Magazine Sales by Editor

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 5, 1911

Magazine Sales

By Editor

In a recent mail, we received an order containing 113 yearly subscriptions to Liberty, from the West Michigan Tract Society; also, 67 yearly subscriptions for the Protestant Magazine.

The following is from an attorney who has read Liberty for some time: “I am with you, heart and soul, in the good work. I happen to be in a place and position just now to know how much Liberty is needed. Accept very best wishes for the success of your splendid work.”

The following yearly report received from one of our agents for Life and Health is very encouraging, indeed. He worked 1,385 hours, and sold 11,783 copies. His total profits were $1,706.98, or a profit of 51 cents an hour for all the time he worked. This shows the possibilities wrapped up in the sale of our ten-cent magazines.

Many of our magazine workers go over the same territory every month, getting regular customers. One such worker writes: “I received the 50 copies of Life and Health to-day, and am well pleased with this number. I have been selling Life and Health for over one year, with Signs of the Times Monthly. I go over the same territory every month. By so doing I have regular customers who appreciate the papers.”

By the third of September, 21,000 copies of the October Signs had been sent out. Several thousand copies of these were late September orders, but responses from Signs agents are now coming in for it. October now bids fair to exceed all previous sales for that month. In fact, they are now only a few thousand behind, and have more than a month to work. A large edition has been printed in anticipation of its good sale.

During the month of August the Review and Herald Publishing Association sold 143,927 copies of Life and Health, Liberty, Protestant Magazine, and Temperance Instructor. The two largest items were 72,000 copies of the August Life and Health, sold by August 13, and 57,957 copies of the Temperance Instructor. This large sale of the Temperance Instructor is due to the fact that we shipped a large number to the State of Maine, to help in the temperance campaign there.

One of our sisters in New York recently sent us ten yearly subscriptions for Liberty at the special introductory price of $1.50. We have just received the following word from her: “Two of these persons were Catholics, and they desire to have me discontinue sending them the magazine, as they dare not have it in their homes.” One of these women, it appears, had been hiding her copy of Liberty up in her attic so that it might not be seen by other Catholics, and the report be taken to the priest that she was reading it. She would steal away and read it there in the coldest weather. She became sufficiently convinced of the truth to keep one Sabbath, but was finally prevailed upon to go to confession to the priest, since which time she has not dared to read our literature. During the past ten weeks we have received over 6,000 Liberty subscriptions.