I have never understood why publishers insist on hardbacks first. Not only are they expensive, but they are too large and heavy to take anywhere, take up far too much room on overcrowded shelves and hurt when I doze off reading and drop them on myself at night. I have almost always waited for the paperback - although these days I usually just wait for the ebook to drop in price (sorry).
They were bought by libraries - remember those? They were better quality, made to last, to be handled by many people. Not sure that's true any more, either - hardbacks often seem cheaply made now, with paper that yellows quickly.
There was no need for that somewhat snide addition, but isn’t that the nineteenth century publishing model Helen mentioned?Besides, hardbacks are, and have been for as long as I can remember, marketed at individuals not just libraries.
Anyway, the answer turns out to be, inevitably, money. The profit margin is higher on hardbacks so delaying the paperback release means that there is more time to sell the hardback. In the US, very popular books can take several years to get to paperback. I wonder how well this model works for most authors though and how well it works now that, by the time the paperback is released, the price of the ebook has typically already been substantially reduced.
In the 1980s Picador was seen as a pioneer for launching paperback originals that sold extremely well and in some cases made their writers into household names (this is how I discovered Edmund White), but that was the 1980s when people still read books.
This is the same as the music market - and foretold in Lyotards The Postmodern Condition in the late 70s - bang out the regular edition (CD and digital) then bring out vinyl and premium packages at a hefty mark-up for ‘collectors’. As more of the world turn digital the ‘item’ can only exist as a luxury.
Notably Rebellion, publishers of 2000AD, do likewise for their thriving graphic novel line - regular softcover 9.99-15.99 and then limited slipcase hardcover often with print etc for massive mark-up (30-40 quid) and they all sell out.
As a small-town bookseller in upstate New York, one thing has grown increasingly clear: the quality of paperbacks has taken a nosedive, while prices have massively increased (average paperback in the US is now $20 or even $22 and quality is abysmal, and increasingly print-on-demand, whereas hardbacks may be $8-$10 more and are well-printed on quality paper. The decline in paperback quality has been achieved because publishers know that most people order on Amazon and have no idea what they'll be getting through the mail a few days later.
I’m so glad I came across this note. I just reread a used Penguin paperback copy of The Odyssey I’ve had for more than 25 years. It was first printed in 1962. I was amazed that the spine is still tight, the pages soft and yellow, but it’s not falling apart—unlike many new paperbacks I’ve bought.
I think the binding they used back then was similar to a hardcover, groups of pages bundled together, then glued to the spine. Today, each page is often just glued right to the spine. Garbage.
That's an interesting point about the pages glued right on to the spine - very frequently I find there are no front or end papers, either - the title page is the first page after the cover.
I used to travel to the US quite often for work and often visited a local bookshop - my general impression is the paper quality for us editions was a lot lower than the uk versions. Those may themselves have declined but I think they are still better paper than the US ones.
And speaking personally I buy more hardback than ever, for both fiction and non-fiction. But I do like a nice print edition with a good cover!
You are so right. I’d go so far as to say the print quality of most paperbacks is weak to poor. One reason I crave hardbacks. But medium sized publishers like Norton and Bloomsbury seem to have better paperback print quality.
1 - Two waves of marketing / sales for the same product. The paperback can use any success of the hardback to help push sales, including potentially bookshop table space
2 - A bit of profit margin, and why not take that when there are people who still value hardbacks (libraries used to buy them, but I don't know what happens now), and also people like die-hard Helen fans who will do the pre-order and pay more because we want to support the author?
Well, Claire when deep archer publishes a book we do both at the same time which we can do because we are in control and we are not trying to cause a big sensation. I’m just talk talking about my generation, etc..
Totally with this. I have little space for books and it is paperbacks all the way. Seems odd to have all the publicity at the point few will buy a book and may well forget about it at the point more limited publicity is done for the paperback.
I bought, and am enjoying yor book because I read everything you write in The Atlantic, love Strong Message Here, listen to Page 94 and subscribe. That said, I can't remember which one persuaded me to buy. But the scattergun theory seems to apply here. Your hard work was not in vain.
Yes, I am also here for the Atlantic, Strong Message, Page 94, Bluestocking and am really enjoying The Genius Myth. Loved the talk at Dr Johnson’s house btw and treated my American husband to a tour of the area inc Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese a few days later. Enjoy the break!
It is a joy to listen to Helen and to read her pieces, I have just ordered her latest book and am rapidly becoming a fan. I might take a subscription to ‘Atlantic’ too. Maybe it’s a 78 years old woman’s ‘girl crush’ !
