Most writers dream of seeing their hard-sought, perfect words printed between hard covers…with a paperback to follow. But is that the best approach for a first novel? Might the trade paperback original be coming into its own? Editorial Ass explores the pros and cons of the hardcover vs. the paperback here.
Excerpt:
"When my last few hardcover books came out," [author] Alice [Mattison] continued, "I noticed that after a reading, audience members were more likely to buy a paperback or two than the new book, which was much more expensive. After I'd thought about it, I began to feel hopeful about a paperback original. At the start of my career I had hardcover books with poor sales that never made it to paperback, and that was infinitely more frustrating, I assure you."