In the Centre of a half-page
of white paper were the lines:
SOLD OUT IN ONE DAY!
ENTIRE FIRST EDITION
THE DEAD HEAT
BY
CHAMPNEYS CARTER
SECOND EDITION ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND
In Heaven's name! " roared Carter. "What does this mean?"
"It means," cried Dolly tremulously, "I'm backing my dream. I've
always believed in your book. Now, I'm backing it. Our lawyers sent
me to an advertising agent. His name is Spink, and he is awfully
clever. I asked him if he could advertise a book so as to make it
sell. He said with my money and his ideas he could sell last year's
telephone book to people who did not own a telephone, and who had
never learned to read. He is proud of his ideas. One of them was
buying out the first edition. Your publishers told him your book
was 'waste paper,' and that he could have every copy in stock for
the cost of the plates. So he bought the whole edition. That's how
it was sold out in one day. Then we ordered a second edition of one
hundred thousand, and they're printing it now.
"The presses have been working all night to meet the demand!"
"But," cried Carter, " there isn't any demand! "
"There will be," said Dolly, "when five million people read our
advertisements."
She dragged him to the window and pointed triumphantly into the
street.
"See that!" she said.
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