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A Christmas Carol > A Christmas Carol Expenses

A Christmas Carol Expenses

Dickens' account with his printers for the first year after publication

Dec. 1843 - 1st Edition 6000 copies1

First Edition Expenses:

£s.d.
Printing7429
Paper8920
Drawings and Engravings49180
Two Steel Plates140
Printing Plates15176
Paper for do.7120
Colouring Plates120002
Binding18000
Incidents and Advertising16878
Commission148169
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Total85508

January to April 1844 - 2nd to 7th Editions 7000 Copies.

Expenses for Editions 2-7:

£s.d.
Printing58180
Paper103190
Printing Plates17100
Paper8174
Colouring Plates140002
Binding199182
Incidents and Advertising83583
Commission1071810
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Total72070

May to December 1844 - Another 2000 printed making total of 15,000 copies printed and 14,930 sold

Dickens' First Year Profits:

£s.d.
December 1843186167
January to April 1844349120
May to December 1844189115
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First Year Profit726004

Notes

1 - First edition of 6000 went on sale on Dec 19, 1843, Sold out by Christmas Day.

2 - Expenses were heavy. The color illustrations by John Leech were a large expense.

3 - The word is out and advertising costs are much less.

4 - Dickens' profits for the first year much less than expected.

Sources:
John Forster - The Life of Charles Dickens, 1872, v. 1, p. 344
Robert L. Patten - Charles Dickens and His Publishers, 1978



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