The Life of Charlotte Brontë — Volume 1Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn
General
The Life of Charlotte Brontë — Volume 1
Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn
Brontë, Charlotte, 1816-1855; Novelists, English -- 19th century -- Biography
It is evident from the whole tenor of this correspondence, that the
truthfulness and probity of the firm of publishers with whom she had to
deal in this her first literary venture, were strongly impressed upon her
mind, and was followed by the inevitable consequence of reliance on their
suggestions. And the progress of the poems was not unreasonably lengthy
or long drawn out. On April 20th she writes to desire that three copies
may be sent to her, and that Messrs. Aylott will advise her as to the
reviewers to whom copies ought to be sent.
I give the next letter as illustrating the ideas of these girls as to
what periodical reviews or notices led public opinion.
"The poems to be neatly done up in cloth. Have the goodness to send
copies and advertisements, _as early as possible_, to each of the
undermentioned periodicals.
"'Colburn's New Monthly Magazine.'
"'Bentley's Magazine.'
"'Hood's Magazine.'
"'Jerrold's Shilling Magazine.'
"'Blackwood's Magazine.'
"'The Edinburgh Review.'
"'Tait's Edinburgh Magazine.'
"'The Dublin University Magazine.'
"Also to the 'Daily News' and to the 'Britannia' papers.
"If there are any other periodicals to which you have been in the habit
of sending copies of works, let them be supplied also with copies. I
think those I have mentioned will suffice for advertising."
In compliance with this latter request, Messrs. Aylott suggest that
copies and advertisements of the work should be sent to the "Athenaeum,"
"Literary Gazette," "Critic," and "Times;" but in her reply Miss Bronte
says, that she thinks the periodicals she first mentioned will be
sufficient for advertising in at present, as the authors do not wish to
lay out a larger sum than two pounds in advertising, esteeming the
success of a work dependent more on the notice it receives from
periodicals than on the quantity of advertisements. In case of any
notice of the poems appearing, whether favourable or otherwise, Messrs.
Aylott and Co. are requested to send her the name and number of those
periodicals in which such notices appear; as otherwise, since she has not
the opportunity of seeing periodicals regularly, she may miss reading the
critique. "Should the poems be remarked upon favourably, it is my
intention to appropriate a further sum for advertisements. If, on the
other hand, they should pass unnoticed or be condemned, I consider it
would be quite useless to advertise, as there is nothing, either in the
title of the work, or the names of the authors, to attract attention from
a single individual."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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