The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-16

come back The newspapers began to talk
about the book in their news columns.
People bought it and talked OF II 10 their
friends and as the story really had merit
In il, its sale reached figure then thought
remarkable even for q book Of stronger
oaliber. Author and publisher piofitcd
correspondingy and that publishing house
was set more firmly on its legs.
Two Their Boston firms, seeing these re-
suits. followed suit by initiating these
methods They even went the woman
| originator one better.
An enterprising firm In the West. which
sent forth novels of a semi-sensat ional
character, went further yet. With every
book which had merit TO back It the result
WAS the same-such an increase in sales
as the publishing trade had never seen
before.
1t was a game not without danger to the
publisher The initial outlay was enor-
nous, even though with a work which
really appealed to the public fancy the
| result was sure.
There Is a story we'll authenticated in
the publishing trade that, after heavily
advertising a novel which eventually sold
nearly half million copies. one Of the
| Boston firms which started the movement
called the author into consultation when
his book had reached a sale Of 200 600 copies.
In spite of that then enormous sale. the firm
was heavily loser, SO freely had it spent
| its money in advertising the book.
| So this proposition was laid before the
thor: If he wished, the firm would quit
| advertising his book and stand the loss on
| the sales already made; but II he was in
/ clined to get more, he was invited to return
| so per cent. of the royalties he had received,
| tho firm was TO put the money into further
| advertising and he could take his profit
out of the largely-increased sales which
were confidently expected to result, the
! loan being repaid at the same time.
| II was pure speculation, nevertheless the
| author chose to take the risk for the
| chance of an increased sale. With the
money he thus advanced the advertising
was continued, and within three months
| another 100, 900 copies had been sold. lie
and his publishers both quit heavy gamers
OF course, these highly speculative meth
DDS are not general in the publishing trade,
any more than ara the highly sensat ional
methods of advertising adopted by some
OF the publishing houses common to the old
established houses. There are publishers
In the Fifth avenue book district who would
no more think of setting aside the traditions
of their establishments by adopting the
prize puzzle, patent medicine style Of adj
vertising than they would think Of per-
sonally doing a skippingrope act in a
Broadway store window TO attract rur-
chasers 10 their books
There are such publishers whose names
are as familiar to any one knowing about
books as ara the names Of the city's principal
| streets 70 New Yorker. They publish
every year books from which there is a
certainty Of no profit. simply because il is
In accordance with the traditions Of their
houses TO publish such books and a cert ain
class Of their clients look for them.
But for all that, the methods of every
house in the publishing trade have been
| affected more or less by the new order {
| things initiated in Boston. Whereas. only
few years ago it was the custom Of tie
publisher TO confine his advertising To a list
of his new books, with perhaps a comment
| or two from well-known reviewers upon
| them, there is now in almost every pub
fishing house a special department ofpuh-
licity, which has the duty Of setting forth
| attractively the merits of the firm literary
| wares and seeing them advertised where
| the announcements will do the most good.
Every firm may not find the bill GARD
and street car poster a palatable method q
! announcing its wares, but there are other
| means One method is to supply to tie
| newspa pers current book news with view,
of course, To setting forth prominently tho
| news affecting the books Issued by u 1t
part ocular firm. To the smaller news
papers, unable to afford a special literary
| l.n and m .,.f
sldered by no means small, this innovation
] is dis tinctly welcome.
The same department will supply ready.
made reviews OF Its firms books. not full.
some in their praise either, but descriptive
and turned out by a practised hand SO wei
that TO any but an experienced eye they
would pass for the genuine product of the
literary editor of the paper printing them
The publicity department will also suppl,
elec,rotype pictures of no small merit. i
was estimated by an art editor who looked
over a set of these offered recently that
they must cost the publisher not Yer!
much under 81 apiece-all free on demanC
and their insertion asked as favor, fio
quently accompanied by paid advertise
| ment.
The literary supplement to many new
| DHpelS mas Dttu OIie OutkToNtu Oh tiil~ ~
departure. II pays many newspapor
which had not previously cared TO pose u
literary to try TO attract the profitable a,i
vertising now freely given out by 'he put
fishing trade by seeming to be so, and &,
cultivate among their readers a taste fo
books.
And II all has resulted in Increasing largc
the number of book readers and book lover
and to that extent helping along the cau~
!, | of education. Where one book was sol,
under the old conditions Ave books are sen
: out now.
The times have been favorable Peopl
have more money to spend on luxuric
: and they don't all buy automobiles. tn
! book trade has been the first to feel tn
l effects Of prosperity and has been ais
the most generous in reciprocating it b
I paying out more money to push its bushes
= and hiring more people to do its work
D II may he asked. What has been the effoc
of the new methods on the quality of tn
q books published? In that increase of 2 90
o works sent out last year we're there not
- great many that the public would hay
@ been better without
Will not the effect Of the work Of the pic
?, lures and the advertising and the sinar
5 press agents he TO stimulate a big artificif