Before the Free Library and Webscriptions, Baen was actually putting out fewer hardbacks and trade paperbacks. Now they have more hardbacks, including more new authors introduced in both hardback and trade. More NYT best-sellers, too. Of course, there are a lot of factors for the change in the business. They are probably putting out more trade paperbacks because the market for mass market paperbacks is not doing as well.
Still, they seem to be a stronger presence in the marketplace now. A far cry from the company that published
1945 by Newt Gingrich & William R. Forstchen. I don't know if that was their first hardback, but it was one of their first hardbacks, and it was a huge flop. They printed too many copies and last I heard still had boxes full of them in their warehouse.
Ever since Webscriptions, I've bought Baen hardbacks just because of the Baen CDs inside. I bought Cryoburn in hardback just to get the Baen CD that came with it, even though I knew it would end up on the Fifth Imperium site soon after the publication. And even though I bought the eArc because I couldn't wait. After all, it's Lois McMaster Bujold, dude.
