shadow of britain

Chapter 704 Cultural Trust: The First Step of Empire Publishing Group

This is a locomotive that pulls express trains, with two pairs of beautiful large axles, light and large wheels connected by steel arms, a broad chest, and a strong long face. Everything is logical and correct. This metal "creature" has supreme beauty and shows the exquisiteness of its ability to use it. Jack loves the locomotive very much and changed its name to a female one. He always calls it Li Chang with a caressing tenderness.

——Emile Zola, The Beast

Dumas angrily denounced the damage that various cheap and low-quality underground publications had brought to the entire publishing industry. Whether they were British, French, or German writers, writers from all over the world rarely reached any consensus on articles and opinions.

Their evaluations of each other usually range from "stinking garbage, too hard to wipe your butt with" to "a masterpiece that will never be seen again, I will never be able to write something of this level in my lifetime."

However, there is no doubt that they share the same desire to strangle pirates.

While the works of British authors such as Dickens, Disraeli, Hastings, and Carter were being plundered by American publishers, the works of French authors such as Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo were suffering from piracy in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and especially Belgium.

It's just that different people always have different views on things.

For example, Hugo, the new national treasure-level writer who is now in the limelight in France, has been fighting on the front line against pirates for many years. From time to time, you can see in Paris newspapers Hugo calling on his colleagues in the literary world to stand up against piracy.

Hugo said bluntly: "Let us establish literary property! The author is engaged in a noble mission, however, all the ancient monarchical laws refuse to recognize literary property. For what purpose? For slavery! Because the writer as the owner of literary property is a free writer, depriving him of his property is to deprive him of his independence. Therefore, as long as the author's rights are grasped too tightly, the purpose of enslaving thought can be achieved."

Hugo's view is indeed a unique and insightful idea. So what were the writers of "The Libertine" doing when French writers were struggling against pirates?

The fact is that most of the writers of The Brits don't have to do anything because their work is pirated far less than other British writers.

As for why?

Did the pirates in London feel that their works were not selling well?

Or was it because the editorial department of "The Brit" used some anti-theft encryption technology on the text content that was more advanced than that used two hundred years later?
No, of course not, this is because the person in charge of banning illegal publications appointed by the House of Commons Library Committee that year was Superintendent Arthur Hastings of Scotland Yard.

As we all know, Superintendent Hastings attaches great importance to this work and is very concerned about it. Since taking office, he has always insisted on cracking down on it with a "zero tolerance" attitude, and has spared no expense to give generous material rewards to the police team that cracks major piracy cases.

Thanks to the effective work of Superintendent Hastings, pirated copies of "The Limey" were usually printed the day before yesterday, the sales dens were destroyed yesterday, the lawsuits were sentenced today, and the people were reported to the hard labor camp tomorrow.

So when Arthur was shot at the Tower of London, the underground publishing world in London was in an uproar.

Although Arthur later "came back from the dead", because he had officially resigned from Scotland Yard and was later kicked out to Hanover, the underground publishing community, despite being disappointed, could not help but feel happy about the good days to come.

As expected, as soon as Arthur left, the pirates returned to their old ways and were ready to get their hands on the fat piece of meat called "The Limey".

However, what the pirates did not expect was that although Hastings was no longer in Britain, his spirit would remain forever.

Who would have thought?

Who would have thought!

This bastard Hastings is actually involved in organized crime!

Back when he was at Scotland Yard, at least things were done in a proper manner.

But now that he's gone, the guys under Fiona's command are much worse than the police officers at Scotland Yard.

Moreover, since pirates are engaged in shady business, people dare not call the police when they encounter such things.

Even if some mentally disturbed people really went there, the police officers from Scotland Yard never treated them well, and it was common for them to take sides.

Now, the entire London piracy community has become a typical example of being afraid of ropes for ten years after being bitten by a snake once.

Although occasionally there are some young people who have just entered the industry and do not understand the rules, they rely on the courage of a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger and want to seek wealth and fame by taking risks.

However, those large-scale pirates would feel their calves trembling and would lower their heads and take a detour as soon as they saw the name "The Brit".

Therefore, although the works of "The Brit" were also pirated, the degree was far less serious than that of other magazines.

Of course, we are only discussing piracy in Britain.

Since Arthur did not successfully develop a transatlantic police business, the American publishers, who were far away from him, didn't care about you at all. If "The Litter" was published, they would steal it. They were so shameless.

However, perhaps it is precisely because the authors of "The Limey" have all enjoyed the benefits of Arthur being a policeman, so no matter whether they say it or not, they all hope in their hearts that their friend can continue to rise to prominence and achieve great things.

This is also reflected in their collective support for Disraeli's candidacy for Member of Parliament. Mr. Disraeli's election was partly due to his personal efforts and the course of history, but on the other hand, it should also be taken into account that the authors of "The Litter" at the time all contributed money and effort.

