The Demise of The Hardcover!

In November of 2007 The Guardian, a UK newspaper ran an article about some publishers opting to print new first run edition books direct to paperback. Hardcover first has been a 60 year tradition! But book sales in Hardcover has declined in recent years- people (and book clubs) are opting to wait for the paperback version that usually comes out a year after the hardback. And with the advent of e-readers like the Kindle by Amazon, the traditional form of books is changing.

As I was reviewing some interesting books this weekend, I happened to come upon a book that was published this past February IN PAPERBACK! by one of the publishers highlighted in the Guardian article- Picador. Now Picador is the 8th largest publisher in the UK and it carries some heavy hitters as far as authors - notably the author of The Road, Cormac McCarthy - so I was a bit stunned. I knew it was coming, but I just tried to ignore the inevitable. There are plenty of people who look forward to this change- the ability to buy that new book at a more affordable price. As for me I LOVE hardcovers! But alas I am also guilty of not always buying that hardcover (much to the pleasure of my husband). But hardcovers are special- there's a certain confidence instilled in them, a certain relevancy that makes them command more attention on the book table. Is it just because they are bigger and demand more room? Here's the link to the Guardian article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/nov/17/books.booksnews
And what book was I reading about? The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoki Ogawa. Look for that review in upcoming posts!