USATODAY.com - Paperback publishers put premium on size

I just had a copy of the new Clive Cussler paperback in my hand, which would be neither here nor there except it's the first book I've seen in the new "premium" paperback format: taller pages, slightly larger type, more space between lines. At first glance, I think the new format looks cool on the outside (I like the proportions), and is easier to read than the standard paperback on the inside (very nice for my middle-aged eyes, thanks.) The downside? The suggested retail price is $9.99, up a bit from the standard mass market paperback price (but less than most trade paperbacks).

Book sizes have grown and shrunk and shifted through the years, and most older paperbacks used to be slightly taller than more recent offerings, so this is more or less a swing of the pendulum I guess.

Luckily, all our shelves both at home and at the store ought to handle the new format side by side with the standard mass market format without any problem. (A few years ago we had to redo the layout of our bookstore because new hardbacks got too tall for our previously-standard shelving. If anybody wonders why most of our hardbacks are on top of the shelves, that's why. It was either that or buy new shelves...)


Lost City: A Kurt Austin Adventure