Otherwise, given Disraeli's poor financial situation, how could he possibly come up with two or three thousand pounds for his campaign?
The broad road leading to the Palace of Westminster for Mr. Benjamin Disraeli, Member of the House of Commons, was paved by his friends with one-pound notes, and the road was paved with real gold, without any silver mixed in.

Therefore, when Arthur frankly told his friends the lessons he had recently learned from the Caucasus incident, even Disraeli, who was most concerned about economic interests, lowered his opposition.

Publishing cheap magazines may not be economical, but the benefits of expanding the readership and enhancing the influence of public opinion helped Disraeli even more than it helped Arthur.

Because for someone like Arthur who aspires to be an official, public opinion is mainly to cover up for him, such as preventing Palmerston from liquidating him, etc. However, public opinion cannot be the decisive factor in his promotion. Whether he can succeed in his career is still in the hands of the people who appoint him.

But for a member of parliament like Disraeli who relies on votes to make a living, public opinion is almost everything to him. If he can really get enough support in the public opinion level, then he can even realize his bold words back then - I don't care what party I belong to, I stand here independently without the support of any party.

Once Disraeli turned against us, things became much easier.

Because Dickens, who always regarded Arthur as a benefactor, always followed his lead in making decisions on the affairs of "The Limey". When Tennyson was at the bottom of his life after dropping out of Cambridge, it was Arthur who reached out and pulled him out of the abyss.

As for Dumas, this heartless guy has always been quite opinionated, but this fat man has always had a problem with money. How can a person who goes wherever there is danger worry about investment failure? Moreover, Dumas admires people like Hugo who can become opinion leaders more than being a rich man. If "The Englishman" can provide such an opportunity, even if it is only a little bit, he will be happy to invest money in it.

As for Heine...

Not to mention that Heine joined "The Limey" relatively late, had little influence and did not have much equity.

Considering that Arthur had paid his bills many times before and that "The Englishman" had continuously paid him royalties, he had long been fascinated by Arthur's visible big hand waving the pen in a dashing manner.

If you still don't understand, you might want to take a look at the literary review Heine wrote for "The Englishman" in the Paris "Constitution" last year.

——Recently, we often see Parisian readers discussing the emerging genre of detective novels. This new genre of novels originating from Britain is rapidly occupying various recommended book lists in Parisian bookstores. But who is the founder of this new genre? In London, the birthplace of detective novels, London readers generally believe that the source of detective novels is Mr. Arthur Sigmar.

——Or in other words, he is Sir Arthur Hastings, "Faraday from York", "Rossini who became famous in Leipzig", "Liszt of London". Oh, sorry, maybe it's a bit disrespectful to him to say this, Liszt should be called "Hastings of Paris", and it's a beggar version. Because this gentleman is not as versatile as Arthur, and he can't do anything except playing the piano...

Seeing that everyone expressed support for Arthur's opinion, Disraeli, after hesitating for a while, nodded in agreement with the attitude of "too many lice don't itch, too many debts don't worry". After all, what is the difference between owing 3,000 pounds of foreign debt and owing 4,000 pounds?
"Arthur, tell me about your plan."

For Arthur, writing a business plan was much more interesting than writing a boring and laborious diplomatic report.

This eccentric man, who had been working more than 1829-12 hours a day since 14, could not rest even after losing his official position.

"Although three-volume novels are still the mainstream in the market, we must pay attention to the changes that are currently taking place. Since the great success of The Brit, literary magazines that sell serial novels have sprung up one after another like mushrooms after rain."

Arthur proudly circled several major threats on the blackboard behind him: "First of all, I have never doubted the strength of the authors of our "The Limey". I can even say it more exaggeratedly. No matter "Blackwood", "Cornhill", "Temple Bar", no matter how our competitors slander us, "The Limey" is definitely the best in Britain in terms of the reserve of authors. We have Gauss in the field of fashion novels: Alexandre Dumas, Poisson in the British literary world: Charles Dickens, Voltaire in the field of political and folk novels: Benjamin Disraeli, the new Goethe in the German poetry world and Chaucer in the British poetry world: Heinrich Heine and Alfred Tennyson, and of course we also have Shakespeare in erotic literature: Mr. Elder Carter."

When Arthur said this, everyone couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Although they would not shamelessly admit that they are so capable, deep down, the ever-increasing sales performance has indeed given them great self-confidence.

Blackwood is no longer out of reach, and The Brit has already taken an advantage in this competition. Compared with the rigid classical literature, fashionable novels are indeed more popular with readers. Not to mention, The Brit actually has a killer weapon that cannot be put on the surface, most of its major works are anonymous, which grabs market share.

