Robinson Crusoe was an instant bestseller in 1719, yet Daniel Defoe never became rich from it. Why not? In this episode, we look at how authors made (and failed to make) money in the early 18th century, and how printers like William Taylor profited far more than the writers themselves.

Books Discussed

Robinson Crusoe (1719) — Daniel Defoe
The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1719) — Daniel Defoe
Serious Reflections During the Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1720) — Daniel Defoe
Journal of the Plague Year (1722) — Daniel Defoe
Moll Flanders (1722) — Daniel Defoe
Frankenstein (1818) — Mary Shelley
The Martian (2014) — Andy Weir

People Referenced

00:16 - Daniel Defoe — Author of Robinson Crusoe, pamphleteer, journalist, and one of the early writers of the novel
00:55 - William Taylor — London printer and bookseller who published Robinson Crusoe
01:25 - Nathaniel Mist — Printer and publisher of Mist’s Weekly Journal, for whom Defoe worked while secretly reporting to the government
13:15 - Mary Shelley — Author of Frankenstein
15:30 - Charles Dickens — 19th-century novelist who published many works as serials
15:35 - Louisa May Alcott — Author of Little Women, also serialized before book publication
15:20 - Rose Wilder Lane — Daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who targeted serialization markets in the 1930s
15:40 - Andy Weir — Author of The Martian, first published as a serialized story on his blog

Episode Links

Episode 11: Defoe, the Pillory, and Seditious Libel
Episode 3: Laura Ingalls Wilder (part 1)
Episode 4: Laura Ingalls Wilder (part 2)