Hardcovers

biodroid

biodroid

A.D.D.
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Oct 11, 2007
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I know this is a strange question and maybe has been asked before, but why do publishers print very expensive hardcover books and 6 months to a year later print paperback versions and then the books sell better. Personally I prefer a paperback book, it feels like I am reading faster. It's cheaper by almost half the price of a hradcover. My point is why waste the time printing expensive hardcovers that won't sell as fast, why no jump straight to the paperback and rake in the cash. I hate the fact that a book I want to read is out in hardcover and I have to wait a long time for it come out in paperback because I ain't spending the exorbitant price when the book reads the same for half the price.
 
Well I like to have the hardcovers to... well just to have... But I agree with you, I prefer reading paperbacks, they don't feel as breakable, and they're cheaper to replace.
 
Interesting with the blog post that you can make money with Trade Paperback with smaller number of sales than mass market paperback. I dont like Hardcovers at all and i prefer trade before mass paperback when i can choose.

The best with trade is that they are easy to hold and the writing style layout are better than mass paperback who looks like seeing too many words at once.

Recently i have had problems with library hardcovers cause 90% of my books are different kinds of paperback. You arent use to noticing the heavy weight of hardcover when you read.
 
Personally, I prefer hardbacks - and preferably US ones, as they have stitched spines whereas UK ones are glued. Which means the US ones will last longer.

But I only buy hardbacks for authors whose books I collect. Other books I buy in paperback.
 
iansales said:
Personally, I prefer hardbacks - and preferably US ones, as they have stitched spines whereas UK ones are glued. Which means the US ones will last longer.

But I only buy hardbacks for authors whose books I collect. Other books I buy in paperback.
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I like hardbacks too. They have the strenght of paperback in that they are softer than hardcover and unlike paperback their spines dont get damaged as fast

I also buy hardbacks for authors i follow enough to buy their new book as fast possible. Although sometimes its shocking to buy a harback that cost almost as much a new Hardcover when you are used to buying cheap paperbacks,trade paperbacks.
 
My preference is for hardbacks as they will have a better resale value and last longer if you are a collector. If you want a cost effective approach and not that interested in collecting then the paperback editions are probably the best. Having said that, given the volume of my private collection both overall cost and stress on the bookshelves make me tend to purchase paperbacks in the majority of cases.
 
Connavar, I think you might have got confused a bit. Hardback is the UK term for hardcover. Hardbacks with paper covers (like paperbacks) are trade paperbacks. There is no fixed size for hardbacks, but there are three chief UK paperback sizes: A format (about the same as a US massmarket), B format are 130 mm x 198mm, and C format are 135 mm x 216mm (sometimes C format and trade paperback are used interchangeably).
 
iansales said:
Connavar, I think you might have got confused a bit. Hardback is the UK term for hardcover. Hardbacks with paper covers (like paperbacks) are trade paperbacks. There is no fixed size for hardbacks, but there are three chief UK paperback sizes: A format (about the same as a US massmarket), B format are 130 mm x 198mm, and C format are 135 mm x 216mm (sometimes C format and trade paperback are used interchangeably).
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Ahaa the bigger paperbacks than Trade paperback are called Hardback here.

Its mass,trade,hardback the terms here. Atleast in the english bookshop i buy all my books in.
 
There are bigger paperbacks than trade paperbacks?

I always understood trade pbks to be hardbacks with paper covers. So it's the same size as the hardback. And since hardbacks can be different sizes...
 
A lot of my favourite books I have in hardback due to the fact I'm to impatient to wait for the mass market paperback. Although I do need to have a serious sort out, I've series that are mixed I.E some hardback some trade paperback and some mass market paperback. So I ended having series all over the place as you can't mix them on book shelves or they look a total mess.

I'm finding that I prefer the trade paperbacks as they are not as delicate as the mass ones and more flexible than hardbacks. Although hardbacks still look the best on the book shelves.
 
Where possible, I prefer hardbacks due to their durability. My books see a lot of use, and a hardbound can take a lot more of that without signs of damage than a paperback....
 
iansales said:
There are bigger paperbacks than trade paperbacks?

I always understood trade pbks to be hardbacks with paper covers. So it's the same size as the hardback. And since hardbacks can be different sizes...
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Yep there are huge paperbacks who look like a Hardcover but its a paperback.

They come out alittle after a new Hardcover book is out. Its prolly a good trick of getting paperback readers who cant wait months for mass market paperback.
It works since despite it cost alot more than mass paperback some authors you cant wait 5,6 months for.
 
Ah, those are trade paperbacks. Some people also call the 6" x 9" paperbacks (particularly those produce by POD presses) trade paperbacks.
 
I have very few paperbacks in my collection. Where we have a pb original, Ill seek out the BCE just so I dont have to have a pb. The pb's that I do have I keep around to read and trade; like for books for the airplane, or when travelling, which I do quite a bit
 
I prefer hardcover books when I can afford them; but only certain authors. I simply do NOT have the space to have everything in hardcover. My current collection is quite mixed with some hardcovers; some book club hardcovers; and some mass market paperbacks.
 
I just like the "feel" of a hardcover edition. Can't give you any rational reason. I certainly read my share of trades and mass markets also.
 
I definitely prefer hardbacks, and the US ones as Ian pointed out. Though I am careful with my books, the hbs are more durable, they look better, and I love the feel of them, whereas the paperbacks, especially large ones (like the Malazan books) keep trying to close on you, and my hand actually tires trying to keep them open.

I only buy hardbacks for the authors I collect.
 
I don't like hardbacks at all. I don't read books for their covers, but for what's between them. All the ones I own were acquired at tpb prices. They're too heavy and thick. I prefer holding slim, light books when I'm reading. I go to the gym three to five times a week: I don't need to mix weight-lifting with my reading :D
 
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