The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-12-13
OUR READING.
What Books Cost and Why They are
so Cheap.

The cheap paper covered books which are
so plentiful today are undoubtedly doing
much to educate the public What ordinary
reader, for instance, would buy Drummond's
Natural Law In the Spiritual World' if
he or she had to pay $1.5O for it? About one
in hundred And yet issued in cheap
form that book has had a large sale in this
country. The cheap book publishers, then,
are a national blessing. This they are not
disposed to deny, but while admitting it add
that will do very well to put on our tomb
stones, but fix it so that we can make more
money and we will do without the epitaph."
To most people the cheap book publisher is
looked upon as man rolling in wealth, and
to some this wealth seems Ill gotten, for they
say 'the man doesn't pay cent to the au-
thor. you know" Nor does he in the major
ity of cases, for most of the cheap literature
is composed of English reprints. Why, then,
doesn't every cheap book publisher roll in
wealth, as he is popularity supposed to? The
answer is the simple word competition.
There are four men In America who practi-
cally supply the country with cheap books.
They are Monroe, Lowell, Ogilyie and lvers.
These four gentlemen are Systematically
striving day by day to cut one another's
tbroats, in business way, of course. They
have so far succeeded that the profits of their
kind of business are reduced to a very small
percentage. That is what one Of them says,
at any rate, and who should know better?
Moreover, he gives the following interesting
facts to prove this assertion. "The public"
he says. rs the gamer from our business I'VE
get very little. The cheap book rage was
was started ten or twelve years back by the
publication of the Seaside Library" That
library had great popularity, and was fol-
lowed not long after by the Peoples Ii
brary." Most of these books are English
reprints. for it is impossible for us to pay for
the manuscripts of American authors and
make profit 1t is generally supposed that
the cheap book publishers are not in favor of
an lntercolonial copyright law, but this is
not so. We would much prefer to print Am
erican stories. Such law would not seri-
ously affect our business; it will simply
cent more for its books than it now does.
Now, in regard to our profits at present.
Take the cost OF a paper covered IL mo-, or
$50 page book. The first 1000 copies of such
a book costs the publisher from 1915 to $500.
One thousand copies is usually the original
quantity printed, and then If the book is a
success we print according to the demand.
he paper, printing and binding of each book
costs us seven cents, and on an edition Of
1000 we would make about $40. You see,
therefore, that in order to make profit equal
to the original outlay we must sell from 5000
to 1900 copies. A good profit to us on a
book is two and half cents copy, and If a
cheap publisher makes one cent a copy upon
ali DOOhS pLluLcu anu oOlu ny hill, SuCC6Sb-
full or unsuccessful, he is satisfied. TIE
Peoples Library lost its publisher $4,000 in
four years, but he got back his money on
copyrighted books composed in the main by
himself Some books have a phenomenal
sale. For instance, sold over 10000 copies
of Haggard's She, and have already dis
posed of 10000 copies of Robert Elsmere.'
When | have reached the 100000 point |
shall send Mrs. Ward check. There would
be good profit in my business if it wasn't
for the cutthroat competition between us
publishers, but, as tits, the public and the
booksellers are the gamers.
ITO illustrate what strange ideas people
have in regard to the sale of a book, let me
give you an an instance. Some time ago a
gentleman walked into my office with a big
roll of manuscript in his hand. There, he
said, laying it on my desk, lis a book / wish
to sell you.' How much do you want for it?'
l asked. Ten thousand dollars was his
reply. | told him how absurd it would be
for any such amount. Why he said, that
book will sell million copies Well, we
finally came to this agreement: l was to
publish his book, paying him nothing on the
first 5000 copies. After that he was to get a
royalty of ten per cent. on every one sold. /
have disposed of just 1000 copies and never
expect to reach the 5000 mark. That man
had his labor for nothing"