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Okay, I was in the bookstore yesterday, perusing the shelves, and I got to thinking about something. There was a book I saw, and I thought to myself, I'll grab it when it comes out in paperback. Then I stopped, because I realized I was making an assumption. It's an assumption that was based on some "information" that I had learned years ago. But, quite frankly, it's still quite an assumption--one that might well be misinformed. So I am hoping that those writers I know could enlighten me. (And perhaps if you don't have the answers, you can nudge other folks you do know my way to help get me the answer.)
Yes, I want to understand this aspect of publishing because I write. But more than that: I read. I buy books. If you are someone whose blog I read , and get published, there's a darned good chance I'm buying *your* books. However, I have limited shelf space in the house. (Don't we all?) Now limited shelf space hasn't been exactly preventing me from buying more books, but it will eventually cause problems. So that means that books are fighting for shelf space. Hardcovers take up a heck of a lot more space than paperbacks. They last longer and are more sturdy, which means that, there's a chance they can enjoyed for years to come, by me, the Lovely wife, or perhaps descendants. They also tend to look nicer. My wife isn't as fond because they weigh more, and reading in bed is a lot less comfortable when you have to prop up a large book. They are also the most expensive. Trade Paperbacks are better, in that they tend to be slimmer, and weigh less and they are cheaper. Though it seems rare that both a hardcover and trade paperback version are released for the same work, that is, I don't recall a book going from hardcover to trade paperback, then to mass market. I always thought of trade paperback as being meant for re-release or special editions. Mass Market Paperbacks, are cheapest, smallest, generally the lightest, but also tend towards the flimsiest of the products. Some paperbacks barely make it through a reading by me and the wife before I feel like pages are ready to come out.
So, the assumption that I had was actually a few assumptions all pooled together. I'm going to attempt to break it out into smaller bits. Yes, some of these points might seem slightly contradictory. But it's a lot of what runs through my head in the bookstore.
1) Anything that comes out in hardcover, will eventually come out in mass market paperback.
2) Buying a hardcover means the author is getting more of my money. (Yes, and the publisher, distributor, and bookstore too.)
3) Buying hardcovers or trade paperbacks helps an author more than buying the mmp version.
4) Hardcovers, or trade paperbacks sales mean more to the publisher than mmp sales.
5) In the end, any sale is a good sale, so waiting to buy the cheaper version isn't really that big of a deal.
Sadly, I can't always afford to drop the $20+ per book for all books I want to own. And room is limited. I hate to say that there are some authors I'm more willing to spend the extra cash on than others, even though its true. Sometimes its impatience. I want the latest book so bad, I don't want to wait. Sometimes, yes it is a choice, because I am trying to "vote" with my money. Of course, there was a time when I had a tendency to stick to a very narrow group of authors. Whereas today, I am branching out, taking risks, and trying new authors to see if I like them. For a writing perspective, I need to learn the field. From a reading perspective, I know there's a lot of great stuff I never got around to, and am rushing to correct that.
So, please, if there are any misperceptions in the above, if there is any further insight you can offer, jump in and let me know.
Yes, I want to understand this aspect of publishing because I write. But more than that: I read. I buy books. If you are someone whose blog I read , and get published, there's a darned good chance I'm buying *your* books. However, I have limited shelf space in the house. (Don't we all?) Now limited shelf space hasn't been exactly preventing me from buying more books, but it will eventually cause problems. So that means that books are fighting for shelf space. Hardcovers take up a heck of a lot more space than paperbacks. They last longer and are more sturdy, which means that, there's a chance they can enjoyed for years to come, by me, the Lovely wife, or perhaps descendants. They also tend to look nicer. My wife isn't as fond because they weigh more, and reading in bed is a lot less comfortable when you have to prop up a large book. They are also the most expensive. Trade Paperbacks are better, in that they tend to be slimmer, and weigh less and they are cheaper. Though it seems rare that both a hardcover and trade paperback version are released for the same work, that is, I don't recall a book going from hardcover to trade paperback, then to mass market. I always thought of trade paperback as being meant for re-release or special editions. Mass Market Paperbacks, are cheapest, smallest, generally the lightest, but also tend towards the flimsiest of the products. Some paperbacks barely make it through a reading by me and the wife before I feel like pages are ready to come out.
