Publishers Parting Ways with Paperbacks – What It Means for Indiana Bibliophiles

Bibliophiles are soon going to find it more difficult to buy their  books in paperback form.

Hardback vs Paperback

As someone who, since an early age, can easily get lost within the pages of a good book, I love to collect hardback books. However, when it comes to reading, I actually prefer paperbacks.

One to Read - One to Collect

I have always found paperbacks to the "on-the-go" book binding option, while hardbacks are more of the "sits on the shelf" type. I don't know if that even makes sense to anyone else's brain but mine, but that's just the way it's always been.

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Paperbacks Are Definitely More Budget Friendly

It's almost as if I revere the hardback as a collectors item. If not purchasing a book for the sake of having it as a keepsake, I would often skip the heftier hardback pricetag and opt for the cheaper, paperback copy. I mean most books are printed in both formats anyway, right?

Evansville, Indiana Bookstore Shares News of Changes in Publishing Industry

It turns out, that soon may not be the case. I saw a post online from one of my favorite Evansville, Indiana indie bookstores about changes in the book industry - primarily publishers moving away from paperbacks. Your Brother's Bookstore says for now the changes will impact nonfiction books, but that could change.

Nonfiction books aren't always going to be released in paperback anymore. In the past, for all major publisher releases, after about a year of a book being in hardback the book is then released in paperback. Not anymore. While this is, for now, mostly affecting nonfiction titles, it is also expected to happen with debut authors and smaller presses that are still under the umbrella of the major five publishers.

The change could potentially impact readers' habits since hardbacks are usually two to three times the price of a book's paperback counterpart, but it could also have a big impact on booksellers too.

[SOURCE: Your Brother's Bookstore via Facebook]