There has been much written about the current question vexing the publishing world - is the age of the hardback over? Should we be publishing our books straight into paperback, with e-books coming swiftly behind (or alongside)? I know of one author who is of the (somewhat alarmist) view that a hardback publication will 'kill' a book ... I couldn't agree less.
Each publisher looks at their list and their sales expectations of a book. Here at A&B, I'm happy to sell a modest 1500 hardbacks, but I'm sure that is just a fraction of what a large publisher like Macmillan would consider viable. We're not Macmillan, though. We're a small independent publisher, and hardbacks are our lifeblood. We publish all our genre fiction in that format and are fortunate to have a vibrant (and growing) collectors market for our handsome first editions, as well as a loyal and vital library audience. There's still a valued customer-base for our hardbacks, and I don't see that disappearing in the immediate future. Eroding a bit, yes, but not becoming extinct. Thankfully, it seems I'm not alone in that view -Michael Skapinker writing in today's FT tells of his love of hardbacks, something that he discovered after central heating and sunlight took their toll on his paperback collection.
I must confess that if I was an author I'd much rather give my friends and family a beautifully produced hardback when my book was published, than a small format (rather disposable)paperback. But that's just me.
4 comments:
Hardbacks are beautiful but I have trouble fitting them in my handbag for the trip to work!
I may have to get a bigger bag...
True - I tend to have a handbag friendly novel and an indulgent (library) hardback for reading at home simultaneously on the go. I am physically unable to leave the house without a book. But there are some which I can't contain myself for the pb publication. One example being Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, I'm the proud owner of a huge copy of that. That was a book that was a better (for me) for being reading in a comfy chair at home with a cuppa to hand, not while negotiating the number 38 at rush hour. Also Anonymous, did you see the gorgeous hardback design for Glass Books of the Dream Eaters? How the paperback will top that aesthetic wonder I don't know...
Well I have now! You’re right, it is lovely. The paperback reader will be missing out!
I always have and always will purchase the hardback of authors I read regularly; by which I mean authors whose books I buy each time they appear, and on publication. You have delighted me in recent years by winning a number of my own 'favourites' for your list - Robert Barnard, Jane Adams, June Thomson and Zoe Sharp, to name a few. Keep authors of their high standing, and continue to produce a beautiful 'finished product', and I for one will keep spending my £s on your books...!
All the best
Chris, Edinburgh
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