What Are Mass Market Paperbacks? All You Need To Know

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Ever wondered what a mass market paperback book is? Join us here at What We Reading as we look at the differences between market market and other paperback books!

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Printed books are mainly published in three unique forms: hardcover, trade paperback and mass market paperback. Hardcover books (also known as ‘hardback’ or ‘hard-bound’), require the most amount of materials and time to produce. They are books that are bound by hard and rigid covers, with the pages held together usually by staples and stitches. 

Trade paperbacks (more commonly referred to as ‘paperback’) are a cheaper type of book produced with thick pages and protected by a soft paper cover. Trade paperbacks are cheaper than hardcovers, but more expensive than mass market paperbacks. 

We already did an article on paperbacks vs hardcovers. But, if you want to get better acquainted with the world of paper books, we’re here to run you through everything you need to know about mass market paperbacks! 

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What Are Mass-Market Paperbacks?

Compared to other softcover books, mass market paperbacks are a type of book that is smaller in size, produced on lower-quality paper and with cheap binding. Mass market paperbacks are usually sold in places like railway stations, airports, supermarkets as well as some bookstores. 

The idea behind these types of books is volume, volume, volume. Because they are so cheap to make, publishers can pump out more of them and sell them for a lower price than other paperback and hardcover editions. 

Mass market paperbacks usually come with 4×7 inches in dimensions, making them considerably smaller than their alternatives. The font size is usually smaller, and they do not have illustrations, diagrams or any other decorative features. 

One other important feature of mass market paperbacks is their being ‘strippable’. Strippable books are books that can have their covers torn off by a distributor or retailer, which they can then send them back to a publisher for a refund. 

Paperback vs Mass-Market Paperbacks?

That was a guide into the ins and outs of these types of books, let’s summarise the differences between paperbacks and mass market paperbacks:

• Mass  market paperbacks are made with lower-quality materials, and are considerably cheaper to make and buy compared to other paperbacks.
• Paperback books come with acid-free paper and won’t discolour over time.
• Paperbacks often have illustrations or decorative features, whereas mass market alternatives do not.
• Because their dimensions are so much smaller, mass market paperbacks have more pages in their editions than other paperbacks.
• Mass market paperbacks are usually available to buy in places unrelated to books i.e. railways, airports and supermarkets.
• Typically, established authors will sell their books in hardcover and paperback editions. Newer authors will stick with paperback and mass market paperbacks.
• Paperbacks are usually released alongside or just after a hardcover, whereas a mass market paperback book will be released even later than that.

Ultimately, there aren’t too many reasons to buy a mass market paperback book over a soft or hardcover edition. The only time you really want to be picking up a mass market book is when you’re travelling, where the book’s smaller, lightweight design makes it easier to move around. 

We fully believe in ‘different strokes for different folks’ however, in our humble opinion, best to stick with the tried-and-tested paperbacks.