Early printers employed several methods to sell their books, including leveraging established trade routes and directly marketing to specific demographics.
One significant strategy, particularly in Venice, involved selling books to ship captains. According to Palmer, printers in Venice could sell approximately five copies of a book to each ship captain leaving port. This created a mass-distribution mechanism, as ships carried religious texts, literature, and news across the known world. This was a crucial method in getting books beyond the immediate locale of the printer.
Here's a breakdown of methods early printers likely used:
- Direct Sales: Printers would sell books directly from their workshops.
- Trade Fairs: Participating in trade fairs allowed printers to reach a wider audience and connect with merchants.
- Commission Sales: Printers may have employed agents or booksellers on commission to sell their books in different locations.
- Ship Captains: As previously mentioned, selling to ship captains provided a distribution network to distant ports.
- Targeted Marketing: Printers would tailor the content and presentation of books to appeal to specific groups, such as religious orders or scholars.
- Networking with Universities: Printers often established connections with universities to sell scholarly works directly to students and faculty.
These strategies, combined with the novelty and increasing demand for printed materials, helped early printers establish a market for their books and contribute to the spread of knowledge.
