Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-06-16
cosr oF MAGAZINES.
The Reduction In Prico Being Watched
with Interest.
ISnecial Correspondence.1

| about by certain energetic and enterpris'
| ing young publishers Of some or the now
magazines. 1t has been SO long regarded
| as a conventional prico for a magazine
| that 1t should be either e5 cents or 80 cents
a copy that the public has supposed that
1t would be impossible to put these pub
| locations upon the market at reasonable
profit for less price than that. Twenty
| five cents was the common price until she
high cost Of paper during war times AND
the very greatly Increased expense entailed
by the Illustrations made It necessary &c
increase the price Of tho larger magazines
| to 35 cents Tho reviews cost even more,
the fixed price OF these publications of
| heavier articles having been for many
| years so cents q copy.
| There were, 1t is true, . number OF mag
| axines published at smaller cost which
attained n largo circulation, some OF them
for so small price as dollar year, but
they did not attain high rank, nor We're
they of any influence in the development
or exhibition of American literature
When Roswell Smith and his associates
bought the old Scribner's Magazine, which
had been very successful under the late
DR. Hollands management they agreed to
carry the name for u certain fixed time,
while, on tho other hand, the Messrs.
Scribncr bound themselves not to publish
another Scribncr's Magazine until at least
five years had passed. AS soon as it was
possible to do so Mr.. Smith changed the
name of Scribner's to The Century, and
after five years had elapsed the Soribners
put forth another magazine with their
own name and entered into sharp COM
petition, at first mainly through rcduc-
ton of price, tho new Scribner's being but
IS cents II copy.
madc manifest, because Scribner's secured
after very little while circulation Of
100, 900 copies. For some years no other
attempt was Inado TO reduce the price OF
the magazine, but in tho spring OF 1893
McClure's Magazine was put upon the
market at Il retail price of 10 cents q copy.
Publishers were inclined to think that tho
experiment would prove to DO failure.
Tho margin Of proGs was very small. Tho
wholesale price OF the magazine was about
10 cents q copy, and it was thought that
by tho closest figures is could hardly be
published for that figure. Yot the maya
zinc has been running q year and very
much loss money sunk in It than the pub
fishers were prepared TO sink.
Almost immediately upon the announce
ment OF the issue Of MSClure's Magazine
at is cents u copy came an astonishing
and daring move by Mr.. Walker, the own
or OF The Cosmopolitan Magazine. That
periodical had been built up on the rather
unstable foundation of n magazine first
published in Rochester and then moved to
New York, in which considerable money
had been sunk. Mr. Walker himself saw
nearly $3.50, 900 used up in the effort to es-
tabliSh his magazine before it turned the
corner 1t had been 20 cent magazine,
and he announced II reduction of so per
cent in the price.
Tho only chance Of profitable publica-
ton ut such small cost was in the utmost
economy and tho securing OF SO large o cir
culation that u sufficient number Of high
priced advertisements could DO obtained 10
furnish u reasonable rssurn upon Che In
VeStmenG Tho large circulation was ob-
tanned, moro than 900, 0oe copies being
sent out, and thon O very important prob
lem was presented, an almost paradox
ical ono That circulation Waa large
enough to justify stiff prices for advertise
mentS and the hope of obtaining great
many OF them, and n larger circulation
would simply tond TO decrease the profits,
since tho cost OF paper steadily increases
with the growth OF circulation. Some Of
the publishers who have boon watching
this new development with the keonSSt in
tCrest arc inclined to the opinion that Mr.,
Walker will not attempt to push The circu-
lation Of his magazine much higher, for II
he can maintain n circulation Of 900, 600
copies he probably will be able to secure
advertising cliCntaCc sufficient to pay him
handsomely, even though the magazine Is
published at II loss so far as the printing
and editorial departments are concerned.
There came u third experiment which
has been watched with perhaps even great
or interest. Mr. Frank y. Munscy had
ell ..Nf
tain Juvenile periodicals. one OF which
was very profitable. Having . greater am
bition, Mr.. Munsey issued some years ago
a monthly magazine and entered into ceR-
petition with the older periodicals Of that
kind. 1t seemed 10 be losing battle for
him. AZ all events, his magazine was not
we'll known until In September of last
year he announced that he eheuld put a
magazine rpon the market with illustrn-
tions fully equal to those Of the older mag
azincS and should charge only 10 cents
copy for it,
He met with serious obstacle at the
very start The news company which Is
tho great delivercr OF periodicals through
out the United States declined to handle
the magazine on the terms offered by Mr..
Munsey. That would have frightened
most publishers, but Mr.. Nuneey deter
mined to deliver the magazine himself di
rect to newsdcalcrs or tn purchaSerR thus
saving the news company's commission.
His experiments was attended with great
success 80 far as circulation is concerned,
the magazine jumping TO sale Of 900. 600
copies u month
Mr. Frank II. Scott, president Of Tho
Century company, very naturally doubts
the success Of the now experiments OF max
ing n first class magazine at q lower price
Ha Snid flx-. L. ataka kNa HAA
that tho cost Of the best magazines has
been leSsencd Of late Cheap publications
those in which the principal expense Is
for paper and printing-can be made, for
these two items of cost were never so low
Us now. But the cost uf everything else
connected with the production Of a maya
zine has steadily increased The prices
paid authors and artists arc moro than
double what they wcrc 90 years ago Ev
cry number of The Century Magazine costs
moro than $40. 900 for contributions and
picturos before il goes to press, and II we
add to this tho salaries Of editors and man
ayers, the ront and expense Of mainte-
nance of n great establishment, you VIII
SEQ that only immense editions con make ID
possible to supply the present magasine-
containing, as IL does, as much matter and
being ~ we'll printed as the average 81 or IS
book-for 3S cents. know there has been
of late n movement toward cheap maya
zines. These ar0 possible, they may be
desirable, but thoy will not be the sama
You cannot get s6 cents worth for 12N
ccnts nor tho value of IS cents for q quar-
ter. In the long run n 10 can't magazine
will be but Is cent magazine--no mora.
no less On the present hasis of cost The
Century and Hsrper's would nos DO self
sustaining ~ these rates"
E. J. EDWARDS.