p. 22 | The Publishing Work in Great Britain by W. C. SISLEY

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 3, 1909

The Publishing Work in Great Britain

By W. C. SISLEY

W. C. SISLEY

It affords me great pleasure to report that a good degree of prosperity has attended the publishing work of the British Union Conference. This department has moved steadily forward. Since the last General Conference we have moved our publishing business from London to Stanborough Park, Watford, into a new factory built and owned by the British Union Conference. We are glad to report that these new premises are proving in every way satisfactory. We now own a fairly well-equipped printing plant, giving employment to 32 persons. We can now do all our own printing. We have four cylinder presses kept constantly at work printing our denominational literature. Though our membership is small, we have been enabled, by the blessing of God upon the earnest efforts of our workers and people—in all 1,674—to place a large amount of most excellent reading-matter in the homes of some millions of the great population of our field.

We have sold, during the last four years, exclusive of our considerable foreign trade, 168,947 books, 6,871,649 periodicals, 23,382 pamphlets, and 964,163 tracts, at a total retail value of $310,221.57; or a yearly average of 42,237 books, 1,717,912 periodicals, 5,840 pamphlets, and 241,041 tracts, at an average annual retail value of $77,555.

We have 207 regular book and periodical canvassers, an average of one out of every eight of our members. During the last four years, averaging the sales by our total membership, there were sold for each member 101 books, 4,105 periodicals, 14 pamphlets, and 565 tracts, at a retail value of $185.32. When we consider these amounts, it will be well to bear in mind the fact that the most of our literature sells in the British Isles at from 20 to 50 per cent less than in the States, Australia, and many other countries.

The net profits of our publishing work during the past four years have been $19,878. The tract society has donated that sum and $12,832 more of its former profits, or a total of $32,710, to the British Union property fund. It is hoped by the blessing of God, that the publishing house will be able to continue to do something substantial along this line annually. [Hearty amens were heard.]

I have often been asked the question, “How is it that you good people in Great Britain, with so small a membership, can sell so much literature?” To this I fear I have never given a very satisfactory answer. About all I can say is that our people love the truth, and more of them in proportion have a mind to work for it than you can find in most countries. Where can you find a union conference where one person out of every eight devotes himself to the sale of our books and papers? If one in every eight out of the 100,000 members in the world would act as agents, you would have 12,500 of them, instead of about 4,000. If the 60,000 members in the United States sold as many papers in proportion as our British brethren do, this country would sell more than 61,500,000 papers each year; and if the members in the world sold as much literature per capita as we do in Great Britain, their total sales would reach the enormous sum of about $5,791,250 a year.

I have never heard any one say that we had too many agents in Great Britain, or that we work them too hard. On the contrary, I have heard it said that we ought to have as many again workers, and all ought to do much better work. Those managing our field are by no means satisfied, and never will be until our “good is better, and our better best.” We are, by the help of God, trying hard to practise Pompey’s idea of “parseverance,” which, according to his definition, is, “Take hold fast, hang on, stick to it, never let go.” We have taken hold; we are sticking to it; and, by the grace of God, we never mean to let go until the work is done.