ss to
shout loud enough to be heard above the clatter of the small
advertisements, "Just out--New book by Donan Coyle, 'The Return from
Davy Jones.'" If some piquant description of the book follow, this
should be sure to send all those readers of the paper interested in
Donan Coyle to the bookshop in search of the new volume. Much smaller
"ads." following from time to time, that may catch the eye of the
forgetful ones and arouse their interest by some words of personal or
press commendation on the volume, would close a campaign of this kind,
which would have naturally gathered in its trail many readers and even
non-readers not distinctly interested in Donan Coyle. It would at
least have started the mouth-to-mouth advertising of the book, to
which paid-for advertising can after all be regarded only as assistant
and support. In fact, when all is said and done the greatest service
advertising does is in reminding people of books they have heard
praised, and the best advertising is that placed on the road to the
bookstalls, a strong argument for the poster, since it is exhibited in
front of the bookshop, where it can catch the passer-by. In tune with
this conception of the advertisement as an announcement is this
general rule--advertise prominently the name of the book, and the
author's name if it is important. These are commodities you have to
sell, the things you wish people to ask for--just as the bacon-maker
wants you to ask for "Blank's Bacons."

For books that have no well-known author's name to assist them, or
those for which a large sale cannot be forecasted at the start,--books
that appeal to the select few,--other and more inexpensive methods
must be pursued. In most such cases it is probable that any
advertising in newspapers would be unwise, and this leads to the
subject of magazine advertising, which is much higher grade and more
suited to such books of quality. There are many distinctly literary
publications, the subscribers to which are always searching for books
of a fine type--an interested clientele who will read advertising
pages rather thoroughly, and gladly pay good prices for good books.
Small advertisements--perhaps a page of small advertisements of good
books--in a magazine of this class will bring returns, especially if
the books have been well reviewed. There are also trade journals,
which go to the booksellers, and in these the publisher must announce
his new issues well,--describe them thoroughl