The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-22
SHARP COMPETITION.
Result Of the Low Price Illustrated Mag
azine Experiment..
[specisl Correspondence. ]

azine Experiment.
tSpeciSl COrrespOndence.l
NEW YORK, =. "A very interest
ing discussion, and one which involves
also business competition, is now being
carried on in literary and publishing cir
cleS. The question is whether the cheap
magazines, as they are called, are going to
DO able 70 maintain themselves, and, il
they do, whether it Will be at the expense
of the older and more costly ones. lt is
claimed that it is impossible 10 produce a
magazine with fair business profit, con-
tanning Illustrations of high class and lit
erary material of the best kind, for less
than % cents copy, and il is also asserted
that even the higher rates that are charged
for two of the illustrated magazines are
entirely justified because OF the expense
entailcd in producing them.
On the other hand, it is said that il il
possible TO issue magazines with excellent
work of art and good literary matter AZ 10
cents or oven 10 cents a copy, and those
who take this ground are already pointing
in proof Of the truth of their assertion TO
the fact that three low priced magazines
have now been maintained for consider
ably more than a year and show no signs
of failure.
The first movement for low priced
magazine was made by the publisher of
McClure's, although at about the same
time the publisher of The Cosmopolitan
decided to cut tho price of his magazine
in two. McClure's was started in June Of
1893 as a 10 cent magazine, purposing TO
publish not only the best literary work
that could be obtained, but also a very
high grade of illustrations. The expert
ment was looked upon by many publishers
as one doomed 10 failure. They said that
If McClure's Magazine kept its promises,
did print first class pictures and furnish
literature written by the ablest pens, IL
would be impossible TO maintain IL at
the price proposed. IL was right in the
midst of the financial panic that this mag
azine was started, and for the first two or
three months IL made but little Roadway.
a year and half later this magazine
was compelled 20 print an extra edition Of
10, 600 copies, making n total edition for
the month of November, 1891, Of so, OOO
copies OF the December number ~, coo
copies more than that were printed, and
it is some indication of the fierceDess of
the competition between the high priced
and low priced magazines that McClure's
and The Century are both running as
their special features an illustrated life of
Napoleon, to procure which cost large |
expenditure of money and much time.
The Cosmopolitan felt the popular i'm |
pulse Immediately after il cut its price in |
two. 1t reached during the summer and |
fall OF 1898 a sale believed 20 be consider |
ably larger than that Of any Of the high |
priced magazines, and the quality of its /
illustrations were such as TO commend /
high words OF praise, even from artistic
critics. For instance, its illustrations OF {
the World 8 fair were really extraordinary i
works Of art, and nothing that appeared 4
in any illustrated magazine was better or 4
more expensive. Instead Of finding its /
career imperiled 10y the reduction 10 price, /
The Cosmopolitan has just erected what 4
is probably the finest magazine publishing 4
house in the world. IL Is built at Irving
ton, not far from the old home OF Wash
in9ton Irving The building itself Is a
beautiful one INTELLECTUALLY and is com
plete IN ali is appointments
Another remarkable experiment with
cheap magazines was made by the publish
e. OF Munsey's. This magazine had been
for two or three years sold for % cents, /
and IL had no considerable sale nor any in
1ueuce in the world Ct magazine publish
ing Mr.. Munsey, giving much thought
to the matter, decided that there was 10
reason why magazine might not DO pub
lished which would command admiration
and yet sell for 10 cents. sold az 10 cents
over the news counter meant wbclessling
g. 10 the newsdealers for not much over
cents, leaving the barest chance for 4
shade OF profit upon the sale 70 the pub
Usher. But Mr. Munsey reasoned that II
be could secure sale Of several hundred
thousand copies then the profit upon
single one even although IL was ss small
a. one or two mills. would "a the sszre-
gate be considerable. Moreover, a very
large sale would command advertising pat
ronags.
Munsey's experiment has been con
tinued little over year, and the sales o,
his mavszina have been enormous being
eIceeied ~ orly one or two ether period
icals Of the county His literary features
are not - conspicuous as are those 70 b
found 10 some q the other m agszines. nor I
src h!s illustrations 50 expensive, bat they
seem 70 satisfy tie populsr taste, and thsy !
cot great deal q Money.
The competition - - bet that few
days ago the publisher %; one q the>.
sailed for EUroDe IN search q
new attractions. ard the engagements CO
tie ether editors and publishers reprsscnt |
many thousand dollars IN new contrasts
Mean = hlle .be pubIic j. getting tAe s9- ,
vantage q Ills oCI1 PETITION, and theze ara
many publishers who ~ ..ss thst Il tbe-s
Dew ventures sre s1ocessfgi the p-loss II
tie elder magazines ~lll D. reduced
T. = EDwAEl9
TIE 6ir-eater q P4faE0nla ksset IL
Tife foodlv. AID wEaf D. cA@eT13T Z
! .rr3. .-hEz nv Htzfle girl for sEprer 90
,9g4ts-- i fteazft 4 4 s,zrprise T1l-" siis
srrszzlaesi. 80 I bo9Est nscc carrer -,