The Bookselling Trade and Underselling
The published price of a book being publicly advertised, there is
probably no other trade which gives the same opportunity of attracting
the public by underselling as that of Bookselling, and evils of a
greater or less degree in this direction have been practised since the
days of Caxton. In the early days of the nineteenth century serious
attention was directed to underselling, and an association formed
entitled "The Associated Booksellers." This was formed in 1812, but
the notorious Lackington carried underselling, and what he termed
"remainders," to such an extreme that the very existence of the
Bookselling trade was seriously threatened. This Association, however,
lacked sufficient strength to take the necessary steps to stop the
underselling mania, and it was not until 1850 that another Booksellers'
Association was formed which nobly fought a most difficult and trying
battle. The Association failed, owing to the decision in 1852 by Lord
Campbell, Mr. Grote, and Dean Milman that the question of a bookseller
having "paid the purchase money shall not resell it under a certain
price, derogated from the rights of ownership which, as purchaser,
he had acquired." This decision had the effect of dissolving the
Association.
Some years after attention was again directed to the evil of
underselling, which it has taken nearly a century to bring to an end,
for it is hoped that by the adoption of publishing on the net book
system and the Publishers' and Booksellers' Associations, discounts
to the public will be entirely abolished. On looking through the
volume for 1864 of that consistently intelligent trade journal, "The
Bookseller," I find the editor saying that "The opening of the new
season appears to be a very appropriate time for a few remarks upon
the ruinous system of underselling, which seems to be the rule rather
than the exception, not only in London, but in most provincial cities.
How far it will proceed and what may be the extent of the damage it
may do, none can predict. We, however, believe underselling to be
wholly unnecessary and that it may be checked, if not altogether
stopped, if publishers and booksellers will come to an understanding
on the subject." The article goes on to point out how by publishers,
if necessary, reducing their selling prices, they might do away with
the discount allowed to the public, or, in other words, encourage the
adoption of a net system. It is pleasant to see a letter on this point
issued the same year, and signed by A. Macmillan. When about to publish
their celebrated Globe edition of Shakespeare's works at 3_s._ 6_d._,
after speaking of the number of pages, the quality of the paper, the
printing and the binding, Mr. Macmillan goes on to say, "Why should
the trade throw away their profits on a book that needs no further
cheapening to put it within the reach of all. I have neither the will
nor the power to dictate to the trade what they shall sell the books
for after they buy them from us, but I would be glad and grateful if
they would try the experiment on this new book whether the underselling
which has crept in of late years, does good really to anybody." It is
most gratifying that the present head of that firm should have done so
much to bring to an end the unjust system of discounts. It was stated
that nearly 80,000 copies of the Globe Shakespeare were sold within six
months of its publication.
In 1867, after many years of unrest, matters were again brought
under discussion through Mr. Thomas Bosworth, of Regent Street,
giving excessive discounts. I have before me a leaflet issued by this
bookseller entitled "Rattening in the Book Trade." In this leaflet he
complains of Messrs. Hamilton, Adams & Co. having closed his account,
owing to his continuing to sell to the public books at trade prices and
sometimes less than that. This did not continue very long, as I find
that in 1869 he had to make a composition with his creditors. In 1890
the parent of the Associated Booksellers of Great Britain and Ireland
was formed, under the title of "The London Booksellers' Society," and I
am proud to record that I was one of the early members of its Council.
The main object of the Society was to restrict discounts to 25 per
cent., and it issued a price list from 6_d._ to £2 2_s._ showing these
discounts. Had it not been for the introduction of the net system, this
Booksellers' Association would in all probability have followed the
footsteps of its predecessors.
