Paperback vs Mass Market Paperback

[GaT]

To me, "paperback" has always mean a book that was approximately 4 X 6 inches & was called a "mass market paperback". Lately, all the "paperback" books I've been buying are approximately 5 X 8 & are just referred to as "paperback". Sometimes books even come in both versions, like this book from the "In Death" series https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Death-Dallas-Novel-Book/dp/1250161541/ref=tmm_mmp_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= . Does anybody know why there are now two versions of paperbacks? "Mass Market Paperbacks" cost about half the price the plain "paperbacks", so personally, that's the one I prefer.

[Athena]

The 5 x 8 paperbacks are not new and they are often called "Trade Paperbacks". I prefer those and the only difference between them and "Mass Market Paperbacks" is the binding. Paper is usually higher quality e.g. acid free; the covers are sometimes glossy as well. They also last longer than Mass Market Paperbacks. More literary novels usually come in this format unless they prove very popular so a Mass Market version is made as well. 

[GaT]

2 hours ago, Athena said:

More literary novels usually come in this format unless they prove very popular so a Mass Market version is made as well. 

Unless urban fantasy novels are now considered "literary novels", that's not what I'm reading LOL

[nodorothyparker]

I prefer the trade paperbacks too as they generally seem to be better quality in both paper and design, which matters if you're something of a book hoarder like I am.  I also find the typeface choices, sizing, and most importantly leading of typeface to be easier on the eyes.  I'm willing to pay a couple of bucks more for that.

[DearEvette]

4 hours ago, GaT said:

Does anybody know why there are now two versions of paperbacks? "Mass Market Paperbacks" cost about half the price the plain "paperbacks", so personally, that's the one I prefer.

It is a marketing strategy.  As Athena explained, trade paperbacks are for more literary "important" fiction.  If a mass market title is being pubbed in trade size/quality then they are attempting to attract an up-market audience.  And the vice versa is true.  If a lit fic book gets pubbed in mass size it is because it hit some popular tipping point and they want popular fiction readers who would otherwise bypass lit fic to find it accessible.  Also if it actually does attract a bigger audience, it is less expensive to produce a print run in that size.

[Black Knight]

I'm a bit surprised by this topic only because I feel like the trade paperback trend started eons ago and has been used for more books than just the "important literary fiction" for years since publishers get to charge more. Lots of YA comes out in TP. Most science fiction and fantasy comes out in TP. Oh, sure, MMPB versions still come out but you have to wait so long for them now because publishers cycle through the hardcover phase and the TP phase first.

It's something I've always been very aware of because I can't give up buying books even though finding space in my home becomes more and more of an issue. And while I do like TPs for many of the reasons listed above, it has exacerbated my issues with space.

[GaT]

2 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

I'm a bit surprised by this topic only because I feel like the trade paperback trend started eons ago and has been used for more books than just the "important literary fiction" for years since publishers get to charge more. Lots of YA comes out in TP. Most science fiction and fantasy comes out in TP. Oh, sure, MMPB versions still come out but you have to wait so long for them now because publishers cycle through the hardcover phase and the TP phase first.

It's something I've always been very aware of because I can't give up buying books even though finding space in my home becomes more and more of an issue. And while I do like TPs for many of the reasons listed above, it has exacerbated my issues with space.

I've known about the bigger size for a while & had bought some, but it's only recently that all the books I'm reading are in that size & very few are in the mass market paperback size. It just seems strange to me

[Black Knight]

3 minutes ago, GaT said:

I've known about the bigger size for a while & had bought some, but it's only recently that all the books I'm reading are in that size & very few are in the mass market paperback size. It just seems strange to me

And I find that so interesting because I know you read a TON (do you keep a book log?) and that's part of what surprised me, because you're not someone who buys just a couple of books a year. The point you're at in your quote, I hit years ago even though I read much more than just the "important literary fiction" books.

I wonder if it could have something to do with the bookstores in our respective areas. Like, maybe the bookstores in my area have long defaulted to buying the TP versions of everything and buying very little of the MMPB versions while yours have just recently started doing so? I'm in the SF Bay Area.

