Were Victorian novelists paid by the page or line?

Question

Why are their books so long?

Answer 1

Many were serialised in 'magazines' so they had a chapter each issue, also why many chapters end with a 'cliff hanger' Some Victorians regarded novel writing as 'bread and butter' money, preferring to think of themselves as poets (which didn't earn so well but had more kudos). People think Thomas Hardy felt this way.

Answer 2

Let's take the first question: No, not all novelists were paid by the page or the line. Most writers of novels and romances were writing for an audience of the upper-classes, who had the luxury of plenty of time to read. (Remember--this was a time when the majority of folks could not read & write. Books were very expensive, and not until much later were there cheap paperbacks. People had fewer activities to entertain themselves--no radio, no TV, no movies, no recordings. Outside of big cities, people made their own entertainment by playing musical instruments or reading the Bible.) Readers wanted to get their money's worth, and so novels of 400 or 500 pages were not uncommon.

Having said that, ...yes , some writers like Charles DIckens were paid by the word--but that was because he wrote novels in installments that were serialized in magazines monthly. It may have taken a year or more of issues to complete a story. This was true of the likes of "Pickwick Papers" and "David Copperfield" and others. But he was an immensely successful writer, and received huge sums compared to other writers.

Another reason that Victorian prose seems so lengthy and verbose is that people actually spoke in longer sentences than we seem to do today. It was considered cultured and part of literature to be masters of the language. Many of our writers today would be hard-pressed to write such long form books.

Answer 3

Victorian novelists were not, uniformly, paid in any one way. Much like authors of today, they are paid in various forms, depending on the prose, publication, personal set up, etc.

Many less-than-impressive journalists were often paid by the line, but the answer that may be most germaine to your question is this: Some novels, Dickens' "Great Expectations" comes to mind, were released in parts, (serializations it's called) and so would often be trickled out in weekly or bi-weekly journals.

Answer 4

You probably dont want a serious answer to this, but I would guess that it is because back in Victorian times people needed something to keep them occupied becuase there were no games consoles or tv's to keep them busy.

So settling down with a long book would be the best option.

Sorry to sound boring and all that!

Answer 5

They were paid by the word.