Publishers Stand by Mass Market Paperback

Figures from both the Association of American Publishers and Nielsen BookScan show that sales in the mass market paperback segment were a bit soft in 2007, but interviews with publishers and distributors found that while the format faces some challenges, mass market paperbacks remain an important part of the publishing mix. “Mass market gets the most attention when people talk about a format not being what it used to be,” said Louise Burke, executive v-p and publisher of Pocket Books. “But it still has a lot of value in getting readers in and then moving them up to hardcover. You have to look at the big picture.”

“Things are pretty healthy; I wish they were healthier,” said Levy Home Entertainment’s v-p of marketing, John Lindsay. Sales of mass market paperbacks were up in the single digits in Levy’s fiscal year ended September 30, and first-quarter mass market sales increased in the high single digits. Lindsay attributed the gains to new marketing programs that have injected some excitement into a category that he believes had become stale. One of the most successful initiatives has been a mass market autographing program—Levy brings in an author to sign several thousand copies of one title, which are then shipped to accounts across the country. Levy is also aggressively promoting specially priced $4.99 titles in a bid to grow a new author or give a boost to an established author’s backlist.

Levy was also an early backer of the $9.99 premium paperback, a format that is also championed by Penguin, which will publish 34 titles in the larger format this year. “We’re moving more and more of our bestselling authors to premium,” said Penguin CEO David Shanks.

Although the premium paperback originally was developed for aging baby boomers, Shanks said the larger format also appeals to young people, who are used to reading hardcovers and trade paperbacks and find traditional smaller paperbacks unappealing. Shanks warned that not all authors work in the premium size, and noted that male authors sell better than females because romance readers are more price sensitive.

Beth deGuzman, v-p and editor-in-chief for paperbacks at Grand Central Publishing, has had much the same experience with premium paperback as Penguin, although with fewer titles. The company has done James Patterson, David Baldacci and Nelson DeMille in premium size, and units have remained constant, even at the higher $9.99 price point. GCP plans to release seven premium paperbacks this year. Pocket is doing 10—12 premium editions annually, and Burke said units have continued to grow for major authors like Vince Flynn, Sandra Brown and Greg Iles. On the other hand, Bantam Dell publisher Irwyn Applebaum has not moved any of his authors to premium paperback. Applebaum believes that the format is awkward, and that there is the danger of sacrificing units for dollars, which would be “moving in the wrong direction.”

Applebaum is an advocate of publishing a mass market, along with hardcover and trade paper. Last week, BD released the first title in its Bantam Discovery program, The Adultery Club, in both mass market and trade paperback. Next month, the program will feature The Year of Fog, released in hardcover in 2007, in both paperback formats. For Applebaum, the approach is a way to give accounts and customers more choices. DeGuzman said Grand Central had success doing a mass market edition of Good Grief after it appeared in hardcover and trade paper; “it’s a third revenue stream,” she noted. HC used the approach for Jodi Picoult’s The Pact and is releasing a mass market edition of her Keeping Faith this summer. HC also sold 500,000 copies of Wicked in mass last fall, without hurting sales of the trade paperback, said Liate Stelhik, senior v-p, publisher, Avon Books, Harper paperbacks and HarperLuxe.

There was widespread agreement that, among the various mass market categories, romance continues to enjoy solid sales gains, helped by what deGuzman called a “resurgence” in historical romance. Harlequin president Donna Hayes said the romance publisher finished 2007 with double-digit gains due to solid performances from both its series business and “career years” from several authors, including Debbie Macomber. Romance continues to “sell and sell,” said Stehlik. Another hot category cited by several houses was paranormal. DeGuzman said she sees “no end in sight” for gains in the segment, although Levy’s Lindsay said growth in the segment has slowed recently, and Burke warned against the danger of overpublishing in the category.

So if the paperback segment has so much going for it, why were sales soft in 2007? Heightened competition for shelf space is one reason. The tremendous consolidation among ID wholesalers has meant the loss of some accounts, said Shanks. “Racks used to be everywhere,” Burke noted. “That’s not the case now.” And with many retailers devoting more space to hardcovers and trade paperbacks, “something had to give,” observed Stehlik. The limitation on retail space has made it difficult to find room to display midlist authors, hurting their sales. And 2006’s strong sales of Dan Brown paperbacks as well as a Nora Roberts trilogy weren’t repeated last year.

Whatever problems mass market may have, they are not enough for publishers to consider abandoning the field. The low price point serves as a way to interest readers in new authors, and the formula of building an audience through publication first in mass market can still work. DeGuzman pointed out that after seven mass market originals, Karen Rose’s next book, Scream for Me, will be released in hardcover in May. And Stehlik noted that some new authors who did well when published first in hardcover can make an even bigger splash in mass market. That’s what HC is expecting for Andrew Gross’s The Blue Zone, for which it will ship 500,000 copies. Given the tough economy expected in 2008, several publishers noted that mass market might have a good year as an inexpensive entertaiment alternative. And, as Applebaum noted, “Every successful novelist will carry on in paperback.”