The Tyrant Billionaire

Playboy's sample print was placed on Hardy's desk. The cover featured a sexy photo of Hedy Lamarr, her face exuding elegance and grace.

This cover alone was enough to draw people's attention to the magazine.

The opening line was simple.

"We should enjoy a life like this: in our own apartment, mix a few cocktails, prepare a couple of appetizers, play some ambient music on the phonograph, invite a lovely lady, and quietly discuss Picasso, Nietzsche, jazz, and love."

The entire magazine has a total of 48 pages, including 16 pages of copperplate printed sexy photos of beautiful women. In addition to the photos, the articles inside do not contain any low-level erotic content.

The interview with Hedy Lamarr started from her birth, covering her marriage, Hollywood, film making, her understanding of art, and more, encapsulating her experiences over the years.

She was born in Vienna, Austro Hungarian Empire, to a Jewish family. Her father was a banker, and her mother a pianist. Smart and beautiful from a young age, she grew up in a privileged environment. At 16, she became enamored with acting, defying her parents by abandoning her communications studies to study performing arts in Berlin.

Her first film, "Ecstasy," made her the first actress to appear nude on screen, leading to her marriage to an arms dealer who controlled her life. In 1937, at a banquet, she feigned illness to leave early, drugged her maid, escaped through the bathroom window, and fled to Paris, then London. In London, she met MGM boss Louis Mayer, who introduced her to Hollywood.

Hedy's story, legendary in itself, combined with her Hollywood fame, was sure to captivate many.

Other articles included fiction, reviews, discussions on art, philosophy, music, and love, but nothing crude.

Hardy was very satisfied with this inaugural issue of Playboy.

"What's the cost?" Hardy asked.

"It's expensive. Our previous magazine cost about 10-15 cents to print, which is standard for most magazines. Playboy, however, costs $1.40 per copy, almost 10 times the usual printing cost."

"I asked the printing factory. If we print 20,000 copies, it can be reduced to 1.2 US dollars, and if we print 50,000 copies, it can be reduced to 1 US dollars."

The cost was lower than expected, Hardy thought it would be $2 per copy.

"Boss, how many copies should we print? Three thousand or five thousand? And what price should we sell it at? Our printing costs are high. If we sell it for $3 per copy, people might be reluctant to buy it," Hefner worriedly asked.

High printing costs meant a high sale price, which might deter buyers.

At this time, the average American salary was about $200, with a bottle of beer costing 10 cents, a hot dog 10 cents, and a movie ticket 20-30 cents. Ordinary magazines like Time and Reader's Digest sold for around 30-40 cents.

If Playboy were priced at $3, ten times the price of other magazines, not many would afford it.

Hardy smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

"Three thousand or five thousand is not enough. Print 50,000 copies. Don't worry, there are more wealthy people in this world than you think."

"Also, I want people to see Playboy as a quality, prestigious collectible, not something disposable like a newspaper or magazine. As for the price, set it at 3 dollars. If people can't afford it, lowering the price to cost won't make a difference. It's better to keep it high."

"Also, print the mailing address on the back cover of the magazine. In the future, the magazine will set up a special department to be responsible for mailing business. Maybe the mailing volume will be more than that sold at newsstands in the future."

Hefner did not refute Hardy's decision.

As the magazine's owner with absolute control, Hardy's decision was final. He hoped his judgment was correct and that enough people would spend $3 on a magazine.

They then discussed distribution issues.

There were booksellers nationwide to sell the magazine across the U.S. They didn't worry about distribution, but focused on wholesale pricing.

Hardy finally set the wholesale price at $2.20 per copy, allowing the magazine to earn $1.20 per copy, with the remaining profit going to booksellers and newsstand owners.

On December 2nd, the inaugural issue of Playboy went on sale, featuring Hedy Lamarr's sexy photo prominently displayed in bookstores and newsstands across major U.S. cities.

Two young men at a newsstand immediately noticed Hedy's sexy photo, exclaiming, "Wow, she's beautiful."

One joked, "Not just beautiful, but very sexy. I'd love to have this by my bedside."

"How much is this beautiful picture?"

The newsstand owner smiled and said, "This is not a beautiful picture, it's a magazine. There are not only the cover photos but also many more inside. I just flipped through it. After reading it, it made me full of passion, and I want to go back to find my wife."

The newsstand owner took the book down, but did not give it to them. Instead, he took it in his hand and flipped it gently. The two young men were completely attracted by the beauties inside.

Just when they were in high spirits, the newsstand owner suddenly closed the book and took it back.

"why don't you turn the pages?"

"This is for sale. If you read it all, who would buy it?"

They thought he was stingy. One asked, "How much?"

"$3."

They were stunned.

"What? How much?"

"$3 per copy," the owner repeated.

"$3? Are you robbing us? A magazine for $3?" one exclaimed.

The owner shrugged, "I didn't set the price; the publisher did. Look."

He showed them the back cover price: $3.

"That's outrageous! Ordinary magazines are about 30 cents. This is ten times more."

"I think the publisher is crazy."

The owner sighed, "I thought it was expensive too. I've sold newspapers and magazines for over ten years, and this is the priciest I've seen."

"But it's also the best made magazine I've seen. Look at the glossy paper, it's much more expensive than regular paper. The photos are exquisite and numerous. The printing cost must be high, so the price is justified. Keep it well, and it will be valuable in the future."