A correspondent in "The Bookseller" for 1877 gives a very despondent
account of the bookseller and the way the bookselling trade was
carried on. This despondency was caused mainly by the iniquitous
system of discounts which were then being given to the public and the
unfair methods of business, owing to the want of harmony and business
regulations. The correspondent says that "A bookseller of to-day
is very often a man who might just as well be a cheese-monger or a
pork-butcher for anything he knows or cares about books; and as for him
being capable of guiding or advising his customers, they have sometimes
no little trouble in making him understand a requirement that lies just
outside the current of popular demands. The cause of this degeneracy
is not far to seek: it is the undignified and unneighbourly scramble
for custom, in which each man's object is to give away a larger
discount in the shilling than anyone else. Unless booksellers can be
found who will have the courage to stand out of this scramble and be
content to serve such customers who are willing to pay a fair price
for their books, it is to be feared that the race of booksellers will
become extinct." Fortunately, by the introduction of the net system,
this downward tendency has been stopped, and the bookselling trade is
gradually taking the place it deserves in the world of letters.
The Publishers' Association was established in 1896. Mainly through the
influence and the exertions of Sir Frederick Macmillan, the net book
scheme was officially recognized by the Publishers' Association. It
has grown ever since that time and has undoubtedly been the salvation
of the Bookselling trade in this country, and it is hoped that it will
lead to further and better conditions for every one connected with the
trade.
This question of underselling is so closely associated with the
general condition of the Bookselling trade that I have decided to
reprint in this chapter the following article which appeared in
the "Publishers' Circular" and was written by me in 1915. Though a
development in some of the particulars has been obtained, there is
still much to be done. As the article was reprinted and distributed by
the Associated Booksellers, and I also receive so many congratulatory
letters respecting it, I feel that it may probably be of service when
some of the details of the trade are again under discussion. I have
omitted from the article such portions of it as time has shown to be
unnecessary. What I have here reprinted I hope may be found of interest.
SOME NOTES ON BOOK-SELLING
In using the term "bookselling," it is intended in this article to
include all those businesses, exclusive of authorship, which are
interested in the making, distribution, and selling of books, and
while offering a few suggestions to these trade organizations, there
will be no attempt to dogmatize on any particular sphere of it. As
their working conditions are so continually changing, these must
therefore fall in with modern requirements or give place to others
which can accommodate themselves to the altered conditions.
Since the origin of printing there have been differences and
grievances, many of them imaginary, in connexion with the trade of
bookselling. Some of these complaints are characterized as a decay
of the author, the book, or the bookseller; sometimes it is the
over-production of books or their cheapness, due to underselling or to
outside firms being allowed to trade in them, but all these complaints
either die a natural death or turn out to have little foundation, and
the trade goes on in much the same way as it has done for centuries
past. There is occasionally a reason for some of these criticisms, and
although there have been variations in both the production and the
distribution of books, yet many of the salient features remain the
same as those existing in the early days of bookselling.
Before suggesting a solution of some of the difficulties which we find
current in the bookselling trade to-day, let us inquire into that of
book production.
Foremost among the real or imaginary difficulties is the question
of over-production. This is, from many points of view, an important
question with distributors of books, both wholesale and retail.
Take the following interesting particulars, which appear somewhat out
of harmony with our unsatisfactory means of distribution, but when
we compare these figures with those of other countries, they seem
insignificant: In the year 1913, 9,541, and in 1914, 8,863 new books
were published in England. In 1913, 10,607, and in 1914, 10,175 new
books were published in America. In the year 1912, 34,801 new books
were published in Germany, and in 1913 no fewer than 35,078 were
issued from their various presses. Nearly four times as many books
were thus yearly produced in Germany as in England--but it must be
admitted that many of these are of a local or ephemeral character--and
over three times as many as in America. A comparison between the
number of authors and their proportion to the population is no less
surprising. In 1910, there were 9,000 writers of books in America;
there were 8,000 in Great Britain; while in Germany there are over
31,000 of such _littérateurs_. Of course, the war has greatly changed
these figures.
It is computed that the total number of printed books in the world is
no less than 11,638,810, and that about 8,714,000 of these have been
published subsequently to the year 1800. From 1500 to 1535 the number
of books produced annually averaged only 1,250. It was not until 1700
that the annual average passed 10,000, and it was not until 1887 that
it reached 100,000. From 1900 to 1908, however, the world's annual
output averaged 174,375. Some interesting statistics relating to the
production of printed books are given in the "Bulletin de l'Institut
International de Bibliographie."
