This
is my third large purge of books I won’t bother to read or that I’m unlikely to
read again. (I posted about my first purge, but skipped my second one.) This
time, I sold 17 books to a used bookstore.
I’ve
noticed a disturbing trend: the prices
are going down noticeably for paperback books.
I think the used bookstores are realizing the hard truth that there is
less of a demand for mass-market paperbacks.
In
the past, I’ve had interesting conversations with professionals on whether
mass-market paperbacks will be replaced by e-books in the next few years. (The larger paperbacks, known as trade
paperbacks, are considered safe for now.
And none of the professionals were predicting the demise of hardcover
books.) But let’s not ignore signals
from the marketplace about what’s going on.
Is the death of the mass-market paperback coming? What’s happening in used bookstores in other parts of the country?
I'm mostly a library girl, so I'm not aware of what's going on in used bookstores around here, but this is an interesting post that raises good questions!
ReplyDeleteI think there will always be a market for all 3 mediums, just a lesser share. I mean, people will always read paper, and cheapskates will still want to buy books. I'm interested to see exactly how the numbers play out though.
ReplyDeleteDef interesting. I think eBooks will soon take their place and print books will be for those really huge bestsellers that fans just want a copy of as collector items.
ReplyDeleteI only buy a book in paperback if I know I am going to keep it. Too much clutter in my house. Ebooks are tidier!
ReplyDelete