Book Agents


Il have BEEN told that there :,
book Canvasser who has earned S35 600
a year. Is that SOP a SIM rerrr.gl' ,yoo
said to Mr.. George Washington b,r;.
who is in charge of the clnvassing a.
partment of ID. Appleton & Co. -"
You may Judge for yourself" said
Mr.. Davis, pulling cut a memorandnn,
book. "This firm has paid S2D0lOtoUr
Samuel Collins since September bst
for his personal services in canvassino,
for one book, Artistic Houses,
els not that an excepfion,,
amount ?"
"That Is a large sum. but Mr.. Co,
lins has been u book canvasser for 6f-
teen years, and has made a bandsomo
income. He began at $40 a woat
The book sells for $500 the set Nna nm
of our agents made $1,000 in ono
month selling AppletOn's Cycloppdi,
Such men think it a poor waoE
when they do not earn 800. One ~
our eanvassers, named Rust. earnaj
1928 in ten weeks selling the 4rt
Journal Another earned $50 in .
month selling The Gallery of British
Art 1 could give YOU the name If .
woman who has earned S357 in ono
week selling our books. There is Mr.
FOwke, whe has been FORTY wears &,
book Canvasser I should sIy he aver,
ages $4,000 a year by his por,onal
sales. He has sold many sets Of tba
Cyelopedia. There is a lady who has
just come in who earns s.. 500 a vnar
l suppose there are fifty men in the
country who are earning 800 weok
as book agents.
"Of course these are not the sort of
men that funny Paragraphs are writ.
ten about. They are gentlemen who
are good cJnveTsationalists. Peopla
like to hear them talk, and they know
how to talk to the right people. Thew
ride in carriages, dress well. and lose
no time. They know thoroughly what
they have to sell and how to sell il
We can depend up, n them to sell a
given quantity"
Gould 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 dire tion now.
This firm put S500,000 into the Cyc!o-
pedia before they got a cent back.
They put 100000 into Picturesque
Ameri a. before they began to get
their money back. That sells for S24
a copy. If we depended on the trade
to sell it, we should have to get SjO0a
copy to make it pay. Agents sell
books that could not lie Sold in any
other way. People will not 60 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 published by subscrip-
ton"
do you find women or men the
best agents?"
"Men. There have been some sue
cessful women agents, but they do not
show the same perseverance as men,"
"Do men often fail at it?
"Oh, yes. l try 5000 people a year
who think they can be good canvass
ers, and 1 think L am lucky Ii I get
ten good canvassers out of the 5000.
1t is like any other business. and re-
quires brains, aptitude and persevpr-
ance. Mere brass and assurance will
not do. A good book agent must be
On YoIoocaDt DprcnD -
"How do you find thpm?'
"They come to us. The most pro-
life season for good canya sar5 is i'm
mediately after a business panic. Men
who get out of business, and have no
capital but brains, often begin as book
agents. and get fresh start in life.
Sometimes they keep at the canyassing
only until they get capital to begin
business again. Sometimes they keep
on for life. The demand for good
book agents is brisk, and likely to in
crease. ."-Nel0 York Sun.