The Remarkable Career of Frank A. Munsey

THE story of Frank A. Munsey's career, as told by
himself in a recent issue of Munsey's Magazine, is one
of the most inspiring chronicles of success in the pub-
lishing field of to-day. It is a sequel to an address
to the Canadian Press Association at Ottawa on "Get-
ting on in Journalisin," delivered nearly eleven years
ago. It tells how one of the great one-man concerns
-for Mr. Munsey is the sole owner-has been built
up. Among the many millions who know him only as
a publisher, few know what manner of man he is.
Mr. Munsey is a native of Maine, of ancestors in
which the Scotch-Irish Puritan predominates--a com-
bination and a State which have produced some of the

FRANK MUNSEY
America's GCmtest Maganeu Puub isher

best me n in the new world. He inheritted great firm-
ness which gave him the will and perseverance to
overcome the disheartening difficulties he has encoun-
tered. And this firmness must have been tempered by
a splendid home training which strongly developed his
conscientiousness. In fact, a high sense of honor
which stands out the more clearly in its modern busi-
ness surroundings, seems to be his most prominent
characteristic. Mr. Munsey's success is due to two
factors. He gave the readers what he knew they
wanted, and not what necessarily interested himself;
and he gave it tq them at cheap prices. To the latter

is tile his financial success. He effected economies in
paper and printing. The profits thus earned he at once
ptt into other improvements in the magazines and the
plant. To-day he is so far ahead that rival publishers
would have to spend millions to overtake him and even
then the chances are very much against them. Ten
years ago each sheet of paper was handled by at least
seven persons and the majority of the magazines are
still turned out in this way. Now the Munsey's are
printed froms a roll, folded, gathered, stitched and cov-
ered by almost one continuous operation. Much of
this inachinery is not duplicated anywhere. He spares
no expense when labor saving machinery is in ques-
tion. le has been known to give orders for over
$2Qo,ooo worth of presses to replace those not a year
old. Many of the improvements were suggested by
himself. All this success is not due to a special faculty
for publishing or machinery. If Mr. Munsey had gone
into railroading his improvements would have imate
the line tlie most popular route in North America, and
he would have effected economies that would smake
a one cent passenger rate look like extortion.
AN IMMENSE INCOME.
The net earnings from the publishing busilness,
totalling $1,200,000 in 1907, do not represent Mr.
Munsey's entire income. He has other interests whiich
bring him fully $300,000 a year more, which some day
Imay turn in quite as much as does his publishing.
Whlile tliis immense annual revenue must put him in a
class with not more than 25 others in the States, he
cliffers from nearly all of them in having attained this
position unaided by friends or money. The others
have had the benefit of the inspiration, experience and
the enormious capital provided for them by siarehold-
crs alnd finiancial institutions. Mr. Munsey cares little
for imoney itself, and does not regard it as the measure
*of his success, nearly all of his profit goes into the im-
provement and extension of his interescs. Of his per-
soiial expenditture fully three-fourths is sdevotedi to giv-
inlg pleasure to his friends. He is particularly loyal to
tlie compasnions of his boyhood and early business
ycars, and he is generous to a fault.
Mr. Munsey is unmarried and occupies a modest but
iiiagnificently furnished apartments in Sherry's, New
York. It is in the quiet of these rooms where he de-
velops the ideas that have made him. le rises early
and is usually at his office soon after eight. Unlike
most plodders, ie is a lightning worker. His staff
never know wliat to expect from him. All his great
m|oves have struck them like a thunderbolt. What
takes the average publisher mionths to get under way,
Muinsey has going in a week. And his preparation is
thorough; he provides for the smiallest detail, and often
sets right his owni highly paid experts. Comparison is
often imadte between Munsey and the two other stars
in the publishinlg world, Harmsworth, in England, and
Hearst, on this side. Their environmeint and charac-
teristics have been entirely different. Both the latter
had preparatory training under friends who showed
themi the way to success, and they had liberal capital
to start thein. They gaiied and now hold attention by
sensational appeals to the prejudices of the masses.
Munsey learnled and did everything unaided. He never
appeals to the prejudices, but always to the good taste
and good sense of the people. With him sensation
must always give way to accuracy.

Printer and Publiher

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January, I9o8

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