Describe any five ways which publishers used to sell their product in the nineteenth century
Answers
Printing created an appetite for new kinds of writing. The publications that came out at the end of the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century were very diverse.
Besides, novels, other new literary forms like lyrics, short stories and essays about social and political matters entered the world of reading.At the end of the 19th century, a new visual culture was taking shape. Painters like Raja Ravi Varma produced images for mass circulation. Poor wood engravers who made woodblocks, setup their shop near the letter presses, and they were employed by print shops.
In the 19th century, printers and publishers continuously developed new strategies to sell their products. They were
(i) 19th century periodicals serialised famous novels, which gave birth to a particular way of writing novels. In 1863, Charles Dickens’ ‘Pickwick Papers was serialised in a magazine. Magazines were attractive to readers as these were illustrated and cheap. Readers bought these magazines eagerly.
(ii) In the 1920s England, popular works were sold in cheap series, called the Shilling Series.
(iii) The dust cover or book jacket was introduced to make the book more attractive to the readers.
(iv) Books were printed in the offset press which could print books in six colours at a time.
(v) To sustain buying during the Great Depression in the 1930s, publishers brought out cheap paper back edition which soon became a big hit.