2011 Lineup

[Therin of Andor]

And trades take up more shelf space. Not to mention they don't look right next to a Trek MM. Uneven.

Trades are made for different buyers. The fact that some collectors buy everything is secondary. Some people are only attracted to trades. They use a higher quality of paper than MMPB. The authors get extra royalty.

If you want everything to match up, Pocket should never have altered the height of MMPBs between "The Wounded Sky" and "The Trellisane Confrontration" (coincidentally the two books that came out during my first US vacation), nor published any hardcovers. My trades are interfiled with my hardcovers (in any case, the hardcovers come in three heights anyway).

 

[DimesDan]

Well I rather like them.

 

[Ronald Held]

Trades take up more space, but have larger fonts.

 

[Stevil2001]

I love trade paperbacks. A little more hefty, a little more durable, a little easier to read, but less weight than a big ol' hardcover.

 

[JWolf]

And trades take up more shelf space. Not to mention they don't look right next to a Trek MM. Uneven.

Trades are made for different buyers. The fact that some collectors buy everything is secondary. Some people are only attracted to trades. They use a higher quality of paper than MMPB. The authors get extra royalty.

If you want everything to match up, Pocket should never have altered the height of MMPBs between "The Wounded Sky" and "The Trellisane Confrontration" (coincidentally the two books that came out during my first US vacation), nor published any hardcovers. My trades are interfiled with my hardcovers (in any case, the hardcovers come in three heights anyway).

Yeah, trades are for people who have more money then sense. They buy them so the publishers keep publishing. if they stopped buying them, the trades might hopefully go away forever. They are an abomination to the book world. They are like taking a widescreen 16:9 TV and standing it on end and watching a widescreen movie. It's just wrong. Trades are nasty things. Go away Trade. Why is it the publishers want to make reading so much more difficult? Trade, rising eBook costs, stupid people running things and other problems. It's no wonder a lot of people don't read.

Trades take up more space, but have larger fonts.

So can eBooks. The excuse that trades were designed because they have larger fonts is a bunch of nonsense. They were designed to get more money from us.

 

[Christopher]

The excuse that trades were designed because they have larger fonts is a bunch of nonsense. They were designed to get more money from us.

Wait a minute. You think trade paperbacks are a recent invention??? Larger paperback books have been around for generations, even before mass-market paperbacks came along. Paperbacks have always come in a range of sizes. As others have explained to you multiple times, trades are targeted at a different market than MMPBs. Clearly you're not a member of that market, but it's silly to condemn the very existence of something that simply doesn't suit your personal tastes. Good grief, how can you be a Trek fan and not understand the concept of tolerance for diversity?

 

[Greg Cox]

More importantly, the trade paperback format (with its higher price and lower print runs) is often the only thing that makes some books financially doable at all. Not every book has "mass-market" commercial appeal. Trust me, if not for tpbs, you'd be seeing a lot less "marginal" projects like short story collections, first novels by unknown authors, etc.

As an industry, publishing has notoriously low profit margins. Most editors and publishers are not sitting atop stacks of ill-gotten gold while deviously figuring out new ways to gouge consumers. Instead, we're usually wondering how we can publish this nifty new novel or anthology without losing our shirts?

Sometimes, trade paperbacks are the only way to make the numbers work.

 

[JD]

Yeah, trades are for people who have more money then sense. They buy them so the publishers keep publishing. if they stopped buying them, the trades might hopefully go away forever. They are an abomination to the book world. They are like taking a widescreen 16:9 TV and standing it on end and watching a widescreen movie. It's just wrong. Trades are nasty things. Go away Trade. Why is it the publishers want to make reading so much more difficult? Trade, rising eBook costs, stupid people running things and other problems. It's no wonder a lot of people don't read.

I really don't have a problem with Trades, sure there's a somewhat annoying size difference, but they have allowed us to get short story collections, and the multi-novel books like MyrU and MU books. As for people not reading because of the stuff you talked about. I really think you have that in reverse. If more people read then they would have more money to invest, and they could combat that stuff better.

 

[Senjus]

I don't care what format that they come. I just want to read Star Trek Books. I'm pretty sure we all agree on that otherwise we wouldn't be here.

 

[Therin of Andor]

The excuse that trades were designed because they have larger fonts is a bunch of nonsense. They were designed to get more money from us.

They were designed to be more upmarket that a "disposable" MMPB. I've seen prestigious SF and Aussie lit titles come out first in hardcover, then trade, then MMPB. Each is aimed at a different demographic. There are many people who won't give a MMPB as a gift, due to its crappy, acidic paper, or its small size - and trades provide an almost-hardcover experience at less cost to the buy and/or reader.

Like CDs ended the art of the LP cover, so the fall of the hardcover threatened that form of cover art. Trades allow beautiful cover art a chance to shine.

There is also a law of supply and demand. Enough people buy (even demand) ST trades to ensure supply. You could try to promote a boycott, but enough people do love them. And, as my eyes grow older, I do find I appreciate any increase in font size.

 

[JoeZhang]

Anyone got a scale chart for what you people are talking about?

 

[SicOne]

I believe mention was made for increased royalties for TPBs versus MMPBs, was that correct?

In the case of something like an anthology, does that still hold true? Or do published authors just get a set, specific amount for their participation and that's it, regardless of numbers sold?

 

[Greg Cox]

I believe mention was made for increased royalties for TPBs versus MMPBs, was that correct?

In the case of something like an anthology, does that still hold true? Or do published authors just get a set, specific amount for their participation and that's it, regardless of numbers sold?

Nope, we get pro rata share of the royalties. I still occasionally get a check for the DOMINION WARS book . . . .

 

[Therin of Andor]

Anyone got a scale chart for what you people are talking about?

Go and study the shelves of a book shop (or a Star Trek collector).

You have:

Original Pocket MMPB - the first few years of ST novels

New format MMPB - from "The Trellisane Confrontation"

Hardcover - eg "Spock's World"

Taller hardcover - eg "Pathways"

Smaller hardcover - the more recent novelizations

Even smaller hardcover - "New Frontier #1-4" omnibus

Tall trades - like "New Frontier: No Limits"

Smaller trades - like some novelizations.


But there are even noticeable height differences between hardcovers such as "New Frontier: Excalibur: Restoration" and "New Frontier: Stone and Anvil".

 

[Allyn Gibson]

You forgot one, Ian.

The Science Fiction Book Club hardcovers, which are about an eighth of an inch shorter than the standard Spock's World hardcover size. They're close that at a glance you wouldn't notice the size, but on the shelf there's a definite difference.

 

[ClayinCA]

Does the Science Fiction Book Club still do those exclusive Trek hardcover compilations? It seems like I haven't seen one in ages.

 

[Therin of Andor]

You forgot one, Ian.
The Science Fiction Book Club hardcovers

Didn't forget. I don't own any. No way to compare. Would they even count as Pocket publications? Reprints under license?

 

[Christopher]

I have the SFBC hardcover of The Janus Gate, and it says "Published by arrangement with Pocket Books." Although I wasn't aware we were limiting the list to Pocket publications. Or rather, Simon & Schuster publications, since the more recent TPBs are under the Gallery Books imprint.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Although I wasn't aware we were limiting the list to Pocket publications.

Well, we don't have to, of course, but I was preparing to take a pic of a selection of heights, but the light is not working in my ST room, so I gave up.

 

[DimesDan]

Although I wasn't aware we were limiting the list to Pocket publications.

Well, we don't have to, of course, but I was preparing to take a pic of a selection of heights, but the light is not working in my ST room, so I gave up.

You have a Star Trek room?