Early printers faced lethal financial risk in guessing print run sizes

Evidence

The printer, although he may have had a few customers in mind, had to speculate how many buyers might be found for 300, 500 or 1,000 copies, and where those buyers might be. Several hundred buyers would rarely be found in the same city: the market for a substantial Latin edition might well be dispersed around Europe. Underestimating demand would rob the printer of additional profit; overestimating demand was financially lethal, as investment had been sunk into unsaleable printed sheets. — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 171

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 171
• XREF: connects to: Early printers shifted book production from commission to speculation — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 171

Broader Connections

• Early printers shifted book production from commission to speculation #expands (0.85) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 171