The complaint of over-production is almost as old as the art of
printing itself, for, according to Charles Knight's "The Old Printer,"
it is stated that some Roman printers of the Latin Classics in 1471
petitioned the Pope to interfere on their behalf. In their petitions
they stated that "they were the first who introduced this Art, with
vast labour and cost, into His Holiness's territory, and encouraged
by our example, other printers have done the same. If you peruse the
Catalogue of the books printed by us, you will admire how and where
we could produce a sufficient quantity of paper or even rags for such
a number of volumes. The total of these books amount to 12,475, a
prodigious heap, and intolerable by reason of those unsold. We are
unable to bear the expense of housekeeping for want of buyers, of
which there cannot be a more flagrant proof than that our house is
full of quire books, but void of every necessary of life."
From this it would appear that the question of over-production has an
early origin and is continually being repeated, but I dare venture the
remark that there is not now or never has been any over-production
in books that are worth putting on the market, and if publishers
would refuse the bribes offered by those anxious to see their names
in print, and only issue such books as in their mature judgment they
consider worth putting before a community of intelligent readers,
there would be less outcry of over-production. This question is very
far-reaching, and especially affects the sellers of books. Frequently
the publishers issue books, the cost being paid by an ambitious
author; but for this the public would probably never hear of him;
the book is shown to the trade, no reference whatever is made to its
origin, and booksellers are often led to buy and stock a book by their
trust in the publisher, and find out to their cost that there is no
demand whatever for the book, and it remains upon their shelves. It is
a fair contention that the bookseller should be warned against such
books, in which the publishers have taken no risks, neither should
the booksellers be persuaded into so doing. Undoubtedly, if the trade
is to prosper, there must be more discrimination in selecting stock.
There are now so many influences at work to advertise a book: not
only are there the ordinary media, but an author will go round to the
booksellers, talking about his book, telling them it will sell in
thousands, and that there has never been such a book written before.
Instances have been known where the author has gone to a number of
booksellers and ordered copies of his book, never calling or paying
for them. The bookseller, by these means, has to put into his stock
books which he is unable to sell. There should for safety be a method
of allowing returns to be made of such books before the publishers
make up their accounts; there would then be an inducement for a
bookseller to display a book upon his counter or in his window, with
a possibility of sales being made through the publicity given to the
book.
Many books are published for which no reasonable market exists, but
as long as education continues to influence the mind there will be
found persons who think their ideas are inspired, and they must give
them expression in the printed book. There is to-day a larger reading
public than ever, and the all-important point is how to get hold of
them. On this point much has been written and said. It is of no use
discussing the old methods, so much extolled, of how the bookseller
formerly lived over his shop and existed with, if not by, his books,
and what men of encyclopædic knowledge these ancients were. These
times are gone, and the men are gone with them. We must, therefore,
deal with events as they are to-day. Every one engaged in the business
of bookselling would no doubt confess that he is out, _inter alia_, to
try and make money and earn a living, and this is one of the points I
wish to discuss. First, the men who constitute the bookselling trade
are probably as intelligent and as up to date in knowledge as they
were in the past. It has been said that the second-hand bookseller
is the only man with a knowledge of books, but this is not so.
Unfortunately, the exigence of our social life often prevents him
from giving as much attention to his trade as formerly. This has been
intensified by the margin of profit not being commensurate with the
labour; therefore in many cases other kindred businesses have been
added to that of bookselling.
Undoubtedly the greatest benefaction which has ever fallen to the
book trade was the introduction in January, 1900, of the net system.
By this system a reasonable profit was guaranteed, and members of
the book trade were brought together and the trade organized and
extended in a manner which would have been impossible without some
such rallying point as that offered by the net system. This has now
obtained such a hold, both upon the trade and the public, that it must
remain one of the axioms of the bookselling trade.
A similar system was started in America in 1901, and for many years
considerably helped the publishers in that country in organizing the
trade, and protecting that of the bookseller in his attempt to remedy
some of the evils caused by undersellers and unfair competition.
Unfortunately, an adverse decision in the American Supreme Court
in what is known as the "Macy case," caused the members of the
Association to wind up their organization. This was done at the end of
1914.
