Comments on: Are Books Originally Published in Trade Paperback Lesser Books?

By: ABC Kitchen & The Fabulous Beekman Boys | Linus's Blanket

ABC Kitchen & The Fabulous Beekman Boys | Linus's Blanket — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 06:04:59 +0000

[...] instrumental Myspace (back in the day) and social marketing had been in the sales of first book. You can read more of his thoughts on social marketing in the comments of my cheekily titled post …. We also chatted a bit about his book and his giving his Thanksgiving Turkey shots of vodka to [...]

By: BBAW: Interview with Nicole from Linus’s Blanket « Iris on Books

BBAW: Interview with Nicole from Linus’s Blanket « Iris on Books — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 06:29:21 +0000

[...] about things with them will inspire a blog post. A passing conversation with Amy inspired my post Are Books Originally Published in Trade Paperback Lesser Books? That one inspired lots of conversation and I was happy to learn a lot from that post. It was [...]

By: Carradee

Carradee — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:20:29 +0000

I’m primarily a fantasy/sci fi reader, which generally starts off in the mass market price point and size. That’s what I’m used to, that’s my preference, and that’s why I’m far more likely to check out any trade paperback title from the library instead of buying it even if the author’s blog and online excerpts make me think I’ll love the writer.

Hardcover is not a plus with me. If anything, it’s a negative, because for me that means it’s far more likely to appeal to the mainstream reader. Sorry, but mainstream really doesn’t interest me.

I did enjoy The Time Traveler’s Wife, though. But I didn’t buy it.

By: Valerie

Valerie — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:09:34 +0000

I don’t think I really have anything new to add here –lots of interesting comments! Back when I was in college (more than 20 years ago!), I became a member of Quality Paperback Book Club; that is when I was introduced to the concept of trade paperbacks –I think they may have been an early pioneer. Ever since, I’ve avoided mass market paperbacks whenever possible. The only time (mostly) I buy in hardback is like J.T. mentioned — if I happen to find it cheaper after it is released in paperback. One recent exception, though, is when I bought “the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” recently; I just couldn’t wait until it came out in paperback!
Valerie´s last [type] ..“Nostalgia’s Thread: Ten Poems on Norman Rockwell Paintings” by Randall R. Freisinger

By: stacybuckeye

stacybuckeye — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 10:47:33 +0000

Interesting post, Nicole. I love the trade paperback format and I guess I always kid of assumed that the publisher felt they wouldn’t sell enough hardcovers to make it worth it. But it does have more to do with perception than quality.

By: J.T. Oldfield

J.T. Oldfield — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:44:31 +0000

I used to think that books that didn’t come out in hardback were lesser. But I think that actually because of blogging I see that its not true. Not that I bought hardcovers much, but because I always strive to read the best, I fell into the same trap as your friend. I think that maybe it’s just leftovers from the days when a paperback was sold in a dime store and hardcover was more literary.

I think it’s more of an indication of the state of publishing that literary fiction is being released solely in trade paperback. Releasing something in a nice trader paperback, maybe with a matte finish, instead of hardcovers is probably a good thing. The only downside I see is that a book that debuts in paperback only gets promoted once, whereas a book that debuts in hardcover gets promoted both at that time, and when it is released in paperback. I often buy hardcovers when they become marked down when a paperback edition comes out.

Overall, I think it’s probably a good move on the part of the industry. And my pocketbook.

By: Joe Wallace

Joe Wallace — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:09:36 +0000

I feel just as Matthew does above. As I’ve mentioned, my novel was originally bought to be a hardcover, and was switched to trade paper with the dream that more people–and book clubs–would discover me. The other important issue for Diamond Ruby was that the publisher wanted to put a page in the YA catalog along with the adult one. I have no idea how the profit-margin part of this works, but the same exact hc book will cost $6 or $7 more if marketed for adults than for YA. The only way for my book to cross over was for it to come out in trade paper. I thought that was a very compelling reason: I love the idea of thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds reading the book as well.

By: bermudaonion (Kathy)

bermudaonion (Kathy) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:03:14 +0000

I love this post – it’s given me a lot to think about. I’ve noticed that certain genres seem to go straight to trade paperback more than others. Format doesn’t bother me, but I have wondered the same thing as your friend – if expected sales affect the way a book is published.
.-= bermudaonion (Kathy)´s last blog ..BEA/NY Day 1 =-.

By: Matthew Dicks

Matthew Dicks — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 10:25:42 +0000

As an author, I can tell you that the decision to come out in trade paper rather than hardcover was a difficult one but one that I’m glad we made. SOMETHING MISSING was originally slated to come out in hardcover, but we sold the book about three days before the 2008 financial meltdown, and assuming that 2009 was going to be a bad year for selling books, we wanted to do everything that we could to get the book into readers’ hands. As a result of the decision to switch to trade paper, some of the large chain sellers like Barnes & Noble agreed to stock larger quantities of the book, and Border’s made it a Book Club choice for October. As you know, book clubs often wait for the paperbacks to come out, but being a first time author, we didn’t want to wait six months for people to begin talking about the book. We wanted some early buzz. And though we were concerned that the book might not get the attention of any reviewer’s because of the format, this proved not to be the case. SOMETHING MISSING was well reviewed and was even mentioned favorably in the Times, and it was featured in USA Today in a piece on the shifting trend of publishing first in trade paper. All in all, I’m very happy that we made the switch mid-stream.

So when it came time to sell UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO last year, I had already decided that I wanted to come out in trade paper again. The readers appreciated the format a great deal, and as I visited bookstores and libraries and book clubs throughout the year, the reaction was always the same. People struggling through a recession were so pleased to be able to purchase a new release at an affordable price. As long as my readers are happy and the reviewer’s pay me some attention, I can’t see why I would want to publish in hardcover for at least a while. My goal is to get people to read my story in whatever format suits them best., and as an author, I’m pleased to be able to accommodate their needs and help them out in these difficult financial times.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:54:35 +0000

Fascinating indeed! Lots of sound and fury…possibly signifying nothing.