In February, ReaderLink, one of the biggest book distributors in the US, announced they will stop distributing mass market paperbacks at the end of the year. Up to seventy percent of mass market paperback sales in the US are sold by ReaderLink’s customers, including Kroger and Walmart. And, with the exception of classics and cozy mysteries, it doesn’t look as if the Big Five publishers or major retailers like Barnes & Noble will do much to save the dying format.
I’m so bummed about this. The mass market paperback size has always been my favorite. I get it: they’re cheap, and you get what you pay for. They’re not beautiful and shiny like hardcovers, their paper and binding aren’t as high quality as trade paperbacks. Their pages will yellow, their spines will crack.
And these are just a few reasons why I love them.
Mass market paperbacks are meant to be consumed. They’re happy to go everywhere with you—the doctor’s office, the salon, the airport. They don’t mind being shoved into an oversized coat pocket or a small handbag. You can even dog-ear their pages; they like being well-loved and they love when it shows.
The lower cost of the mass market paperback makes them a low-risk buy. I’ve discovered many an author by browsing the horror, romance, and mystery shelves at big box stores and used bookstores alike. Cool cover, interesting blurb? Sure, it’s six bucks. Why not? Think I’m going to take that chance on a thirty dollar hardcover, or even a seventeen dollar trade paperback? No way.
Speaking of trade paperbacks, I’m sorry, but they are just too darn big. I cannot comfortably read a trade paperback in bed, which is where I love to read most. I like to snuggle up on my side with my head on the pillow and lose myself in a story, but with a trade paperback the book is always trying to flop closed, and I can’t see both pages at once. And hard covers aren’t comfortable to read anywhere.
Maybe I’m biased. So many of the books I grew up reading were mass market paperbacks. But there are some genres that were meant for the smaller size. You know when you’re walking through Barnes & Noble during the holiday season and you see those cute little Christmas romances on the endcap displays? It just won’t be the same when they’re supersized to a six by nine format.
Still, I guess us pocket book lovers will have to get used to it.
As long as they don’t come for our cozy mysteries.
Mass market paperbacks were the backbone of my reading life. All the best horror novels, Harlequin and other romances…all my best guilty pleasures!
I do have to admit that my aging eyes were pushing me away from this book format way before the publishing industry brought the axe down. The font size of the average mass market paperback is designed for either very young eyes or very strong magnifying lenses!
Luckily for mass market fans, the used book market will be chock full of these cute-n-chunky reads! Time to go garage saling!!!!
Carrie, you bring up a good point! This format can be difficult to read as we get older due to the tiny font size. I think I have a few years left before I have to switch to large print… so I’ll be hitting those garage sales while I can! 😀