In these days of increased business pressure and competition, it
appears especially unfortunate that so large and important an
organization affecting the publishing trade in America should so
suddenly come to an end. It is, however, hoped that the publishers
will be able before long to reconsider the situation and establish in
some form or other a new representative organization to take charge
of and to promote the general interests of the American publishing
and bookselling trades, for, undoubtedly, without some such central
control, the trade of bookselling cannot thrive in the same manner as
it otherwise would do.
A very important point is the relation of the publishers one to the
other. If there were more trade-regulations to bring into harmony
many of its unwritten laws, some of the difficulties which now often
arise would never occur. At present the Publishers' Association mostly
consider questions outside their own business workings, and nothing
in the shape of terms or personal arrangements is touched upon or
discussed; therefore unnecessary competition and varying terms exist
to a considerable extent. How much unpleasant feeling might be avoided
if some broad but definite rules were laid down for the guidance of
publishers towards each other, and also to the wholesale and retail
bookselling trades. This question will be further discussed later on.
A very important question is, however, now awaiting solution--that of
sending out books on sale or return. Continental booksellers adopted
this method of bringing books before the public many years ago, with a
great amount of success and satisfaction, but of course this is a very
debatable question.
It appears somewhat difficult for publishers to realize how much could
often be done by a bookseller in pushing the sale of a book if he were
guaranteed against loss: especially is this applicable to a book by
a new author. How much better it would be for author, publisher, and
bookseller, if in certain cases books, such as before mentioned, could
be shown in windows of retail booksellers, and that the publisher
should take them back or exchange them within, say, six months from
publication, if still unsold. By these means books by unknown authors
would get an advertisement such as could be obtained in no other way,
and it would certainly help the bookseller with a show of books which
at present he is unable to obtain.
It is somewhat strange that so little difficulty regarding cost or
selling price has yet arisen with the issue of the modern cheap
editions of books. These cheap issues are published at net prices,
they yield a fair profit to those through whose hands they pass, and
the public are quite satisfied. Recent history of popular literature
shows that success is obtained, not by high prices, but by big sales.
What is wanted is the realization of what Matthew Arnold once wrote,
"that he hoped for the day when food and books shall both alike be
felt as needs."
In connexion with the trade of publishing, the question is, how
best to help the bookseller to obtain his supply of books, as the
miscellaneous character of the books published, and the increasing
number of publishers, and the cost of "travelling" books in the
country, make it imperative that some distributing medium should be
engaged in this work. In most countries such an agency exists, but
methods vary in each country; it is represented here by the wholesale
agent, who supplies from his own stock or collects from the publishers
everything a country bookseller may have ordered. By some publishers
this agency has a poor recognition, but without such distributing
houses it would be quite impossible for the ordinary retail bookseller
to obtain his supplies, as the public when ordering books scarcely
ever give the publisher's name, and frequently give half a mutilated
title, which only those in daily intercourse with all published
books could recognize, so that this part of a general system of
distribution should not only be fully recognized by the publisher, but
in calculating discounts and expenses this distributing method should
be considered. One is inclined to ask if there is anything wrong with
the trade; if so, is it with the retail bookseller, for after all it
is this agency which comes in direct contact with the public. Until
the introduction of the net system before mentioned, there was a war
of discounts existing which would have eventually meant ruin, and it
is only a reasonable conclusion that what every bookseller recognizes
as a good to the trade should be further extended. Is not the time
ripe for more organization, without oppression, to be adopted by
the trade? We have now the organizations of both the publisher and
bookseller, to which all the leading members of each of these branches
of the trade belong. Why cannot, as before suggested, some rules of a
broad but inclusive character be laid down and agreed upon by members
of both associations, so that the differences and difficulties which
so frequently arise may be easily adjusted? By these means a dignity
and influence as of old would be restored to the booksellers, petty
grievances would be easily removed, and the question of a living
discount would be more easily discussed, and the book world (which
formerly had only two interests, that of author and publisher, but now
has the bookseller as a separate factor) would be placed on a firmer
foundation and in the position which, by its literary association, it
deserves.
