Quote:
Originally Posted by Falbe Publishing
Mass market paperbacks could hardly be labeled as a durable product. They are a nearly disposable medium. So, I'm speculating that as more readers get some sort of reading gadget, then ebooks will become the affordable form for consuming entertainment and information that you do not necessarily want or need to store for posterity. Readers will mostly buy ebooks, and their paper book purchases will be in hardcover because they are seeking a more durable item to serve as a keepsake and put on display. For example, I want my hardcover The Lord of the Rings trilogy on my shelf. Also, I have zero desire to replace my cookbooks with digital forms. Cookbooks need to withstand the spray of batter or the spatter of grease.
|
If you think of this as a trend instead of an absolute, then it already is happening. Baen Books has, since the instigation of their Webscription program of ebook sales, become a publisher that produces many more hardback books than they previously did. There are several presumed reasons for this, but taken together, more books are being released as a hardback instead of initial releases as a paperback.
Also, additional reasons for buying a hardback include a desire to reward an author with more royalties and/or recognition. There are some patrons of Baen's Bar that claim to buy one of each available format for selected books and authors, just to have "a complete set".
On the opposing hand, I buy lots of MMPB copies that I intend to keep. I almost never buy hardback, because I don't wish to STORE hardbacks - they take up too much room. Also, they cost enough that I'm not willing to experiment with new authors. Ebooks take up even less space, usually cost less (at least the ones I have been buying so far), and have the added benefit that I'm willing to keep even the awful ones around. (and sometimes that means they eventually move from the "awful" category to a more favorable one.)