Arthur paced around the room with his hands behind his back. "If we exclude the high price of magazines, I believe that, under the premise of being able to afford it, British readers would rather buy a copy of The Brit than Blackwood to relieve their boredom. In addition to the stamp duty of 4 pence per copy, what limits us from expanding our publishing empire to a wider world is our printing efficiency and sales channels. As for the issue of publishing stamp duty, it is unlikely to turn around in the short term. As for the issue of printing efficiency, it will be greatly alleviated after we introduce new printing presses. Therefore, the issue we need to focus on now is mainly on sales channels. The Brit should not be limited to being a private publishing house, nor should we be too short-sighted and just be satisfied with doing publishing business. We should build our own bookstores, establish our own sales network, and become a great company covering content production, printing manufacturing, and offline sales..."

When Arthur said this, everyone couldn't help but swallow their saliva. Such a bright prospect was naturally very attractive, but it also brought new worries.

Disraeli could not help asking, "Arthur, I certainly agree with you. It all sounds wonderful. However, according to our financial resources, after purchasing a new printing press, we can only publish one or two cheap magazines at most. As for the bookstore you mentioned, you know how expensive houses are in London now... Moreover, although I am confident in our content, I still don't think we can support the entire bookstore's inventory with "The Brit"."

Arthur raised his hand to signal Disraeli to stop. "Benjamin, I understand your concerns. Although we are definitely not poor at the moment, we are not rich either. Therefore, in order to prepare for the beautiful vision of the future and to raise enough funds, we must make certain changes. In fact, yesterday, I made a special trip to the City of Finance and had a brief chat with Lionel about my ideas. Lionel assured me that if The Brit is really ready to reorganize from a private publishing house to a joint-stock company, Rothschild Bank is willing to become our listing sponsor and stock underwriter, and send professionals to sort out our accounting books and main business profit records to ensure that we can pass the review of generally accepted accounting standards."

"On...on the market?"

The bombshell released by Arthur immediately ignited the emotions in the editorial department. No one expected that Arthur would make such a bold proposal.

The reason they had not thought of this was not from lack of imagination but because there had never been a publishing company's shares on the London Stock Exchange before.

In the 19th century financial markets, there were far fewer types of companies available for stock investors to choose from than in later generations.

The stocks traded there are either manufacturing companies engaged in industrial production such as textiles, steel, and coal, or trade logistics companies mainly engaged in import and export, shipping, and railways. In addition, there are mostly financial companies engaged in banking and insurance, and real estate companies involved in real estate development and investment. At most, there are also some utility companies that provide infrastructure services such as water, electricity, and gas.

It was unheard of and unprecedented for a publishing house to go public, and even old companies like The Times had never imagined such a future.

Because in the eyes of most people, publishing is actually a relatively cheap business with low investment and low returns. Not only is there no need to go public for financing, but even if it goes public, it is not certain how much money can be raised.

Therefore, although Arthur's idea is good, it may not have any effect.

If the product is launched but the response is mediocre, it would be better to abandon the idea from the beginning.

But Arthur's next words once again surprised everyone.

"I know what you are worried about. Although our "The Brit" sells well, the output value of any coal mine taken out by those industrial companies is enough for us to run for ten years. I also took this into consideration when discussing with Lionel, but Lionel's opinion is that we either don't do it or we do something big. You may all know that Rothschild holds a lot of shares in "The Times", so if we go public this time, Lionel plans to persuade his father to package this part of the assets into this new listed company. Moreover, he also approved of my idea of ​​obtaining the exclusive right to operate the newsstands at the stations of the Manchester-Liverpool Railway Company, and is willing to continue to increase investment in us to help us obtain the exclusive right to operate the newsstands at the stations of the Great Western Railway under construction."

"You mean, linking our publishing business with railway construction?" Disraeli keenly grasped Arthur's intention.

Everyone knows what the hottest project in the London Stock Exchange right now is: railways!
Although the Manchester-Liverpool railway had an unfortunate incident during its opening ceremony, killing former Secretary of State Huskisson, no investor cared about who was killed by the locomotive after the railway delivered a luxurious financial report of 50 passengers in its first year of operation.

Because of this, the stock of the Great Western Railway, which was under construction, also rose in price. Investors such as Arthur who bought the company's stock in advance had already received more than five times the return on investment. As the money-making effect spread, investors who were unable to buy railway company stocks turned around and bought stocks of banks and insurance companies that held railway company shares.

In other words, these days, on the London Stock Exchange, as long as a company had anything to do with railways, its share price would take off.

Although Disraeli didn't know whether this new way of selling books at the station newsstand could make money, he knew that as long as the news got out, he would make it back from stocks sooner or later even if the newsstand didn't make money.

What's more, the Rothschild family was willing to merge their shares of The Times into the new company. Perhaps The Liter and The Times were not as profitable as industrial companies, but in terms of fame, ten industrial companies could not match any one of them.

Disraeli took a deep breath and asked, "Has the name of the listed company been decided?"

Arthur took a sip from his teacup. "It's called 'Empire Publishing'."

(End of this chapter)