New paperback novel size . . .

[Jdvn1]

Bought the shorter version of that at a used store for about a buck.

Now I have to see where I put it so I can read it....

Are you sure?

There's a mass market paperback and a quality paperback. The mass market paperback is smaller than the quality paperback, but is larger than mass market paperbacks of most other books. Are you sure you don't mean that you just bought the mass market paperback, or did you actually buy a smaller mass market paperback?

Because from what I've seen, a smaller mass market paperback just doesn't exist, unless, possibly, you want to read the book in French or something. It certainly isn't orderable from any major mortar-and-brick bookstore I've seen.

 

[Alaric_Prympax]

They're getting more and more common. A unique way to charge $10 per book....

I'll stick with the regular sized SF and fantasy titles.

This is exactly why they are doing it- to justify a MASSMARKET paperback for $10. The common (or at least it was) size for a massmarket was 4" x 7" and that was the common cut of the paper. Any paperback not that size, either larger or smaller (usually non-fiction), was called a tradeback and usually more expensive then the massmarket size because it was an uncommon cut size. Now publishers and I guess printers too can charge more for the bigger (and in their view better) massmarket.

I was in the book retail business for a little over 10 years (I met my girlfriend in the Star Wars section in 1996 while I worked at Waldenbooks). The Hardback would come out then 10 to 14 months later the massmarket would be published, 95% of the time it was never 12 months. In the last couple of years a new trend developed- hardback, tradeback the next year, then massmarket the year after that. Eventhough I got a copy of George R.R. Martin's A Feast for Crows in hardback I was pleasently surprise to see both the tradeback and massmarket (4" x 7" size) come out together (I needed a paper copy to reread and travel with). Usually any fiction tradeback uses a larger then 4" lenght.

But back on topic, I believe that is why we are seeing the 4" x 9" (I think that's the new size, it might be 8 & 1/2" though) being used more. I was in B&N (where I worked for 7 years) the other day and saw more authors' books in that size. So far it is authors who sell well and have been around a while but IMO this will become more and more widespread. I have a feeling that the first SciFi/Fantasy authors will be Robert Jordan, Luarell K. Hamilton, Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey... well you get the picture. I hope this does not happen, I just don't like the size. All just MO though.

 

[Graybeard]

Up until a couple of years ago, Angels and Demons was available in a regular size mass amrket paperback. I own a copy of it in that size. It's currently on loan to a friend of mine.

 

[Treebore]

I find it funny I started reading Laurel K. Hamilton when the Anita Blake series was still exclusively in the romance section at bookstores. Now I wonder if people will start reading Christine Feehan's "Dark..." vampire series, Sherilyn Kenyen's "Dark Hunter" series, plus JD Robbs (Nora Roberts) "In Death" series, plus several others.

The only reason those series are in romance is the same reason L. K. Hamiltons used to be, sex scenes. Other than that they are pretty good books.

 

[Alaric_Prympax]

Up until a couple of years ago, Angels and Demons was available in a regular size mass amrket paperback. I own a copy of it in that size. It's currently on loan to a friend of mine.

Yes it was. My copy of Angles and Demons is 4" x 7" as well but I haven't seen that size since the 'new' massmarket has come out.

 

[comrade raoul]

I very rarely read SF or fantasy, but novels I've bought have come in a wide range of sizes. I'm surprised people expect a standard.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Are you sure?

There's a mass market paperback and a quality paperback. The mass market paperback is smaller than the quality paperback, but is larger than mass market paperbacks of most other books. Are you sure you don't mean that you just bought the mass market paperback, or did you actually buy a smaller mass market paperback?

Because from what I've seen, a smaller mass market paperback just doesn't exist, unless, possibly, you want to read the book in French or something. It certainly isn't orderable from any major mortar-and-brick bookstore I've seen.

I got the regular sized paperback.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

 

[BOZ]

Stephen King's The Dark Tower series books V and on have been of the larger size...

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Stephen King's The Dark Tower series books V and on have been of the larger size...

As if you can't hit a used bookstore and grab earlier copies fairly cheap....