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So they rent an office nearby and Maxwell spends the whole trip. He's just like crashing seminars and luncheons and dinners and finding every scientist he can who's got a paper out and is like, hey man, sign an exclusive contract with me. I will give you money in exchange for the rights to everything you publish, right? And This isn't a lot of money for him.

So they rent an office nearby and Maxwell spends the whole trip. He's just like crashing seminars and luncheons and dinners and finding every scientist he can who's got a paper out and is like, hey man, sign an exclusive contract with me. I will give you money in exchange for the rights to everything you publish, right? And This isn't a lot of money for him.

I think he's giving these people like hundreds to thousands of dollars. But these are like, scientists aren't like rich men, traditionally, especially in this period. And paper publishing had never really been worth money before. So they're like, this is a great deal, right? You know, suddenly, finally, someone values my work.

I think he's giving these people like hundreds to thousands of dollars. But these are like, scientists aren't like rich men, traditionally, especially in this period. And paper publishing had never really been worth money before. So they're like, this is a great deal, right? You know, suddenly, finally, someone values my work.

I think he's giving these people like hundreds to thousands of dollars. But these are like, scientists aren't like rich men, traditionally, especially in this period. And paper publishing had never really been worth money before. So they're like, this is a great deal, right? You know, suddenly, finally, someone values my work.

So Maxwell is just like, he's like, he's basically just going door to door, finding every scientist and being like, what will it take to sign you right now, right? Like, he's like a Hollywood agent, but for nuclear physicists.

So Maxwell is just like, he's like, he's basically just going door to door, finding every scientist and being like, what will it take to sign you right now, right? Like, he's like a Hollywood agent, but for nuclear physicists.

So Maxwell is just like, he's like, he's basically just going door to door, finding every scientist and being like, what will it take to sign you right now, right? Like, he's like a Hollywood agent, but for nuclear physicists.

Right, exactly, yes. And no one had ever done this in the field of science, right? This is still a gentleman's endeavor. And journals tended to be focused on what they were interested in publishing, right? So they didn't like seek people out, you know?

Right, exactly, yes. And no one had ever done this in the field of science, right? This is still a gentleman's endeavor. And journals tended to be focused on what they were interested in publishing, right? So they didn't like seek people out, you know?

Right, exactly, yes. And no one had ever done this in the field of science, right? This is still a gentleman's endeavor. And journals tended to be focused on what they were interested in publishing, right? So they didn't like seek people out, you know?

If you were a nuclear physicist and you had a paper, you'd go to the journal that did that and you would send them the paper and maybe they'd get to it eventually, right? So Maxwell's coming up with a fucking check, that's shocking to people, right? Don Frank, a competing publisher, considered this dishonest. But it worked.

If you were a nuclear physicist and you had a paper, you'd go to the journal that did that and you would send them the paper and maybe they'd get to it eventually, right? So Maxwell's coming up with a fucking check, that's shocking to people, right? Don Frank, a competing publisher, considered this dishonest. But it worked.

If you were a nuclear physicist and you had a paper, you'd go to the journal that did that and you would send them the paper and maybe they'd get to it eventually, right? So Maxwell's coming up with a fucking check, that's shocking to people, right? Don Frank, a competing publisher, considered this dishonest. But it worked.

What made Pergamon so profitable was the fact that, and this is something that he realizes as a result of his conversations with Ferdinand, every university... Every government scientific organization in the entire Western world needs access to all of the relevant research in their field as it's being published. This means subscriptions to every relevant journal are a necessity.

What made Pergamon so profitable was the fact that, and this is something that he realizes as a result of his conversations with Ferdinand, every university... Every government scientific organization in the entire Western world needs access to all of the relevant research in their field as it's being published. This means subscriptions to every relevant journal are a necessity.

What made Pergamon so profitable was the fact that, and this is something that he realizes as a result of his conversations with Ferdinand, every university... Every government scientific organization in the entire Western world needs access to all of the relevant research in their field as it's being published. This means subscriptions to every relevant journal are a necessity.

If you're a college and you have a bunch of different scientific programs, you're going to be subscribed to basically every journal there is. The first thing Maxwell realizes is like, well, they'll pay whatever I charge. Right? If I have exclusive rights, no one else can publish these things. I can charge as much as I want. And obviously, once he makes money, competition enters.

If you're a college and you have a bunch of different scientific programs, you're going to be subscribed to basically every journal there is. The first thing Maxwell realizes is like, well, they'll pay whatever I charge. Right? If I have exclusive rights, no one else can publish these things. I can charge as much as I want. And obviously, once he makes money, competition enters.

If you're a college and you have a bunch of different scientific programs, you're going to be subscribed to basically every journal there is. The first thing Maxwell realizes is like, well, they'll pay whatever I charge. Right? If I have exclusive rights, no one else can publish these things. I can charge as much as I want. And obviously, once he makes money, competition enters.