They are meant to be purchased on impulse and/or to be more widely available to the general public. Popular genres for mass market paperbacks are the classics, romance, mystery, suspense, and thrillers. (However, a book may have hardcover, paperback and/or mass market market publications.) Mass market paperbacks are often released after the hardcover edition is released, and they are often sold in non-traditional locations, such as airports, drugstores, newsstands, and grocery stores. The pages inside are made of lower-quality paper, and they are generally not illustrated. Mass market paperback books can be defined as smaller, less durable paperback books with a thick paper or paperboard cover. Trade paperbacks are larger and more durable, and mass market paperbacks, which are discussed in greater detail below, are smaller and less durable. While a paperback book can be more prone to damage than a hardcover book, a paperback book is easier to tote around than a hardcover book, and it can be protected with a book sleeve, which is a handmade foam and fabric pocket for a book that can be found in a variety of styles on Etsy. Most advanced review copies (ARCs) of books sent to book critics for review prior to the publication of a book are also printed in paperback format, as it is less expensive than printing hardcover book, but still a higher quality than the lower quality mass market paperback books (which are discussed in detail below). However, I sometimes like to use it as a bookmark!įurther, paperback books are popular in the non fiction genre. The purpose is only to make the paperback book look more like a hardcover book, but at a lower cost. Some paperback books have a 'French flap.' This means that the front and back cover have a folded section behind the cover, like a dust jacket on a hardcover book. The standard paperback size is about five or six inches wide by eight or nine inches high. The cover art of a paperback book may or may not differ from the hardcover book. If the publication of a paperback edition of a title follows the publication of a hardcover edition by the same publisher, the pages are usually identical in print to those in the hardcover edition, and the paperback book is usually close to the same size as the hardcover edition. However, paperbacks may lack extra content, such as forewords and illustrations. For example, paperback editions of the bestselling Harry Potter books and Jane Austen books are available. Or, paperback books may be published to provide fans of a popular book with a less expensive option. Paperback books can be published because the author is less popular and thus, readers may be less likely to purchase a more expensive hardcover book. The profit margin is, therefore, smaller for paperback books versus hardcover books. Publishers release paperback books when they want to offer a lower-cost format of a particular title than a hardcover book, which is more durable over the long term but also more expensive.

The pages inside a paperback book are usually made of high quality, acid-free paper. Paperback books are glued together instead of being stapled or stitched together, like a hardcover book. Mass Market PaperbackĪ paperback (or, trade paperback) book has a softcover board with a thick paper or paperboard cover.

That way, the world of physical books isn't under threat of becoming extinct due to ebooks. If ebooks become the more affordable option, people will ditch the physical book in favor of saving some money, leaving paperbacks in the dust.īy keeping the price of ebooks high, publishers keep paperbacks as a valid option for readers. With the popularity of ebooks, the focus moved away from bookstores and towards online stores.Īs such, big publishers aren't fond of making their ebooks cheaper than paperbacks. Pricing Keeps Paperback Books From Becoming RedundantĪ lot of big publishers have ties within the paperback world-it's how they became prominent in the first place. As such, they ask for a higher price to cover the fact that re-buying isn't as prevalent as with physical books.

Ebooks, however, tend to be a single purchase. As such, people do sometimes re-buy physical books from the same store due to their copy becoming damaged, lost, lent out, or sold second-hand.

Hardcover vs paperback