In recommending closer co-operation between the Publishers' and
Booksellers' Associations in the internal arrangements of the
bookselling trade, my object is to advocate centralization, but with
a liberty which should not be abused. How often a publisher wishes
to bring before the various distributing agencies of the trade some
work in which he has invested intelligence and money, and which is
not a machine-made book! If such co-operation can be freed from
jealousies, what better medium could be found for disseminating
information than a central association formed of the above-named
organizations? At first there would be much give and take, but if
there could be a sub-committee of each association formed which would
meet and discuss questions to be submitted to the respective central
councils, matters would soon run smoothly, and if the respective
presidents or secretaries could be so in touch with each other that
preliminary difficulties could be made plain, there is little doubt
that results satisfactory to the trade would follow. That important
results would follow is practically certain. Take, for instance, the
present arrangements for the Annual Meetings of the Publishers' and of
the Associated Booksellers. The only attraction of the former is the
chairman's address, which, although often eloquent, seldom leads to
either a discussion or suggestions, with a result that everything is
cut and dried in the most orthodox and dry-as-dust fashion.
Almost the only difference in the Booksellers' Annual Meeting is
that it brings members together from all parts of the country and
helps to promote social intercourse. Festive gatherings and outings
are a greater attraction than the business agenda, and the business
man must often have forced upon him the fact that time which is
frequently taken up in dinners and receptions could be better spent in
discussing business questions. It can scarcely be denied that the two
trade associations are capable of far greater usefulness than they at
present achieve.
In looking through a recent number of the "Publishers' Weekly," I
was much struck by the practical way in which the annual meetings of
the book trade of America were conducted. From the report of their
proceedings I find that some twelve different subjects associated with
the bookselling trade were discussed, among them being the following:
Undue Competition of Jobbers; Postage Extra; Self-addressed Circulars
issued by Publishers in their interest rather than the Dealers;
Discounts to Lending Libraries; Uniform Discounts according to
quantity purchased for every dealer alike; Failure to include Juvenile
books in the net class.
Surely there could be found a sufficient number of members of the
bookselling trade to discuss some of the above or other subjects to
the advantage of the trade generally?
When one reflects that the yearly output of English books is
considerably less than that of America, which is about one-third that
of Germany, and that one-fifth of the inhabited world is dominated by
the English language, it is surely time for all the members of the
bookselling trade to wake up.
It is not my intention to go into the details of cost prices, but
all are agreed that to make an effectual organization for the book
trade, the question of profits and terms must come in, both for the
publisher as well as for the wholesale and retail bookseller. There
is, however, a question which has often been much discussed as to
whether trade terms should be based on a flat price, or the system
of odd copy and discounts be continued. There is much to be said
for both systems, but the method of a sliding scale is invariably
used both here and in other countries. In America and Germany, as
well as in this country, sometimes the odd copy is given, and even in
those countries which charge flat rates there is always an advantage
in prices which correspond with numbers. This is only a reasonable
concession to those who will speculate, or have built up a business
in which a considerable amount of capital is locked up. There are few
businesses where speculation is more precarious or where the articles
of commerce so quickly deteriorate in value as that of the bookseller,
and it is hoped that publishers will soon recognize that bookselling
as a trade wants more help and more consideration than it receives at
present. Otherwise, the small man will be pushed out, and the trade
become centralized in a few big establishments, who will be able to
dictate terms for distributing the books published, and a trade union
of distributors may be formed which will prove a harder taskmaster
than the most tyrannical trade union that has ever dictated terms to
its employers. Every one, however, in the trade sincerely hopes that
when the publisher and bookseller are brought more in contact with
each other through their associations, these important points will be
mutually considered from a practical point of view.
It is often wise to see how the business of bookselling is carried on
in other countries, so a glance at some of their methods should be
interesting.
In Germany, before the war, nearly all booksellers had an agent in
Leipzig. This agent receives his client's order every day, and after
dispatching them to different publishers, he collects the parcels
and sends them off by post or rail. A "collector," as we know him in
London, is not known there.
Most firms give credit, and customers go into Leipzig once every
year to the "Booksellers' House," when they pay their agent and the
publishers.
