Consumer Preference: Hardcover or Softcover?

[thundershot]

See, I notice particular buying decisions in myself. Yes, I have a full time job. I'm married, happily, and run two campaigns, one of them once or twice a week, and the other every other week. I buy a lot of d20 books, (maybe not as much as some people) but if I find something interesting... say, for example, the upcoming Alchemy & Herbalists book. That's something that interests me. I thought "hey, maybe I'll buy this someday".. Then I found out it's a hardcover. I added it to my pre-order list. It would look very nice on my shelf next to my FFG and WotC hardcovers. The city books. I still don't know which I'm getting yet, because I DO need a big city in my campaign, but right now, fingers are pointing to Freeport. It's not that the others don't sound great, but I only truly need one big city, and I have to be picky. I'm more likely to pick up a hardback city book (something I'll flip through constantly) than a softcover.

Now don't get me wrong, I buy softcover books too, just not as frequently as hardcovers. I have a few of the AEG books (Dragons, and Evil), and all of the WotC class books. I'm also about to add a potential new series when my Quintessential Rogue arrives in a few days. I could very well be attached to a new series of softcovers.

Just getting my own personal opinion out in the open to the companies that I fork out my hard earned money to.


Thanks!
Chris

 

[Thorin Stoutfoot]

softcovers for me!

I better stick my nose in before all the publishers think only hardcovers will sell. Thin hardcovers are a PAIN! The Psionics Handbook is a skinny hardcover, and that makes it less portable, and if I didn't get it as a gift I wouldn't have bought it.

I bought the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer as a softcover, and I bring it to every game (I run and play in Greyhawk). The forgotten realms campaign setting is hardcover and though I use some rules from it it stays home!

If you gave me a choice between two formats, hardcover and softcover, if I intend to use it I'll buy a softcover. If it's only for recreational reading, then MAYBE hardcover since that'll sell better on eBay.

 

[trancejeremy]

Honestly, I don't really care, except the price.

If Freeport were in softcover, and several dollars cheaper, I'd probably have bought it by now. I can't justify spending $30 for a 160 page hardcover.

 

[thundershot]

Price isn't an issue for me, maybe that's another reason I like hardcovers. After years of not putting any money into my hobby, I can now freely go wild (especially now that my wife games too ).


Chris

 

[JoeGKushner]

Hardcover because of Durability and Apperance on bookshelf.

 

[Black Knight]

I'd say curtrently over 40% of my d20 books are hardcover. Hardcover usually haas a high quality about it and I like that. Publishers seem to go the extra mile knowing the book is hardcover.

Is that true? Do the writers make a little extra effort for Hardcover books?

To be honest with you (and I'm only speaking for myself as a freelance writer), I work damned hard on every project that I do. Whether it is hard cover, soft cover, or pdf I go the extra mile in each and every thing I do so that the customer feels he got something good, the publisher is happy with my work, and (little ego here) to stroke my own ego as a writer when someone on a message board says "Hey that adventure was totally awesome!" or "I think that monster was really cool!"

As for the publishing side, the hard cover vs. soft cover debate basically boils down to the almighty dollar, yen, franc, drahcma, pound, lira, or rubel. Some companies with a great deal of starting capitol can produce every one of their sourcebooks as hard covers. Newer publishers find that style and substance in an unassuming soft cover package is the more economical way to go.

I prefer substance and good writing over a pretty package full of crapolla. Hard or soft, doesn't matter how big it is, it's how well it's written.

 

[SSS-Druid]

A point to ponder, however.

Yesterday, I was at the mall with some friends of mine. They hit the software store, and I told them I'd be over at the WotC store. I decided to hang out for a bit and just watch the kinds of people who came in check out the RPG stuff.

The number of people who looked at only hardcovers vs those who looked at softcovers (in addition to HCs) was easily 3 to 1! I was absolutely floored.

Now mind you, I was in there for an hour and a half or so. Who knows if this was genuinely representative or not, but I found it very, very interesting.

 

[d20Dwarf]

You stared at the RPG rack in the WotC store for an hour and a half? Does one of those "S"s in your name stand for Stalker?

 

[d20sites]

As the saying goes:

You can't judge a book by it's cover.

On that note, I am going to look for some "cover" to hide under. Please do not drop any 16-ton weights on me. Who knows, I might be armed with "fresh fruit" or a "pointed stick".

 

[Horacio]

As the saying goes:

You can't judge a book by it's cover.

On that note, I am going to look for some "cover" to hide under. Please do not drop any 16-ton weights on me. Who knows, I might be armed with "fresh fruit" or a "pointed stick".

LOL !

BTW, that's true...
I, don't understand people who choose their books on base of the hard of soft cover