Hard times for hard backs?

Palmfrond · Dec 3, 2008

Just got a call from my agent. After I have ecstatically told everyone I know that my novel will be coming out in hardback, all my friends have pre-ordered it on Amazon, and the galleys are done, the publisher has decided it will be printed only in paperback. The contract specifies royalties etc for both hardback and paperback, but doesn't require them to produce a hardback version.

Although I began with extremely meager expectations, after meeting with their publicists and hearing very positive things about how many of their marketing staff had read it and were excited, I had begun to fantasize about reviews in newspapers and radio interview shows and stuff like that. Is there any chance that the publisher (one of the big ones) will push a paperback, or have I been thrown under the train?

JennaGlatzer · Dec 3, 2008

I don't know anything about the marketing of novels, so I'll just offer hugs and say I'm sorry for your disappointment. But I think there are plenty of novels that come out exclusively in paperback that do very well (and get plenty of reviews).

dclary · Dec 3, 2008

At $25+ a pop I can't remember the last hardback non-textbook I've bought... ever. Well, okay, 5 books for $1 from the Sci-Fi Book club. But other than that?

I can't imagine, in today's digital and space-saving world, how hardbacks will ever survive.

Palmfrond · Dec 3, 2008

Thanks, Jenna, for your sympathy. The publisher's publicist still seems jazzed, so maybe all is not lost.

Red-Green · Dec 3, 2008

I'm with dclary. I don't like hardbacks and have been known to wait for a book to come out in paperback before I buy it.

Irysangel · Dec 3, 2008

What's your genre? Genre makes all the difference, I think.

BarbaraKE · Dec 3, 2008

When you say 'paperback', do you mean 'trade' or 'mass-market'?

dclary · Dec 3, 2008

Even worse for authors who write series....

I'm tired of waiting years for a boxed set of your books, only to find that the cover version, or style has changed from book one to book three.

Plus, if I LIKE the book, I don't want to wait a year to find out what comes next.

thus, my favorite living fantasy author, stephen donaldson, is going to have to wait before i buy any of the third chronicles of thomas covenant. Becuase once I start that ride, I want to make sure all the track's already been laid to see me through to the end.

Palmfrond · Dec 3, 2008

I think that they are switching to trade paperback, not mass market.

It's a literary novel - a coming-of-age story set in prehistoric Africa (the main characters are homo erectus, not homo sapiens like us). One of the themes is the first development of ideas of the supernatural (religion).

dclary · Dec 3, 2008

BarbaraKE said:
When you say 'paperback', do you mean 'trade' or 'mass-market'?

I have no idea. I don't speak publishingese. Maybe?

illiterwrite · Dec 3, 2008

I had a slightly depressing talk with my agent yesterday about the state of publishing. Be thankful you sold your book a year or so ago and not now. Publishers everywhere are apparently very, very cautious about what they're buying these days, especially in literary fiction. And we weren't even talking about the book of mine she's trying to sell right now in the US (which is literary) but about an idea I'd had for a future book. Things aren't looking good at the moment.

That said, I only buy trade paperback, because it's more portable (and easier to read in the bathtub).

Claudia Gray · Dec 3, 2008

Genre matters a lot, as BarbaraKE said. I write YA, where a hardcover release is far more likely; in other genres, hardcovers are the exception rather than the rule. If your publisher is still giving you other types of support, then you haven't been thrown under the train; chances are they are responding to the weird market conditions rather than to your book specifically.

Irysangel · Dec 3, 2008

I've also heard that TPB doesn't have the same kneejerk returns policy that Hardcover/MMPB do. Also, the margin of profit is much better on TPB. So basically, they're trying to ensure your success, rather than your failure. It's most likely a good thing.

Tepelus · Dec 3, 2008

If I have the choice of hardcover vs paperback on a book, I almost always choose the hardcover over the paperback. The covers don't tear and crease like the paperbacks do, and I just like the look better.

donroc · Dec 3, 2008

Palmfrond said:
Just got a call from my agent. After I have ecstatically told everyone I know that my novel will be coming out in hardback, all my friends have pre-ordered it on Amazon, and the galleys are done, the publisher has decided it will be printed only in paperback. The contract specifies royalties etc for both hardback and paperback, but doesn't require them to produce a hardback version.

