y, and give some idea of
what he intends doing in the way of energetic general advertising. The
aim of this is to influence booksellers to increase their orders.

These few paragraphs only scratch the surface of a broad subject of
extreme interest. Each publishing firm has developed through its
experience its own principles of the psychology of public opinion, its
own idea of the qualities a book should possess, and its own way of
getting at the people. Results are frequently so surprising that one
is inclined to class publishing among the games of chance. It is
certain that everybody cannot make a success at it, and there is no
doubt that it requires a definite endowment of genius.

There falls to the publicity department the writing of a great many
letters,--numbers are in answer to questions concerning books and
authors, but by far the larger number are in the nature of circulars.
The personal typewritten letter or the printed typewritten letter that
masquerades as such, has a power equal to a hundred circulars. It
claims attention at once, if it does not declare itself an
advertisement on the outside, where a printed circular gets swept into
the waste-paper basket unread. It's expensive--about three cents a
letter if done properly, but when there are special ends to be
accomplished, such as calling the attention of the clergy to a novel
that would suggest sermons, or the members of an Audubon society to a
book on birds, it is the surest and most profitable method.

It is especially in a mail order or subscription book concern that the
circular letter is of most use. The expensive sets of such concerns,
and the large profit figured on them, justify such a costly method of
publicity. It is generally made more expensive by the enclosure in the
envelope of return postal cards and other printed material.

This subscription business is a business by itself and conducted quite
differently from average publishing. The advertising is lavish, and
the underlying principle of it is, that the prospective purchaser
wishes a complete description of the wares. Attractive premium, and
short-time low-price offers are always made, and the endeavor is to
get the prospective customer to permit the set of volumes to be sent
on inspection, reliance being held in the ability to make him keep
them through the real quality of the books, assisted by a series of
"follow up" letters enlarging upon the virtues of the set. Lists of
names are