Quote:
Originally Posted by poohbear_nc
"No, I'm sorry but we prefer books as books -- covers, texts, fonts, everything (including even the delightful smell).
Crippen & Landru"
|
Yes -- I can identify with the love of a well-crafted book. But for me that only applies to a collectible edition, and I don't own many of those. Mass-market paperbacks just aren't in the same category.
The majority of people are into books for the stories -- not for the covers, the fonts, or the smell.
A catchy cover image can help increase sales in stores, particularly when the publisher can get a "face out" position on the shelves. But one doesn't have to abandon cover art when producing an electronic edition. Heck -- my paperbacks are shelved spine out, so I don't see the covers until I take them down. So I see the electronic covers on my books just as easily.
What it appears is that this publisher thinks there is only a limited number of sales they will make -- and they can't envisage having the title available in more than one format.