Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-20
SUBSCRIPTION BOOK TRADE.


LIne-Somc Interesting Facts.
ut is remarkable" said book publisher, a
day or two ago "how Chicago has developed
within Few years into the recognized cen
ter of the subscription book trade. A few
years ago it was a rarity TO find a subscrip-
tion book published west of the Hudson Now
Chicago leads the world. Why! Well one
reason is doubtless the geographical position,
a natural center for wide expanse of terri
tory Another is the elements of which the
western population is composed Western,
especially rural, people are not a book buying
class, yet they will buy when the books are
carried to them and showed upoi them, so to
speak. And that is just what the subscrip-
ton book publisher doesn
What class of books do you find sells
bestp
well, it has been the result Of our ex-
perience that the American people are at
heart religious. If they are not religious
they're religiously inclined And no book
we handle, be it our own publication or the
publcatlon of some one else which We sell on
commission, sells Ike the book that has a re-
lgious coloring This seems rather strange
when We hear so much about American
irreverence, but its fact Then. again, we're
patriotic people, and books about popular
military leaders or presidents or presidents
wives are acceptable and find ready sale"
Isn't there immense profit in subscription
booksF'
Not so much as You would imagine from
the price of the books Subscription books
are high priced, and many of them are not
so well gotten up as the books in the trade.
| But, you see, we send the books out over the
| highways and byways to the people. And
| the agents, whose work isn't the most envi-
able in the world, have to be paid enor-
| mously. As a matter OF fact the publisher
| of many a subscription book doesn't realize
as much per copy as do the publishers who
| simply put their goods on the trade. But
what we lose one way we make up another.
| For instance, our sales of a book are much
| greater than though we simply put it on the
| market and trusted to the merit OF the book
to sell it. Merit cuts little figure in a sub
scrption book; it's the push of agents. Be
| sides, the lapse of time makes little differ
| ence; the subscription book, as a rule. is
| rarely seen out Of a private house. is
| rarely discussed in newspapers and is
| just as good for selling ten years from the
| date of the first issue rs ut first. Be-
| sides it is possible to run very profitable
subscription book business on comparatively
small capital that is, when you have but one
or two books. In the trade it is different,
| There man wants quite large catalogue,
| and it all means money | don't think | am
far from the truth when | say that Harper
Brothers have 100000 or sl5.OOO. O0C
bound up in stereotype plates alone, to say
nothing about copyrights, royalties, dead
stock and the like
Your prices, I suppose, are purely arbi
trary matterf
Not so much with Us as with the pub
fishers for the trade At the book stores tbs
prices-Sl, SL25, $3.50, or S2-are almos
wholly conventional prices, irrespective o.
what the book actually cost to manufacture
We reckon four times the actual cost of tn,
book to be about the selling price Oul
prices, OF course, are more or less manipulat
ed by agents, Chicago News.