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stories as books.
She sent her first book to various publishers, but none of them
were interested in publishing it. Unlike the publishers, Potter felt
certain that the book would be a success, so in 1901, she paid one
publisher to print copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Because of
costs, this first version was in black and white. The book was quickly
sold out, so the publisher decided to publish a color version. This
became a bestseller, and the publisher made a lot of money from that
book and the other 22 books written later.
Potter's sense of business, though was shown in the way she
created and sold goods related to the books. After publishing the first
book, she made a doll of Peter Rabbit and patented* it. This was the
first time a character from a book had been patented. She then went
on to develop dolls, games, dishes, and other products. Today, we are
used to seeing toys and products connected with characters from
books for sale. Peter Rabbit, though, was the first of these. The
methods Potter developed to make a successful business out of her
children's books are the ones that are often used by entertainment
businesses today.
