The Return Of The Paperback Original
Posted on June 6, 2006
The Wall Street Journal reports on a new trend: straight to paperback.
"Straight to paperback," once considered the ignominious fate of romance novels and second-tier thrillers, is becoming an increasingly popular business model. Hoping to reach readers wary of investing $20 or more in an author they haven't tried before, publishers are releasing so-called paperback originals.Since when is a paperback original a new concept? Haven't they been around for decades? And now, just when we thought that the concept of genres couldn't get any more segmented, the Wall Street Journal now informs us that there is a new way to classify books: addictive or non-addictive. Mysteries, apparently, are "addictive." Presumably, heavy nonfiction historical titles that weigh over 10 lbs are "non-addictive." Perhaps there's some kind of 12-step program that addresses this disturbing new disorder.The tactic is mostly being used with titles by promising -- but not yet blockbuster -- authors. In 2004, Random House published "Cloud Atlas," by then little-known British writer David Mitchell as a $14.95 paperback original in the U.S. Today there are an estimated 90,000 copies in print, a much bigger audience than Mr. Mitchell had previously garnered in the U.S.
Some publishers are tweaking the formula further with a strategy that evokes the serialized "pulp" publishing of decades past. They're commissioning two or more books at a time from an author and then releasing them within months of each other to get readers hooked. And they're publishing them as "rack sized" paperbacks -- small, inexpensive editions sold on newsstands and at airport bookstores.