0 pounds a
year for liberty to publish an eighteen-penny edition of his novels--when
the same publisher could offer Mr. Barnum 1,200 pounds for his
lectures--when for one edition alone, the illustrated, of Mr. Tennyson's
poems, their publisher, the late Mr. Moxon, could pay 2,000 pounds to the
poet--when one firm alone could subscribe for 4,000 copies of Dr.
Livingstone's Researches in Africa--when the paper duty for last year
amounted to no less a sum than 1,130,683 pounds, it is clear that there
must be no little business going on in Paternoster Row. I have before me
the London catalogue of periodicals and newspapers for the year 1859, and
I find that the monthlies are 353, the quarterlies 64, the newspapers and
weekly publications are more than 200. The British catalogue of books
published during the year 1851, including new editions, reprints, and
pamphlets, has 48 pages, each page containing a list of about 190 works,
thus giving us for that year alone 9,120 publications, not magazines or
newspapers. Most of the books and journals and magazines thus published
find their way into the provinces by means of Paternoster Row. On a
publishing day the scene is curious and suggestive; the shops of the
large wholesale houses are full, and customers are ranged on one side of
the counter in ranks three or four deep, while on the other are the
assistants toiling like so many slaves; but all the week, especially in
the middle, Paternoster Row is very eager and active. Each wholesale
house has collectors, who go to the respective publishers for the books
ordered. You may meet them at all hours between Paternoster Row and the
West. Each collector has a long bag on his back filled with books he has
been buying, and a book in his hand which contains entries of what he
requires. Some houses make a charge of five per cent. for collecting;
those who do not do so give their country clients but a month's credit.
The profits of the London houses are not large; they get 13 copies of a
work for 12, or 26 charged as 25, and then sell them to the trade at
their cost price, 25 per cent. off publishing price. If they are the
publishers as well they have the extra profit of ten per cent. for
publishing. If a book sells to any extent, the publishers and the trade
do well, much better than the poor author, whose obligations to the trade
are not great. Let me add that the publishers may do an author a little
benefit when they subscribe hi