Firms in Berlin have a special way of dispatching their books,
etc., to other firms in the country. It is a kind of private post
service between the Booksellers' League in Berlin and booksellers and
wholesale agents in other towns. Each member of this League pays a
certain amount yearly, and has his goods sent on by the private post
service. This is not a very quick method, although it is cheap.
The following Consular Report upon this subject will be found
interesting:--
Even in this changing age the organization of the German book trade
remains in principle what it has long been. The two main principles
which make the trade as flourishing as it is, are the fixed selling
price and the right of the retailer to return unsold books. The first,
combined with very long credits, is the solid basis of the existence
of the small retail houses, and has favoured the establishment of
retailers everywhere. There is in Germany one bookseller for every
5,000 inhabitants, and the consequence of retail shops being found
everywhere is that the German publisher spends very little in
advertising, for he sends out all his novelties on sale according
to a system established with the retail trade, or special wishes of
the retailers, which he learns by means of his inexpensive circulars.
In no other trade is there so close an understanding cultivated as
between the German bookseller and his educated customers. The retailer
circulates all his new books amongst likely buyers, and they become
better known than through advertisements. The retailer pays for all
the books bought during the year at the Easter Fair of the following
year. The discounts vary according to the class of book, from 25 per
cent. on the selling price of scientific books to 40 and even 50 per
cent. on juvenile literature, besides which eleven copies are sent for
ten, or thirteen for a dozen. The enormous number of scientific books
published in Germany, including pamphlets, can only be explained by
the existence of the intelligent retailers all over the country. The
legal organization of the trade is the Verein in Leipzig, consisting
of 2,685 members, which lays down regulations for the members of
the trade amongst themselves, and for them in their dealings with
the public. Thus the maintenance of the selling price (5 per cent.
being allowed for cash, periodicals excepted) is rigidly insisted
on, and if the rule is broken, it is adjudged by the Verein that
publishers shall not supply the offender, or that they shall give him
no credit or discount. Connected with this institution is a sort of
publishers' and booksellers' clearing house in Leipzig, by which the
ordering by retailers and the keeping of accounts between them and
the publishers are facilitated and simplified, and the processes of
ordering, packing, dispatching, and paying are greatly cheapened. It
appears designed to prevent a great variety of petty expenditure, and
to it, coupled with the fixed selling price and the long credit, is
attributed the success of the trade in Germany.
Again, there is that industrious little country, Norway, which has been
termed "A Bookseller's Paradise." But it must be remembered that in
that country wealth is more evenly distributed than it is here. There
are no paupers, and public schools are plentiful. The English, French,
and German languages are taught in most schools, and the Norwegian
bookseller is usually a well-educated man and a product of one of the
public schools.
The following facts are from a summary of an able address given by
Mr. W.H. Arnold before the American Booksellers' Association, and are
well worthy of the study of the publishers and the booksellers in this
country:--
Bookselling in Norway is so organized as to eliminate almost all
the risks to which English booksellers are exposed, to secure
satisfactory results for the publishers, and to provide a fair reward
for the author. Three trade organizations are in existence--The
Publishers' Association, the National Association of Booksellers,
and the Provincial Association of Booksellers, the qualification
for membership in both the first and the last named being membership
of the National Association. All booksellers must be members of
the National Association. The Provincial Association includes all
booksellers except those in Christiania. There is a National Board of
Directors, composed of members of each association.
An applicant wishing to become a bookseller addresses the National
Board. A young man of eighteen may become a bookseller when he is
thirty; he has twelve years' training--four years as apprentice,
eight years as assistant. Besides a knowledge of books, he must
give security, and if he can prove he has sufficient funds in hand,
the National Directors will give their permission for his beginning
business on his own account; but the Directors have it in their power
to decide whether a new bookshop is wanted in the district mentioned.
A town of 8,000 people would afford scope for two bookshops. Molde,
familiar to English tourists, with a population of 2,200 has one
thriving bookseller; Aalesund, with a population of 14,000, has three
bookshops, and none of these booksellers need fear the incursion of
other rivals.
