The Washington times., 1907-05-19
Still Another Epoch.

And now we have reached another
epoch, II really an epoch II be-ths
epoch OF issuing magazines in sections.
A fiction magazine. as such, has little
standing IN the community or IN the
magazine world II is the magazine
with important articles-illustrated or
ADMINISTRATION current topics. or on
events IN the worlds history, which at
tracts recognition and stands for sOme-
thing more than mere entertainment.
And II 5 the illustrated magazine which
appeals most strongly 70 the advertiser,
who not only helps TO furnish sinews OF
war. but who presents, from month 10
month. facts which are most valuable.
and 1 5elieve most interesting, 70 the
reader.
Moreover. the constant demands for a
better, and better. and yet better mag
azine have carried the grade up 50
high and increased the cost so heavily.
I that most publishers have already raised
their price 70 fifteen cents number
/ finding il impossible 10 do business sue
| cessfully at the old figure OF ten cents a
copy
This change has been brought about
not only by great increase in the
merit Of publications themselves, but by
/ the tremendous increase in the cost OF
magazine-making and OF the general
( conduct OF business The price OF labor
/ has well-nigh doubled in a dozen years,
and in the business office. IN the edl-
| torial rooms. IN the art department. and
/ In fact, everywhere, prices have also
| about doubled AS a result, al advance
\ In selling prices has become necessity;
and il IS tRis necessity. coupled with my
wish TO combine the fiction magazine
and the Illustrated magazine, which
/ leads me 70 make this experiment OF
publishing a magazine in two sections.
4
! With our system OF money there is no
/ stopping-p place between ten cents and
/ fifteen cents, and fifteen cents IS akin 10
a way-station. Ten cents and twenty
Eve cents are express stations. Ny
| thought OF a higher price for my maya
, zine has. from the first, been accom-
panied with desire that the advances
| should be Of the smallest possible
amount that could be worked out sue
cessfully with our money system, and
with proper consideration Of the cost OF
4 doing business today
/ And so I have fixed upon what In
| fact amounts 10 an advance Of only two
| and a half cents copy, instead OF an
[ advance Of five cents a copy, which has
/ UEeu put IA LlLEE ~ mus N-AAC- ~
| fishers BY issuing Two magazines, as
: a unit, and selling the two az twenty
] five cents-WhiCh means twelve ana e
/ half cents cOpy-We are MAKING me
{ slightest possible increase. half that OF
publishers who have advanced 10 fifteen
! cents copy
! But this new creation does not rest,
/ merely on price It rests as well upon the
| desirability Of combining the strength.
and holding qualities Of the fiction maya
| zine with an aH-illustrated magazine
I magazine entirely free from fcton-a-
magazine wholly devoted 10 illustrated
matter.
| every new idea IS an experiment until
! II has been tried. And II is 10 try this
1 idea, and Try II right, that am nlaklnSS
] The Scrap Book the standard-Oearers
/ with which I shall combine three other
! magazines-WOman. and two magazines
on which the creative work has already
] been done. but which have not yet TAKEN
/ concrete shape The experiment VIII cost
perhaps half a million dollars II II
proves as successful as I think il should,
il may well be worth TO me many tunes
five hundred thousand dOllars-perhapS
i've or ten millions Of dollars.
This statement will make 1t pretty
u clear TO you that 1 thoroughly believe IN
the idea There is only one weak spot
in it. and that is the price-the psyche
logical effect on the buyer OF twenty-five
cents at a throw. Il may well be that
two magazines, with independent names.
costing fifteen cents each-a total or
thirty cents-woCld seem TO certain puy-
/ ers 10 cost less than two magazines
under one name at twenty-five cents
Z he mind sometimes gets mixed up WITH
an erroneous impression from which IL
is difficult to disentangle It
It Is Just this psychological eIect on
the mind that may wreck the idea, but
! don't believe II viii. 1 am satisued
that with popui5al10on OF nSsA1sy go
out of which there are 100000 regular
magazine buyers. most Of whom buy
| anywhere from two 20 dozen maya
! zines-I am satisfied, say, that there
! are among US mathematicians enough,
wise heads enough, to realize that buy
ing two magazines as unit for .
! cents means buying them at l21z cents
/ each. instead Of buying them at 80 cents
p / when issued under different names.
/ These two magazines, under the title
OF The Scrap Book. Will be. in charac-
ter and contents, as wide apart as any
Z two magazines trf the world. Except in
name, and except that they sell as a
unit they viii be two distinct indie
| | pendent magazines, each with its own
table OF contents and its own cover.
Moreover, they Will be very big maya
[ zines. The illustrated section viii start
of with nearly three times the GUAM
! tity of purely illustrated articles that
can be found in any other magazine
! anywhere And the fiction section will
consist Of at least $50 pages Of fiction,
all fiction, not an Illustration in il not
an article in il, nothing but stories-a
! complete novel, four or five or half a
? dozen serial stories, and a dozen or
, SO short stories.
The foregoing is a suggestion OF what
The Scrap Book win be beginning with
: the next issue, the July number. II
l will be a very wonderful magazine. 50
: wonderful magazine. and so interest
ing magazine, that I am convinced
you will like it tremendously. At all
events. / am going to ask YOU to do me
E the favor TO buy the July number and
, see for yourself what il is like I be-
T. lieve that once in your home, IL viii be
a constant monthly visitor there
Logically, the idea is positively
sound. and I am going 10 venture Ia
, hope that you will help me TO make II
- great big success I ask You not
I only 10 help me Individually. but 10
help me By telling your friends abOut
Inc scrap Book-this new creation 10
z magazine making.