The sun., 1908-06-14
THE AMATEUR BOOK AGENT
HE'S A GNLLEGE MAN ON VACA.
TEON AND rs HARMLESS.
There 10 an Army OF Him Every Summer
How He 10 Caught and Coachcd-One
Mans Experience Led Him to Quit
Fair Returns for THOSE VINO Perseyere.


Fair Returns for Those VINO Pcrseyere.
Every one knows the book agent, that
pestiferous person who injects himself into
your life at inopportune momehts-vhica
are all moments as far IA he Is concerned
and hangs on until In desperation you order
that book which he tells you that you can't
afford not to have.
The type OF book agent you have met is
the professional, the man who makes
business Of II and hopes for advancement
in his line of work just as you do in yours.
No doubt he il pest, but he has to be ono
In order to succeed.
There Is another type OF book agent
which will soon be let loose in great numbers
upon the country. This Is the amateur,
who tries selling books in his college vaca-
ton for lack OF better work.
There are many publishing houses which
depend almost entirely upon the college
man on vacation to sell their wares. They
have representatives In the colleges who
begin a campaign about midwinter to en-
roll recruits for the summer work. These
agents picture the opportunities for gain
In glowing manner and induce many man
who has no stomach for the~work to enlist
filing an odd job at a summer resort.
The list OF agents in any one college
having been completed, contracts are signed.
There contracts are formidable looking
documents and impress the student unduly
with sense Of responsibility.
Near the end Of the college year along
comes some one from the main Office Of the
publishing company. Frequently he is
member Of the firm. His object is tc coach
these recruits in their duties, to show them
how to sell books to persons who don't
want them. For a week or so before his
arrival the recruit has had prospectus
Of the book to be sold and printed talk
which he is to learn verbatim.
Now it is usually the case that the book
to be sold doesn't appeal at all to the man
who is to sell 1t. II it were only something
worth while, he says to himself. he would
like to go about the country sincerely prais-
He doesn't realize that II the book were
something worth while there would be no
need ofan agent to sell IL.
Thus the first duty of the coach is TO
impress the student with the worth OF the
article he is to peddle. The coach goes az
conversation that he is part Of scheme
to fool the public. He labors long and
earnestly with the recruit. When he has
inculcated what he thinks is the proper
spirit he says to the novice:
Now you sell me that book.
The youngster begins haltingly to speak
the little piece he has learned by rote He
doesn't get far.
"Talk as il you meant it, the coach
interrupts Get conviction in>yo,r voice
and manner. Buck the line hard
And 80 the novice begins again. and re-
peats, until he acquire glibness and some
show of interest in the work. 1t is no easy
job unless you were born to be book
agent and nothing else.
The coaching part over the young man
gets his territory. or course he kicks He
looks 1t up on the map and finds 1t contains
few villages which he never heard Of
before.
Impossible to sell books, especially this
book, there, he argues But the coach tells
him a peaceful part of the country such as
that Is just the place.
A young man who tried book agenting
in the vacation after his freshman year
got that sort Of territory and the book he
had to sell was that time honored institu-
1t was ohock full of information which he
had supposed everybody knew, or If not
wouldn't care to know. The book even
showed how to write love letters.
This amateur book agent began with none
of the bluster Of the professional. He
His first try was in small town not many
miles from New York. .-.l .... ...,
The first person to whom he spoke his
little piece was q lovable old lady who
radiated gentility. He, felt sorry for her,
entire broadside oi words, Told her how
useful she would find book on department,
as II she needed it; told her all about how
she could learn 10 write the proper sort Of
letters; went bravely through the whole
sorry affair.
He showed her the various bindings and
ventured boldly that she would want the
best. When he finished, with pencil poised
expectantly,. she said mildly
But my dear young young man. ] have no use
Lord knows, I don't, said the amateur,
all his courage gone, and he fed.
II was some hours before he dared tackle
another victim. To his own surprise he
succeeded in making a sale, To this day
never seen book agent before and gave an
order as sort OF reward for the young
mans glibness.
1t was surprising how many persons fell
for that condemnation of unnecessary
from boarding school was in such hurry
for a copy that she paid the expenses OF
ordering II by telegraph.
The amateur soon learned one thing.
that his employere counted on his being
Coho6O iiuh WoThiuB lOT euuCduOn as
bound TO arouse a certain amount Of benevo-
lent interest. This CALLED him. Occasion
ally he met courtesy and was elated, but
moro often he was treated discourteously
and was in the dumps. On the whole It was
unpleasant work.
One evening he was in village post office
mailing his daily report. thad been good
day for orders and he was somewhat elated.
Up steps brawny chap Of the town bully
type, who began forthwith:
Are you the young feller who sold my
wife some fool book today"
The young man inquired the name. Yes,
he had taken Mrs. IS order.
Well you just take it of again or III
smash you. What yer mean bullying
women into spending good money for
trash? just cross her name off,"
The name was eliminated. The day was
spoiled.
This amateur tried the business two
weeks. Profit $50. It didn't seem worth
while. especially as he was not working his
way through college. but was out for ex-
perienoe and for pin money, So one day,
In a at Of encouragement, he quit and
spent the rest OF the summer wondering il
they could put him in jail for breaking his
Most men stick to the work all summer
with fair returns They have more grit or
necessity pinches more than In the case OF