The subscription to the National Association is 10 krone--about
12_s._--per annum; and for the Association's weekly journal, 6_s._ per
annum is charged. An annual list of publications is issued, and once
in ten years a reference catalogue is issued, costing about 20_s._
All miscellaneous publications are issued in paper covers, and can
be obtained in cloth, but the paper is the more popular format. The
book buyer who decides that the paper volume is worth preserving, if
so minded gets it bound in cloth or half leather, cloth costing 1_s._
6_d._ and leather 2_s._ 6_d._ Retail prices are always net--there are
no price cutters in Norway.
Publishers do not require to call on the trade: a descriptive circular
is all that is necessary. The bookseller, after reading this, settles
how many copies to buy outright, and additional copies can be had,
subject to return. Prices of fiction range from 2_s._ 6_d._ to 4_s._
No reduction in the price of a book is allowed until five years after
publication.
Payment for bought books is usually made half yearly, in January
and July, and "on sale" volumes are accounted for in January, the
volumes sold being paid for in March. The usual trade discount is 25
per cent., and when ten copies are bought an extra copy is included.
School-books are always bought outright.
The Provincial Association has a central depot in Christiania, the
stock of which company is owned by the Association members. The
central depot "collects," packs, and dispatches to its members in the
provinces, charging a scheduled rate for this service. Subscription
books are all sold through the book stores, the only books disposed
of outside recognized channels being religious publications handled by
pedlars.
Of course, there can be objections raised to many points in this
organization, but what I wish to point out is, that if an association
can be of great value to the trade in a small community such as Norway,
which experience shows it to be, surely by organizing and blending
the different associations in our trade here, similar results may
follow. Anyway, it can be safely relied upon that something definite
and more workable should take the place of our present half-hearted
and semi-distinct organizations which are supposed to supervise the
workings of the book trade in this country.
There are other questions one might consider. That of the cheap reprint
is often a debatable one, some maintaining that it interferes with the
sales of the more expensive editions; others that it often creates
interest in a particular book, and, through its issue, inquiries are
made for the author's previous books. From some points of view both
these arguments have in them an element of truth, but it all depends
upon the character of the book.
As a rule the life of works of fiction is very short, except in special
cases. The life of works of an author of, say, two or three books,
would probably be about three to six months, so for books in this class
a limit of twelve months should be allowed before a cheap edition is
issued, and according to the popularity of the author, these times
should vary up to two or three years before cheap editions of books
by authors of long standing are issued, and also the better edition
should be cleared from the bookseller's shelves before the cheaper
edition is published. From a bookseller's point of view, there is no
language too strong in condemnation of the system now much in vogue,
that a 2_s._ edition of a 6_s._ novel may be issued, and both editions
kept in circulation at the same time. Editions selling at various
prices are often sold by the author to different publishers, and each
price is supposed to appeal to a different public. Can a bookseller be
expected to keep a stock of all these editions? If so, his stock of
cheap reprints would demand a special warehouse.
The most reasonable course to pursue in all cheap issues is first to
see if there is a public to which a cheap edition would appeal, settle
a moderate price at which it should be published, allowing a fair
profit to the trade, and after a sufficient time has been given for
the original edition to have a good run, there may be issued the cheap
edition, which, while appealing to a fresh public, will be remunerative
to the author and publisher, and, let us hope, a help to civilization
and the betterment of mankind.
Much the same argument applies to the speculative religious work.
There would not, of course, be so many different editions, but if the
book in its special issue is of a distinctly argumentative character,
and appeals to a thoughtful and intelligent public, a cheap edition
is desirable, not only because it will sell, but because it will make
people think, and truth is generally brought to the surface and put
into operation by a public who thinks.
I am, therefore, convinced that when due time and consideration have
been given to a book, a cheap edition is often not only advisable, but
necessary.
