The literature agent for the Socialist Party in Philadelphia describes their technique in spreading the Good News.

‘Philadelphia’s Method of Selling Literature’ by George N. Cohen from the New York Socialist. Vol. 18 No. 8. May 23, 1908.

When visitors come to the headquarters of the Socialist Party of Philadelphia the first thing that strikes their eyes is the vast assortment of literature displayed in the bookcases. They are pleasantly surprised when they learn that these books are the property of Local Philadelphia and for sale. Very few leave the place without buying some. It may be a book that is sold nowhere else in America or a set of Walter Crane’s inimitable cartoons. Often it is some book published by a capitalist publishing house, which the Socialists have not been keeping track of. The trend of events has forced them to go into the Socialist publishing business, something undreamed of a decade ago. These books are difficult to get at ordinary book stores and most Socialists don’t know of their existence. The visitor wants to know how this accumulation of books came to be, where they came from, and who buys them? It is difficult to make people understand that we sold $1,400 worth of literature the past year, of which about 30 per cent was clear profit.

For the benefit of our visitors and the Socialist locals, this article is written explaining the methods we pursue and how we obtain the results.

STREET MEETINGS.

At the beginning of the 1904 campaign there was no satisfactory method of selling literature on the streets. The writer, who attended the first meeting in the campaign of that year, noticed lost opportunities, the Audience leaving the meeting without reading matter, after having listened to the speaker for nearly two hours.

I made it my business to take a bundle of pamphlets to the next meeting, and was surprised to see how easily they could be sold. Since then literature has been for sale at all meetings.

This is our present method. The local literature agent prepares a bundle of 20 to 100 pamphlets for each meeting. A comrade from the section in which the meeting is to be held who has charge of all the literature for that section, calls at headquarters each week for his bundles and makes returns for the meetings of the week before. A different pamphlet is sent to each corner each week. As far as possible speakers have for sale at their meetings the pamphlets they prefer. The pamphlets are introduced either between speeches or at the close of the meeting, when the comrades take them thru the audience. Subscription cards are also for sale.

INDOOR MEETINGS.

The local literature agent or his assistants take a few suitcases full of books and pamphlets of various kinds and quantity varying with the size of the meeting. A large quantity of one title, something written by the speaker or appropriate to the meeting is the specialty and is introduced when the meeting is called to order. After the especial qualities of the book have been extolled comrades stationed in different parts of the hall pass thru the audience. When such methods are pursued sales often average 5 cents per person.

When advertising a meeting on throwaway cards we use one side to advertise the particular book we intend to push.

PRECINCT WORK.

The branches get literature and subscription cards from the local on credit and hand them out to the comrades who do the canvassing.

When the canvassers reach a person who is willing to read they try to sell him a book and subscription to a paper. If this is not possible they leave a book on credit or to be called for after having been read.

The branch or canvasser pays for any pamphlets distributed free.

When the literature is sold to branches it is at a slight margin above cost, but when it is to be distributed free it is sold at cost.

HEADQUARTERS.

Three large bookcases display the stock which contains all the good literature we know of on the question of Socialism and its kindred sciences that is published in the United States and England by Socialist and capitalist publishing houses. More than 100 different books are for sale. There are always comrades about capable of explaining the contents of the books. Subscriptions are taken for the most prominent papers. Buttons, post cards and lithographs are also for sale. When any new pamphlet is issued that is likely to find a sale, 100 are usually bought. Capitalist publishing houses supply a large percentage of our cloth bound books. Cloth bound books are bought in lots up to 25 of a title and paper bound up to 1,000.

So many people buy books here that the sales on Saturday and Sunday combined often amount to $20. During the past year 8,030 paper and 888 cloth books were sold.

WHAT TO READ ON SOCIALISM.

Demands for a systematic course of reading compelled us to issue a circular for students. One side contains reasons for making a study of the Socialist movement and the other gives the desired course of reading which is divided in the following sections. 1. Introductory: 2. Science and Philosophy: 3. History of Socialism; 4. Economics; 5. Interpretation of History.

The first edition of 5,000 is already exhausted.

CONCLUSION.

If your local will elect someone who has a fair knowledge of the literature of Socialism and is always reading and is willing to devote his time to this work, there is no reason why your members should not become better educated and fitted to carry on the propaganda. Thousands of pieces of literature will be distributed that wouldn’t be otherwise and at the same time you would make enough profit to pay the rent of your headquarters.

We welcome suggestions on this matter or explanation of different methods. Any additional Information will be cheerfully furnished by the literature agent, 1305 Arch street, Philadelphia, Pa.

The New York Call was the first English-language Socialist daily paper in New York City and the second in the US after the Chicago Daily Socialist. The paper was the center of the Socialist Party and under the influence of Morris Hillquit, Charles Ervin, Julius Gerber, and William Butscher. The paper was opposed to World War One, and, unsurprising given the era’s fluidity, ambivalent on the Russian Revolution even after the expulsion of the SP’s Left Wing. The paper is an invaluable resource for information on the city’s workers movement and history and one of the most important papers in the history of US socialism. The paper ran from 1908 until 1923.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/the-people-the-worker/080523-newyorksocialist-v18n08-spaconvention.pdf