Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-26
PARIS SHOPS HAVE
BARGAIN DISPLAYS
Publishers Have Difficulty in
Marketing Product De-
spite Discounts.

PARIS CNA.N.A1.-"Everything for
nothing" says huge card in one shop
window here and even the most hard
ened bargain-hunter pauses, either IN
amazement, embarrassment or sheer
skepticism.
The sacrifices formidables'' are ie-
gion and universal and even these
touch the tender heart of the purchaser,
unless, of course, he happens 70 be q
100 per cent Partisan, in which case
1t Is the evidence that needs to be
formidable" to convince him that O
shirt or pair of socks Is being Of
fered to him for q franc less than its
original price Your true Partisan Is
never more hard-boiled than at sale
time
You must be subtle If you would win
his attention and even begin to inter-
est him, and to this end you need
neither give him something for nothing
nor spend vast sum Of money.
Offers $500 for Novel.
The town of Mines knows well that
1t is possible to appeal to French opinion
without great expense and IN ways
which would not perhaps occur TO the
British or American advertising man
ager. Indeed it Is now getting splendid
advertisement at cost or no more than
5000.
The French equivalent Of this sum
certainly sounds more-5,000 francs
and this Mines Is offering to the author
Of novel of which Mines shall be the
subject The prize is TO be awarded
for literary merit alone and the judges
are TO be literary men. This has en-
sured prominent place for the COM
petition In every newspaper In France
and the publicity thus obtained by the
town Is considerable already. It will
be far greater If the winning novel q
popular success.
Books are not selling as well as they
did, In spite Of the real sacrifice" that
IS made by French publishers. On the
DO cents, for which a French novel sells
the publisher gives q discount Of II
cents, or one-third, to the bookseller
and pays the cost Of delivering the
books to him. Moreover the French
bookseller never buys his copies out
right; he can return any or even all
Of them.
VIII Write Book Monthly.
At Soirees authors attend and SIGN
all copies purchased. Bookshops ex-
hibit side by side In their windows
sheets of manuscript and a photo Of
the author and the most striking scenes
from books have even been portrayed
In tableaux wants at fashionable
restaurants.
And now a French novelist has an
nounced his intention of publishing one
book month: passages from his novels
are to be broadcast, others are to be
filmed and pieture-postcards Of his
heroes and heroines will be on sale.
This aspiring bast-seller may be over
confident Of his fecundity, but Alex
andre Dumas won a wager and fulfilled
contract by writing "Chevalier de
Maison Rouge" In So hours and DR..
Johnson turned out "Rasselas" in q
week in order to meet his mothers fu-
neral expenses. Edgar Wallace is still
very much with us and the late Nat
Gould left over 300 volumes.
Anyway, the enterprising booksellers
viii be sure to feature this gentleman
well and the postcards Of the ladies and
gentlemen Of his fertile imagination are
the sort OF thing to make Q new appeal
and set new vogue.
| (Copyright. 1881, by North American News
| paper Alliance.l