Another question is, "Should a book be remaindered, and if so, under
what conditions?" This is a very important one, and I am convinced
that no definite rule can be laid down which would be applicable to
all classes of remainders. There are books remaindered which will sell
quickly when brought to the notice of a particular class of readers,
and others which are only fit for the hawker's barrow or to be pulped
as waste. I have known many books which have been remaindered and
have thus had attention drawn to them; occasionally they have been
quickly bought up, and often resold at their full published price. To
instance only one, the first edition of Fitzgerald's "Omar Khayyám"
was sold from a fourpenny box, and copies of this edition afterwards
fetched £25. By this means a reputation was established and a position
for this book secured. I maintain that discretion should be shown in
this as well as in other departments of our trade. There are books
which are only fit to become fuel for the fire, while others, either
through over-printing or want of pushful advertising, have reached
a very limited public, and through the book being reduced in price
it has reached an eager public delighted to get a book of such value
at a price suited to their limited means. Although bookselling is a
business, and a most interesting one, yet it does not exist only for
those who carry it on. If there were no bookseller's shops some means
would have to be found for disseminating that which goes to making
the intelligence of a nation. "Show me the literature of a nation, and
I will tell you the character of the people," said a great man, and I
am quite convinced that if limits were placed upon the distribution of
our books for the benefit of author or bookseller, the Government or
the people would soon find some means by which their intellectual wants
were supplied.
My firm conviction is that no book should be destroyed which appeals
to the intellect or which goes to the formation of character. When
the time comes in the life of a book that it has exhausted the sphere
for which it was intended, let it be offered as a remainder, and I
am sure that it will percolate through the various strata of society
until it finds its level of usefulness. This may be in the library of
the collector or in the more useful sphere of the homes of the working
classes, but a book of any literary value should never be destroyed.
In summarizing the various suggestions made in this paper, I would
suggest that the most serious consideration be afforded to the
following important propositions, so that more unity and stability may
be given to the position of the author, publisher, and the various
factors in book-distributing and bookselling.
Firstly, in regard to the author, my contention would be that the first
book by an author, however good from a publisher's point of view it
may be, should be either sent on sale or made returnable, say within
six months. If the book has any literary merit it will be found out
by that time, and the copies sent but will be sold. If not, they
should be returned, so that the book distributor does not have to
share a loss for which the publisher alone is responsible. The author
should discourage as much as possible the auction-like action of the
literary agent who tries to sell manuscripts to the highest bidder,
thus lowering the tone of the relationship between the author and the
publisher. And I say with all seriousness that should an author have
satisfactory arrangements with a publisher he should stick to him, as I
am sure it is best for both parties that a publisher should be able to
put all the works of an author in his lists, and not only those issued
by himself. By this arrangement a publisher will continue to interest
himself in all the books by an author, and by advertising them will
materially assist in continuous sales.
Secondly, the publisher should discriminate between books in which he
is financially interested, and those which he is publishing to please
the ambition of a person who wishes to see his or her name in print.
He should also fix his terms and stand by them to both the wholesale
and retail trader. These are now fairly carried out by some of the
older-established publishers, but in some of their cheaper issues they
appear to be unable to discriminate between what is a wholesale order
and a wholesale trader.
Thirdly, the question of competition and underselling is still of the
utmost importance, and I fear will never be settled until there is
united action by a joint committee consisting of representatives of
both the Publishers' and Booksellers' Associations, and all books are
published at a fixed net price. The great objection to this arrangement
is mainly the issue of juvenile and school-books. A margin frequently
is demanded, so that a considerable discount can be given to the
schoolmasters and mistresses or the governing bodies of our various
educational authorities. It is, however, a fair question to ask, "Why
should part of the legitimate profit of the bookseller be taken by the
school representatives?" It is to be hoped that by association and
unity these unsatisfactory anomalies will be swept away. One of the
first subjects these joint associations would have to consider would
be the minimum amount of profit which should be given to the retail
bookseller. This should be, at least, 25 per cent. off the net selling
price, and a further discount to _bona fide_ wholesale and export
booksellers. If all books were made net, and some such discounts as
those mentioned were given, much of the present discontent would be
removed, and, with a living profit assured, there would be a great
inducement for many of the smaller men in the country to interest
themselves in the trade, and thus bring about a renewal of an industry
which should be beneficial both to the industrious bookseller as well
as the intellectual community.