[GaT]

42 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

And I find that so interesting because I know you read a TON (do you keep a book log?) and that's part of what surprised me, because you're not someone who buys just a couple of books a year. The point you're at in your quote, I hit years ago even though I read much more than just the "important literary fiction" books.

I wonder if it could have something to do with the bookstores in our respective areas. Like, maybe the bookstores in my area have long defaulted to buying the TP versions of everything and buying very little of the MMPB versions while yours have just recently started doing so? I'm in the SF Bay Area.

I'm in the SF Bay Area also, so that's not it, but yes, I read a ton (but no book log). At first I thought maybe it was because a lot of stuff I was reading was self published. I buy most of my new books from Barnes & Noble, & they very often are online only books & they all come in the TP form & have never been published as hardcovers. Another reason I find it strange is the example book I used in my original post "Dark in Death". That series has 48 books in it, & I've read 47 of them, all in mmpb form, & I read them fairly recently. I just read a Nalini Singh book that was recently released, & that was in mmpb form, so I'm used to reading smaller sized books & paying less for them. I like paying less for them, the bigger size is not worth the extra money to me.

[Athena]

I think if you are seeing less MMP is because like a lot of things in publishing, they are being marginalized now that the industry has moved more towards e-books. MMP have much smaller profit margins. They aren't going extinct, but their situation has changed. See this article by Publishers Weekly on it last year. 

Genre fiction such as SF and YA do come more often in TP because they can be niche and not as mainstream. It depends on how  the publisher wants to market the books. 

As for books with many versions such as hardcover, TP, and MMP, the publisher will likely stop or limit the hardcover offerings after a few years or prints depending on the books popularity. Most books are not popular enough to be in hardback for many printings. For a lot of readers, they can't afford to and/or have the space for a whole series in hardcover so TP is a good option for longevity. TP does last a lot longer than MMP so it's better for rereading over the years.  

[DearEvette]

12 hours ago, Black Knight said:

I'm a bit surprised by this topic only because I feel like the trade paperback trend started eons ago and has been used for more books than just the "important literary fiction" for years since publishers get to charge more. Lots of YA comes out in TP. Most science fiction and fantasy comes out in TP. Oh, sure, MMPB versions still come out but you have to wait so long for them now because publishers cycle through the hardcover phase and the TP phase first.

MMPB books are really that for the mass market.  They tend to be mostly for genre fiction where the first run is typically paperback, not hardcover

YA is not really considered mass market. If you look at the cover art, typset and the bindings, the marketing for it,  YA is also considered a limited market.  They also are market targeted to libraries and get library bindings.

WRT to SFF, some of those books are doorstopper huge.  Sometimes regular MMPB simply is impractical from a construction standpoint.  I remember when Storm of Swords came out in paper, the page count was so high  they had to release it in trade size and even then it was still really fat.

[Snow Apple]

I remember when there were hard covers and you wait for MMP. If they had Trade, I didn't notice. Now I'm shocked to see MMP. There are books that never come out in MMP and it makes me sad because the prices are not in my budget. 

They may not make as much money from MMP but it was something. Now they don't have any of my money since I can only afford the library or used.

[GaT]

3 hours ago, Athena said:

I think if you are seeing less MMP is because like a lot of things in publishing, they are being marginalized now that the industry has moved more towards e-books. MMP have much smaller profit margins. They aren't going extinct, but their situation has changed. See this article by Publishers Weekly on it last year. 

 

I found this part in the article interesting:

Quote

The places where mass market books are consistently bought, and the people who buy them, have not changed. Bricks-and-mortar mass merchants continue to be the outlets where these books are most popular, 

When I go to my local Barnes & Noble, there are a gazillion mass market paperbacks, I don't even remember seeing any trade paperbacks. Somebody besides me is still buying them.

[Black Knight]

13 hours ago, DearEvette said:

WRT to SFF, some of those books are doorstopper huge.  Sometimes regular MMPB simply is impractical from a construction standpoint.  I remember when Storm of Swords came out in paper, the page count was so high  they had to release it in trade size and even then it was still really fat.

ASoS did come out in MMPB, and not even split into two as some other countries' publishers did.

