The value and success of an invention depends upon its demonstrated usefulness to those for whose use it is intended, and their desire to avail themselves of the same.

It very often devolves on the inventor to give that value to it, a task which will not be found easy, especially to the novice.

The first necessary steps to force an invention into the market is to procure as many representative references from people using his invention as possible. This may necessitate placing his machine on trial for a certain length of time, and personally demonstrating its usefulness; also educating other operators to operate his machine advantageously.

The inventor will find ample opportunity to display his forebearance at this stage of the game, as he will find at the beginning, "no one poor enough to do his invention reverence." And it is one of the strange things that one observes in life, that many people who have not sufficient energy and intelligence to raise themselves beyond the very humblest and meanest occupations in life, consider themselves amply qualified to criticise, and even make suggestions on inventions that some of the best brains have spent their best on.

But this is a condition that must be reckoned with and overcome in introducing a new machine on the market, and the inventor will find it to his advantage to use every possible means to persuade and win over those who will have to operate his machine, as well as to demonstrate to the proprietor himself the usefulness of the invention; and sometimes even he may find it to his advantage to furnish an educated operator for the machine.

If his means are limited, which is often the case, he will have to act as his own salesman, advertisement-writer, and press-agent until the invention becomes firmly established in the market. To go out in the cold, wide world and solicit orders even on approval for a new invention requires considerable adaptability, pluck, patience, and hard work. Very often success or failure depends upon the initial exertions in that direction.

No fixed rules can be laid down for that kind of work. To be successful, it must be varied with the nature and the disposition of every individual who does the selling and buying. But generally speaking, it is a safe rule for a salesman to observe, "Brevity, Directness, Simplicity, and Politeness," as the average business man is, by force of circumstances, homeopathic. They like "Talks" in small quantities, concentrated form, and sugar-coated.

Sometimes silence, the ability to keep one's mouth closed, and to respectfully listen to a loquacious prospective buyer, will secure an order for a machine, where a disposition to do all the talking, however "silvery" will not accomplish the same "golden" results.

Another important factor in introducing a machine into the market is advertising by mail.

Painstaking exertions coupled with the required ability to get up a proper circular, which should include a clear cut, half-tone preferably, of the machine to be sold, a concise explicit statement of the nature of the machine, and its capacity, and its advantages over previous or other methods of doing the same work.

In wording and phrasing your circular, observe simplicity. A list of references will materially enhance your chances of securing attention, as most people are willing to say "Me Too," where you could never get them to say "I."

In the general get-up of your circular it is best to have such an arrangement as will readily go into an ordinary business envelope, without folding. If, however, it must be folded, it must be so arranged that the fold so creased will not come at a vital point. Plain, clear type of convenient size, on good white paper, and black ink, is better than rainbow colors. However, a different color for a few words now and then for emphasis, is permissible, and may help to bring out certain points which you wish the prospective buyer's attention called to.

The general get-up of the circular must be of such a nature and form, that the prospective buyer of average intelligence will be attracted by it, and will get a general idea of what it has to tell him at a glance.

It is even best to leave the price of the article off the circular, as that will induce people to inquire for it, and give one a chance to get in touch with those who are interested, while those who would not even inquire for the price, would not buy any way.

Another means for introducing a new invention on the market, is in "write-ups" of the same in the daily papers, magazines, and trade papers; as very unfortunately a good many people would not pay any attention to circulars, and would not find time to grant a personal interview to a solicitor, yet they do look up printed matter in the form of a newspaper, magazine, or trade-paper, and very often get their own views on any subject from the general tone of the article they read.

These articles require considerable intelligence, care, and literary ability to prepare, and more to get them printed, as they naturally have to vary in tone and style with the paper, or magazine they are printed in.

It is more or less easy to get a write-up in a trades-paper for an article that comes within its sphere, and very often the editor of that magazine will be willing to do the writing-up, from circulars furnished to him or from observations of the machines as a news item, for the dual purpose of furnishing its readers with useful information, and of obtaining advertising patronage from the beneficiary.

In other magazines, it will require more ingenuity and literary merit to get in at all, and except in very rare instances, it would be best for the inventor to turn that part of the business over to some one who has experience in that line of work, and knows "how."