Spiritist Communications and PublicityThe issue of publicity of the Spiritist communications is the complement to the general organization that was discussed in our previous issue. While the Spiritist circle grows, the number of mediums increase and with that the number of communications. For some time now those communications have shown a remarkable development with respect to the style, ideas and scope of the subjects that are discussed. The growth follows the very development of the science and the Spirits gauge the elevation of their teachings based on the development of the ideas. That happens in the local provinces, abroad and in Paris, as demonstrated by some examples that we receive and publish in the Review.
The Spirits aim with the general instruction and propagation of the principles of the Doctrine by giving those communications is to spread the message as opposed to keeping it hidden... Another important advantage is to demonstrate the ability of spontaneous teaching from the Spirits concerning all fundamental points and the neutralization of the influence of wrong methodologies, proving their isolation.
It is therefore necessary to examine the means of publicity that can best achieve that objective and for that reason there are two points to be taken into account: the media that offers the best reach to the publicity and the most adequate conditions to produce a favorable impression on the reader, given a judicious choice of subject matter and the presentation itself. The best works are sometimes dead on arrival for not taking into account certain and perhaps simply formal details. This observation results from experience. Certain editors are skilled with that respect, developing a feeling for the taste of the general public, something that allows them to promptly assess the chances of success of a given publication, regardless of its intrinsic merit.
The development taken by the Spiritist communications makes it virtually impossible to include all of them in the Review. The incorporation of everything would force the Review to grow that would make it unaffordable by many people. Hence there is the need to find the means of offering it to everybody in the best possible condition. For starters let us examine the pros and cons of the several means that could be employed.
1st – Local periodical publications. These pose two inconveniences. First, that of being almost always limited to the region; second is the fact that a periodical must be offered on pre- established dates, requiring administrative controls and regular expenses that must somehow be covered or pay the price of interruption. If the great media that reaches the public in general sometimes has difficulties to survive that would be even more justifiably true in the case of a publication that addresses a limited public since it would be impractical to count on many external subscribers, particularly if the publications grew in number.
2nd – Local non-periodical publications. A society, a group or some groups of the same town could gather their communications in independent brochures, like it was done in Metz, publishing them on undetermined dates. From a financial point of view this method is preferable to the preceding one since one can stop its publication at any time. However, there is always the issue of restriction in the publicity. There would be the need to cover for the costs of ads to spread before those costs, or there should be the need for a central book store with many representatives in charge of that but then there is another difficulty that comes out of that. Booksellers in general do not have a lot of good will with books that were not edited by them; besides, they do not want to load their representatives with publications of lesser importance to them or of uncertain acceptance, sometimes carried out in bad commercial condition given their format and price, forcing them to cover for the costs of returns in addition to discounts. These are considerations ignored by most authors who do not understand the business of book selling, letting alone the matter that some writers are surprised by the fact of not finding any editor interested in their works that they consider excellent. Even the authors who cover the costs of having their works published must remember that regardless of the advantages offered to the booksellers the work must please the public if in terms of the business they are not negotiable.
Our apologies to our readers for getting into so much material aspects on talking about spiritual works but it is precisely in the interest of propagation of good things that we want to forearm against the illusions of inexperience.
3rd – Individual publications of the mediums. Every consideration above is naturally applicable to the isolated publications that certain mediums could produce with the communications they receive. However, in addition to the fact that the majority of those mediums cannot do that there is another inconvenience: these, in general, have a trait of uniformity that make them dull, thus diminishing their appeal the more they were produced. They would only be attractive when treating a given subject, encompassing that subject as a whole, be it from a single or from several Spirits.
Such considerations are not absolute and there will certainly be exceptions. One must agree though that they rest on some foundation of truth. As a matter of fact what was said above does not aim at imposing our opinion that each person may consider or neglect. Fact is that since we all publish with the intention of achieving a result, we feel that it is our duty to expose the causes of deception.
The inconveniences that we have just mentioned above seem completely overcome by a central and collective publication that Mr. Didier & Co. is about to issue under the title ‘Bibliothèque du monde invisible’. It will encompass a series of large volumes (18 in) with about 250 pages, by a fixed price of 2 francs. Each volume will be numbered and sold separately so that those interested may acquire the number of their choice without the need to purchase others of no interest. That collection without fixed limits will offer an opportunity for the publication of mediumistic works from the several centers with the advantage of a very ample publicity through the correspondents. Something that this editor cannot do through isolated brochures can be done through a collection that may prove very important.
The name ‘Library of the Invisible World’ is the general title of the collection. Each volume might have a special title to indicate the subject and the origin and will benefit the author without the need that each author get involved with areas they are not as familiar. It is a collective publication but without solidarity among the producers and where each one participates on their own risk subjected to the chances of merit of their work, but enjoying a common publicity.
It is not the intention of the editor to publish everything that is sent to them. On the contrary, they express their freedom with a strict selection. The works that have been published under the sponsorship of their authors may take part in the collection, provided that they are accepted and obey the conditions of format and price.
We personally have no connection with that publication and its administration and that has nothing in common with The Spiritist Review or with the other specialized works about this matter. We give it our blessings and our moral support because we believe it to be useful and the best open avenue of publication to the mediums, groups and societies. We shall contribute with that work as anyone else and only taking responsibility for the material that carries our name.
Besides the special works that we can offer to that collection we will give it a few volumes composed of select communications under the title ‘Portefeuille spirite’, out of some communications obtained in our meetings in Paris and some from those sent to us by mediums and groups in France and abroad that correspond with us and do not want to move on with individual publications. These communications will have the attractiveness of the variety since they come from different sources. According to the circumstances we will add the observations necessary to their understanding and development. Special attention will be given to the order, classification and the table of matter.
Since we do not aim at any personal profit from those publications our intention is to revert the proceeds that are our own right to the free distribution of our works about Spiritism to those who cannot afford to purchase the books or any other application found useful to the propagation of Spiritism, according to the established conditions.
Such a plan seems to attend the requirements and we have no doubt that it will be well received by every sincere friend of Spiritism.
