Note 63 to Chapter 5 of the author's Pegasus in Harness: Victorian Publishing and W. M. Thackeray, which University Press of Virginia published in 1992. It has been included in the Victorian Web with the kind permission of the author, who of course retains copyright.
Compare the £2,000 profit from Esmond with the dismal tale of novel after novel in the same format described by Sutherland, Novelists, with single print runs of 600 to 1,000 copies and profits of £300 or less. Many of those authors sold their copyrights and had no hope of sharing in any profits that might accrue front cheap editions.
Last modified: 4 April 2001