The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1024: Chapter 68: ”The British’s Partner

Under the introduction of Hugo, Arthur quickly became acquainted with two new friends.

But it wasn’t long before the seemingly courteous French gentleman, Charles Gasoline, expressed his intentions to Arthur. This renowned publisher in Paris wanted to be the agent for the French-language editions of some novels under the ”British” brand, especially the great work of Mr. Eld Carter, ”Robin Hood.”

Arthur was not surprised by Gasoline’s intentions, as even as early as a year ago, French publishers had gone to London to discuss similar matters with the ”British.”

However, after multiple discussions among Arthur, Disraeli, and other shareholders, they ultimately decided to suspend the issuance of the French editions.

If we talk about the reasons, it is because doing business in this era isn’t as convenient as it was later. Due to the inconvenience of information transmission, everyone’s information channels were very closed, so the commercial field was thus filled with many unscrupulous tricksters.

In such an environment, the most important thing for doing cross-border business is that both the buyer and the seller have deep understanding and trust in each other, preferably with many years of friendship. Otherwise, not only can’t the business be done, but even the capital might be swept away by others.

Take the publishing industry most familiar to Arthur as an example. Many publishers of this era are actually enlarged individual businesses, and you can’t find a company that can reach the scale of a publishing group.

A few acquainted friends would pool their savings, contact a paper mill and printing plant, then find a few unknown novelists or playwrights for authorization, print seven or eight new books to take a gamble, and this would suffice for them to add the title of a renowned publisher to their business cards.

These people rarely pay cash for buying authors’ manuscripts, usually giving promissory notes of six months, nine months, or a year, commonly known as IOUs. They adopt this payment method because the books haven’t been sold yet, and if the trade is within the publishing industry bookstore, the return payment cycle would be even longer.

And the paper and printing fees owed by bookstore owners are generally also paid with promissory notes, so many publishers can issue twenty-odd works a year without spending a dime. If two or three books sell well, the earned money just makes up for those unsold ones, and in this way, they can print books one after another, and bookstores can barely maintain.

But if they’re unlucky, constantly encountering works that only a small group of readers appreciate, or if the bills sent for discounting have issues, or are affected by others’ bankruptcy, these people will carelessly declare bankruptcy.

They are not worried at all because this result was within their expectation. Because no matter what the situation is, the stakes they use to bet on the speculative gambling tables are others’ capital, not theirs.

Of course, these people aren’t spending no money at all, it’s just that most of their expenditure usually goes on treating reporters, writers, and critics to meals and shows, and of course, restaurants and theaters only accept cash, not promissory notes.

And the difference between the ”British” and other magazine and publishing companies is that its shareholders are all the writers of this association. Every penny they earn is squeezed out by the shareholders letter by letter; if they lose money, it’s really a loss, so they find it difficult to be as carefree in printing issues as their peers.

But such a business model doesn’t come without any advantages. At least, most authors like Heine prefer to cooperate with the ”British” because it is the only publisher he has encountered that pays with promissory notes instead of deferred payment.

What’s written today can get paid in cash the next day, so whatever the ”British” ask Heine to write—be it an admiring article or a scolding one—this great poet never refuses.

”Mr. Gasoline is very interested in representing Eld Carter’s books?”

Arthur leisurely and methodically cut the chicken leg on his plate with a dining knife. His tone wasn’t heavy, but it was enough for Gasoline to hear the hesitation in his heart.

Everyone in this line of business clearly knows the needs of industry peers, but today he is determined to secure the agency rights for Eld Carter’s books. For this, he didn’t mind pulling strings, enlisting Hugo and the reputable Henry Dracett from London.

And the reason these French publishers are vying for Mr. Carter’s works has to be credited to the popularity of Sir Walter Scott’s works in France. If one were to select the greatest British writer in history, Shakespeare’s status is of course unshakable. But if one were to select the best-selling British author in France, it must be Walter Scott.

Ever since Walter Scott’s historical novels became popular in France, the Parisian publishing industry has paid special attention to British products. These publishers and bookstore owners have shown the courage of the ”Conqueror William” by scouring London thoroughly, desperately searching for works similar to Walter Scott’s.

In Paris today, if you randomly find a historical novel on a bookshelf, regardless of its plot, the book’s cover will undoubtedly have the title ”A Novel in the Style of Walter Scott” printed in bold letters.

With the sudden passing of Sir Walter Scott, the saddest, of course, is Britain, followed by France.