Anybody miss having hardcover trek books or would you rather pay less for your trek literature?
Why do we not see hardcover novels anymore?
Why do we not see hardcover novels anymore?
New Hardcovers
- Thread starter MatthiasRussell
- Start date
I understand Destiny is being reprinted under one cover but it won't be a hardcover. I think it should be. Titan #1, Vanguard #1, Romulan War. It seems some of the first in series or larger than average stories that are expected to have above average readership should be hardcover so they are better preserved as collector's items.
I'm no expert, but my guess would be that trade paperbacks proved more marketable/profitable than hardcovers.
I agree for the most part. But once in awhile, a truly epic book that more fans will probably pick up (like Destiny) would probably be more profitable as a hardcover first edition and would sell not only on the merits of it being a good book but also because that book could be a collector's item. Why is Destiny and Romulan War being republished? They are great and pivotal books (to many) and the publishers think they will sell more, might they not sell even better as hardcover collector's editions?
Look at comics, often #1 issues have better covers and are more expensive. Fans are willing to pay more because it is not only an anticipated read, but also a collector's item to them.
Look at comics, often #1 issues have better covers and are more expensive. Fans are willing to pay more because it is not only an anticipated read, but also a collector's item to them.
It's possible that Trek hardcovers simply weren't bringing in that much money, and thus why it's been exclusively paperbacks and trade paperbacks.
What was the last hardcover, anyway? Was it Shatner's last book?
What was the last hardcover, anyway? Was it Shatner's last book?
Star Trek books don't sell as well as they used to. Star Trek isn't as popular as it used to be, and the success of the movie didn't trickle down to tie-ins. It's that simple.
Either that or a New Frontier.
Yeah, I think it was a New Frontier.
I do think there should be less hardcovers than when trek was at its peak but once in a while for a book the editors/publishers think is especially good would be nice. Also, one of the reasons sales are down is poor advertising. Neither the franchise nor pocket do much to advertise or promote releases to fans and generate readership. I shouldn't have to work or come here to know what upcoming books are about to be released, such info should be plastered at cons, startrek.com, and such but it doesn't happen.
I do think there should be less hardcovers than when trek was at its peak but once in a while for a book the editors/publishers think is especially good would be nice. Also, one of the reasons sales are down is poor advertising. Neither the franchise nor pocket do much to advertise or promote releases to fans and generate readership. I shouldn't have to work or come here to know what upcoming books are about to be released, such info should be plastered at cons, startrek.com, and such but it doesn't happen.
I think the reason the books are printed in tradepaper back is Pocket books probably sold more novels than they would in hardbacks they don't charge as much for the coverprice as a hardback and probably sell faster than a hardcover would.That's why the story anthologies are in printed in paperback nowdays.They certainly don't have news releaes about the new books coming out next year or advertise the Startrek books like they did a few years ago.
Today's consumer seems to only be interested in one thing - price.
People do not seem to have an interest in displaying beautifully bound books anymore. They simply load them on their devices, and read them and delete them. They would rather show off the device than the novel. I have many, many paperbacks and hardbacks, and I try to keep them in excellent condition. It has been a long time though that I was tempted to buy a book in hardback form. They just are too darn expensive. The modern marketplace has little appreciation for aesthetics.
There is one market that does, and that is non - fiction books. They vary in size and format, they have beautiful cover, they use innovative binding techniques to give the book a unique feel and texture and smell. But modern mass market sci - fi novels are frankly very boring. They are all printed on the same newsprint style paper, they all have very plain binding with a cheap removable paper cover that is usually damaged by time you get it home, and they all have no "shelf appeal".
Bookmakers have forgotten that book reading is a very, very, very tactile experience. Our hands communicate a great deal to us as we read the book, and if you don't bother to make the book feel interesting, none of us are going to be motivated to purchase an expensive hardback when a cheaper paperback will do.
Assuming you're talking strictly fiction and assuming you want to count the 2009 movie novelization, it would been the Star Trek movie tie-in in June 2009.
Otherwise, I'm pretty sure it was William Shatner's Academy: Collision Course in October 2007.
- Byron
It was a trade PB, and an unabridged audio, followed by a MMPB reprint.
Memory Alpha does list a hardcover's ISBN, but did that really come out?
Yes, it did. At least here in the U.S. anyway. It came out on June 16, 2009, about a month after the ebook and trade versions and a little over a year before the mmpb version. It's still available for order new from Amazon for $25.
- Byron
The hardcover novelization has also reached the remainder chains; I've seen it on the bargain tables at Borders and Barnes & Noble in the past six months.
I don't think it's the consumers so much as the manufacturer. I really think it's just that it's not profitable for them to do Hardcovers for stuff that isn't going to be a huge bestseller, and as much as we might hate to admit it, Trek hasn't sold that well in ages.
Do people actually do that? I would never delete anything I paid full price for, whether it's a movie or episode on Itunes or the Playstation Network or a ebook for my Nook. As for showing off the device, my love for my Nook has nothing to do with a desire to show off the device, it's just that it's much more convient to deal with than paperback. I don't have to worry about holding the book open, it's lighter than a paper book, it's easier to transport, and I can carry multiple books in a device that is smaller and lighter than a single paperback.I miss hardcover books 
. As a collector and an avid reader I like that HC books are easier to read and don't damage like PB do (spine creases and rolling, dog-eared pages, etc.). Plus hardcover books look really nice lined up on my bookshelf 
! It's one of the reasons I'm trying to track down as many of the old TOS books that received the hardcover treatment.
It's also why I'll fight tooth and nail to keep from going electronic. Nothing like a real book in your hands and the feel of the pages turning.
!!!LONG LIVE SAMUEL T. COGLEY!!!
. As a collector and an avid reader I like that HC books are easier to read and don't damage like PB do (spine creases and rolling, dog-eared pages, etc.). Plus hardcover books look really nice lined up on my bookshelf ! It's one of the reasons I'm trying to track down as many of the old TOS books that received the hardcover treatment.It's also why I'll fight tooth and nail to keep from going electronic. Nothing like a real book in your hands and the feel of the pages turning.
!!!LONG LIVE SAMUEL T. COGLEY!!!
Exactly. I'v shared books with friends and wife. After 1 or 2 reads, they get a little worn. Sure, I primarily use my kindle now. But books I'm especially looking forward to or ones that are popular enough to merit a reprint, I'd buy a hardcover.
There is nothing like it and I personally don't miss the feel of physical books in the slightest. I'm an avid reader too, and I've always loved books, but I love the ability to keep a page while switching between books, I can look up words I don't know without referencing a separate dictionary, and I can avoid crappy bookstore selection if I run out of reading material when I am away from home. I also like that there are acres of forest still standing for all the books I've read on my Kindle.
I do generally keep a physical book on hand for the first and last 20 minutes of a flight, but I'm usually wishing I had the book on Kindle while I am reading it.