Although I began with extremely meager expectations, after meeting with their publicists and hearing very positive things about how many of their marketing staff had read it and were excited, I had begun to fantasize about reviews in newspapers and radio interview shows and stuff like that. Is there any chance that the publisher (one of the big ones) will push a paperback, or have I been thrown under the train?

Pamfrond, that is disappointing. I worried about the same thing as I have the same phrasing in my contract with a new small independent publisher.

She is keeping her handshake promise to do my HF, Rocamora, in hard cover first even though it will be expensive to do and will retail for 31.95.

We cut some costs by continuing the chapters rather than beginning a new page with each, which cut the book from about 500 to 400 pages.

I like to think hard cover books are worth giving up a latte or two.

Wishing you best success with the marketing for yours.

Susan Breen · Dec 3, 2008

My book came out in trade paperback and I think that's been a great thing. I worried that libraries wouldn't pick it up, but they have. I worried I wouldn't get reviewed, but I did. It makes the book much more accessible to book clubs and for a debut author, sales are very very important. So I'd view it as a good thing. Really.

KTC · Dec 3, 2008

Palmfrond said:
I think that they are switching to trade paperback, not mass market.

It's a literary novel - a coming-of-age story set in prehistoric Africa (the main characters are homo erectus, not homo sapiens like us). One of the themes is the first development of ideas of the supernatural (religion).

It sounds fascinating. Let us know when it is released.

PS...I LOVE trade paperbacks. I always have. I consider it my favourite option in the bookstore. There are people who can't stay away from them...trust me. I buy a hard cover if it's a favourite author and I can't wait to read it. Otherwise, I hope and pray it's in trade paperback.

All the best of luck to you.

BarbaraKE · Dec 3, 2008

Overall, I think this might be a good thing. I personally think hardback books are much too expensive - I almost never buy them. So I think it coming out in paperback will contribute to better sales.

CheshireCat · Dec 3, 2008

Palmfrond said:
I think that they are switching to trade paperback, not mass market.

It's a literary novel - a coming-of-age story set in prehistoric Africa (the main characters are homo erectus, not homo sapiens like us). One of the themes is the first development of ideas of the supernatural (religion).

Literary novels do very well in trade paperback and, yes, publishers most certainly do get behind them. Your print run will likely be higher, you have a better shot at making one or more of the bestseller lists (making it in hardcover is much more difficult), your royalties will be nearly as good per copy -- and with people tightening their belts and pinching pennies, readers are more likely to try a new author in paperback than in hardcover.

Not really a downside in today's market.

Soccer Mom · Dec 3, 2008

Add me to the list of folks who rarely buy hardbacks. Why buy hardback when I can buy multiple paperbacks for the same amount? I love trade paperbacks.

Palmfrond · Dec 3, 2008

Thanks to everybody who has reassured me that switching to a trade paperback is actually a good thing! I feel much better about the change.

MissLadyRae · Dec 3, 2008

I've heard a lot of readers complain when their fave authors go to hardcover so yepper it seems much better for books to be released in paperback nowadays. I only buy hardcover for certain books myself especially when they're released in omnibus editions, if it's a series. Saves cash to get em all at once.

But for standalones, I loves the trade paperbacks and it seems to be popular with a lot of readers.

Congrats on your upcoming release Palmfrond!

Darzian · Dec 3, 2008

I almost never buy hardbacks. I only buy them if I really really really want the book right now and the publisher had only released the hardback. The last one I bought is Harry Potter 7.

And considering the economic problems, people may be more inclined to buy paperbacks.

eyeblink · Dec 3, 2008

I don't tend to buy hardback either - only if I have book tokens to spend, or if it's discounted so much that it's paperback price anyway. I do like them, but I don't have an unlimited budget to say the least, and they're heavier and bulkier to take to work and back.

tehuti88 · Dec 4, 2008

I buy hardcover only if it's the only thing available and I fear the store I'm buying it at won't pick it up in paperback. Otherwise, I prefer paperback. It's cheaper and easier to handle, and I don't feel quite as bad if it gets somewhat battered. (With hardcovers, I just feel I have to be more careful because they look so nice. Weird, I know.)

Haven't even bought the last Harry Potter book yet because for some reason they don't have it out in paperback, which confuses me.

I find trade paperbacks to be especially interesting if only because of their unusual size. Something about them seems very artsy. They stand out.

Hard times for hard backs?

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