So, the assumption that I had was actually a few assumptions all pooled together. I'm going to attempt to break it out into smaller bits. Yes, some of these points might seem slightly contradictory. But it's a lot of what runs through my head in the bookstore.
1) Anything that comes out in hardcover, will eventually come out in mass market paperback.
2) Buying a hardcover means the author is getting more of my money. (Yes, and the publisher, distributor, and bookstore too.)
3) Buying hardcovers or trade paperbacks helps an author more than buying the mmp version.
4) Hardcovers, or trade paperbacks sales mean more to the publisher than mmp sales.
5) In the end, any sale is a good sale, so waiting to buy the cheaper version isn't really that big of a deal.
Sadly, I can't always afford to drop the $20+ per book for all books I want to own. And room is limited. I hate to say that there are some authors I'm more willing to spend the extra cash on than others, even though its true. Sometimes its impatience. I want the latest book so bad, I don't want to wait. Sometimes, yes it is a choice, because I am trying to "vote" with my money. Of course, there was a time when I had a tendency to stick to a very narrow group of authors. Whereas today, I am branching out, taking risks, and trying new authors to see if I like them. For a writing perspective, I need to learn the field. From a reading perspective, I know there's a lot of great stuff I never got around to, and am rushing to correct that.
So, please, if there are any misperceptions in the above, if there is any further insight you can offer, jump in and let me know.
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From:
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1) Anything that comes out in hardcover, will eventually come out in mass market paperback.
No. Plus, quite a few books come out as paperback originals -- usually, trade paperbacks. It varies greatly from publisher to publisher. With a well-known, well-selling author from a major publisher you can generally expect an eventual MMPB run. Books that tank or books from small/independent publishers -- not so much.
2) Buying a hardcover means the author is getting more of my money. (Yes, and the publisher, distributor, and bookstore too.)
Yes, per book. As MMPB tend to sell more copies, MMPB sales can be more lucrative overall than hardcovers. IF there are MMPB sales.
3) Buying hardcovers or trade paperbacks helps an author more than buying the mmp version.
In a way, yes. Good sales of hardcover or TPB original might mean eventual MMPB run. Or it might not. Very much depends on the publisher too.
5) In the end, any sale is a good sale, so waiting to buy the cheaper version isn't really that big of a deal.
Unless there is no cheaper version forthcoming.
From:
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Also, things coming out in trade paperback first...I could be wrong, but that's a relatively new trend, no? Growing up, I never remember seeing tradepaperbacks for fiction. Or perhaps it's just a SF&F genre thing, I don't know. I don't think I recall seeing trade paperback versions of, well, anything until late 90's or so.
Also, good point about books from small/independant publishers. Until fairly recently, I dont think I ever really patronized those markets. Mostly because the big stores didn't seem to carry them, and I mostly bought in the big box stores.
From:
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From:
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(The original run are both by Elizabeth Bear, Blood & Iron, and Whiskey & Water.)
Thinking about it, I also have a Charles de Lint that I bought in Trade, which may or may not be a reprint, though it's a story collection.
(I'm not even counting the Fritz Lieber, or the Ron E. Howard stuff, those are obviously reprints.) If you walk the genre shelf, there is a lot of trade paperback out there. I like them, because I feel they are sturdier than mass market, but aren't as costly as hardcover.
From:
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I haven't yet seen any of the Roc Trade Paperbacks gone on to become MMP, but that could just be timing, none of the ones I've noticed have been around for more than a year yet.
From:
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I saw a bunch by R. Scott Bakker that were in trade, but I thought they came out as hardcover originally, so I guess that is a case where books might actually progress down through the phases of hardcover, then trade paperback. It hasn't been released in mass market yet to my knowledge.
From: (Anonymous)
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-kb
From:
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