Phrase
make it easier for something to happen or for someone to do something
paved the way for
Originally a magazine series, Anne Stephens’ Malaeska: The Indian Wife of the White Hunter sold approximately 300,000 copies in the first year as a novel. Its success paved the way for the new fad in America.
Adjective
showing great enthusiasm for or interest in
avid
Originally, the paperbacks were intended for railroad travelers; however, during the Civil War, soldiers quickly became the most avid dime novel readers.
Noun
the process by which cities grow bigger and more and more people go to live in them
urbanization
Beadle dime novels became so popular that the company had to build a factory of hack writers to mass produce them. As urbanization spread, tales of the Wild West were in less demand, and tales of urban outlaws became popular.
Noun
the state of being liked, enjoyed, accepted, or done by a large number of people
popularity
Despite their popularity, by the late 1880s dry goods stores were so full of unsold books that prices dropped to less than five cents per copy. Many titles that could still not sell were given away or destroyed.
Noun
an amount of money paid to the original creator of a product, book, or piece of music
royalties
The International Copyright Law, passed by Congress in 1890, required publishers to pay royalties to foreign authors. Selling at less than five cents a copy, the paperback industry was doomed until the arrival of pulp paper.