Pretty much all the SFF I buy are TPs (and I buy them in bookstores usually, not online) and not close to ASoS length. Seanan Mcguire used to be a notable exception, but in the last couple of years even she has started getting HC or TP for the first run of a new book. It was quite irritating to me because it's put me a year behind on her October Daye series. After nine freaking books first run MMPB, as of book 10 the series switched to HC for the first run. I like to be able to group the books for a series together, and the books have to be the same size for me to do that, and so that means I now have to wait for the MMPB version to follow a year later. I suppose I should be grateful that at least they do still put out a MMPB version a year later instead of doing a TP run first. That probably won't be the case too much longer, I bet. If the series ends in a couple more books, maybe not, but it feels like she has a good number yet to go before she finishes telling Toby's story. I hate when they change the established publishing pattern for a series.

As long as I'm speaking about things I hate IRT publishing of physical books, I also hate when publishers change the cover designs for an ongoing series midway through, so that newer books don't look like part of a set with the older books. (Of course, sometimes we are given the exciting option of being able to waste money purchasing the older books we already own re-released in the new style just so that we have a matching set. Which I admit I have done. Thank god I quit the Anita Blake series before it had its design change.) I love the design of the hardcovers for Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series and I'm just waiting for the day the publisher decides to fuck with that, too. Change the font. Switch to a modern style of illustration. Convert to the more standard HC dimensions. Who knows?

[GaT]

Well, this is a new one (at least to me). I just got an email from Barnes & Noble for something called "Penguin Minis", in this case it's for Legend by Marie Lu. These are teeny little paperbacks 4.62(w) x 3.12(h). I can't imagine how they're even readable at that size.

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, GaT said:

Well, this is a new one (at least to me). I just got an email from Barnes & Noble for something called "Penguin Minis", in this case it's for Legend by Marie Lu. These are teeny little paperbacks 4.62(w) x 3.12(h). I can't imagine how they're even readable at that size.

One word per page?

[Black Knight]

I have a few books that size, although having the height and width inverted is a new twist on it. The print is small but entirely readable so long as you have good eyes - let's put it this way, if you can read on your phones without having to magnify, then you can read these.

[blackwing]

On 11/7/2018 at 8:35 PM, Black Knight said:

I'm a bit surprised by this topic only because I feel like the trade paperback trend started eons ago and has been used for more books than just the "important literary fiction" for years since publishers get to charge more. Lots of YA comes out in TP. Most science fiction and fantasy comes out in TP. Oh, sure, MMPB versions still come out but you have to wait so long for them now because publishers cycle through the hardcover phase and the TP phase first.

It's something I've always been very aware of because I can't give up buying books even though finding space in my home becomes more and more of an issue. And while I do like TPs for many of the reasons listed above, it has exacerbated my issues with space.

I agree, the trade paperbacks started years ago and wasn't just for "important novels".  To me, it's all about the money.  I feel like some books now come out first in hardcover, then trade paperback (which sometimes is pretty much the same size as the hardcover) and then if it sold well only then would it eventually come out in mass market paperback.

Mass market paperbacks themselves have also changed.  They used to be maybe 4x6 and cost like $6.99 (of course price depends exactly what year we are talking about) but then suddenly one year all of the paperback manufacturers came out with this longer paperback, maybe 4x8 and they tried to market it as "easier to hold for your reading pleasure!" but really it was all about the money because these new longer mass market paperbacks cost $9.99 instead of the $6.99.

Of course, kindle has changed the market as well.  

I used to actually wait until a book I wanted to read came out in MMPB so I could add it to my collection.  But now it often takes so long that I have actually just resorted to using the library more and reading the book in hardcover.  The greediness of the book publishers actually made me use the library more when I realised that I was spending a lot of money on books that I often only read once and that some chunk of my property taxes goes to help fund the library.

[dubbel zout]

Trade paperbacks don't cost much less to produce than hardcovers, so from a financial standpoint, the publisher isn't making much money. And given that paperback reprint royalties can start at a higher rate, the profit margin is sliced away even more.

(In a previous life I worked for a book publisher.)