I’m also a bit dyslexic, started reading and found I was skipping names and some words…..then I downloaded the audio book. Even read by the bluestocking herself….genius!!!🌈
Me too! I signed up to the Atlantic when I realised you wrote for them Helen, and also love your podcasts. I pre-ordered your book when I read somewhere (probably you or Ian Leslie) about the benefit to the author of getting decent pre-order numbers. I've been saving your book for my holiday - really excited to get stuck in!
I hope that you have a restful and refreshing August - you have been working very hard. Take care of yourself.
I think you’re right - I enjoy your podcast appearances, but I had preordered your book anyway.
On your point of “public intellectuals” - I think the thing that going on multiple podcasts has done is convinced me that you do warrant that label: you don’t do the same bit on every podcast. Instead you listen and engage with the host and what their audience are interested in, which seems beyond most of the guests on the podcast circuit seem
I don't know if it's any consolation, but all your hard promotional work has other impacts beyond selling the book. I came to see you at Buxton with my 13 year old daughter. My Mum had died the week before and I was wrangling with writing her eulogy. Not only did you inspire me to be honest and brave rather than polite, but you talked about unfulfilled potential which has really hit a nerve as I consider my new stage of life without my Mum. Even better, my daughter has talked a lot about the themes you discussed - even the smallest spark of inspiration is worth something. I know it doesn't pay the bills and it's galling to have to slog so hard when your work is of such quality. But please know you're impacting lives for the good. I have spent my whole career in marketing and everything you're saying about the new fractured landscape is true, whether it's for books or any other product or service. Things that shifted the dial even 2 years ago have stopped working. Fingers crossed for a big uptick for you when the paperback comes out. Enjoy your holiday.
There is something very strange about the publishing industry, churning out thousands and thousands of books every month and losing money on nearly all of them. What a waste of paper! My book, published by PanMac, was actually a biography of the founders of Macmillan Publishing, and I was terribly disappointed that even so I did 90% of the marketing and PanMacmillan struggled to do anything. But then I looked at the size of their tiny PR department and the number of books they were publishing THAT WEEK, and was just grateful they did anything!
Thanks Helen for this honest and informative piece. Was shocked that you only got £300 for 400 people going to see you and Armando at £30-50 per head. Pretty outrageous.
One presumes they covered travel and accommodation and maybe the odd cocktail? To be fair, festivals are expensive to run (though one senses that Hay feels it punches above its weight and can get writers the way that Glastonbury can get bands, and doesn't have to stretch).
Yep - eye-opening! I was trying to persuade a friend to do a trip to London for that event because it would be fun and the expense was OK as it would support the author....
"Otherwise, write self-help." Indeed, guru culture seems indestructible. The awful Notes algorithm seems to reward people who phrase their posts or opinions as if they contain some extraordinary secret knowledge or life-altering insight. Culture is just way more primitive than I have tended to think.
Chris—I’m not here for the big names, but for the triers, the doers, the have-a-go-ers. The people who write just for the love of it. Writing isn’t just a job—it’s a vocation*.
* and that’s why all my posts are written by ChatGPT
A v depressing realisation I had in the thick of publishing my first book was that I made more money per copy through affiliate sales of *other* people’s books recommended via my newsletter than per copy I sold of my own book. (This felt like a bleak metaphor for the economics of ‘content’ more broadly….)
Also: Nicola Washington gives excellent social media marketing advice for authors. Something I wish I’d been told when my book came out (which seems really obvious when you think about it) is that effective social media content for a book shouldn’t really be to do with you/the publication cycle or what you’re up to as an author, but instead be built around the topic/themes of your book. So I absolutely agree that all the stuff that has become routine/expected for authors on social media (cover reveals, sharing press coverage, blurbs, unboxing copies etc etc) really is just busywork.
Any BTS author-ing content might interest people who want to be authors - but they’re not necessarily the people who will buy the book. Yet this strain of content is what publishers seem to encourage, with little alternative. As you say, it’s *almost* like no one knows what actually works…..
Re. calculating what titles sell, the great Alan Coren was looking for a title for his latest collection of columns and asked his publishers what the public actually bought.
"Books about cats, WW2, and golf."
So he titled the book Golfing For Cats, with an illustration of a cat playing golf on a course with Nazi signs on the hole flags...
My big brother bought that book. I'm pretty sure it's in my house somewhere today. A classic of its genres. Today, Sunderland University would run a course entitled; "Marketing Intersectionality for people who haven't decided to kill themselves yet", although admittedly they'd probably leave that last bit out.
Never written a comment before but just wanted to say how much I appreciate this substack. I lkook forward to reading it every Friday so will miss doing so this month! Is Book Tok useless for selling non-fiction books?
I've been buying your books a) to read, but also to have as books for my children to find on the shelves when they grow up. And this post worked, because I meant to buy this one and I forgot 😂 I have an infant, forgive me.
Bought it, loved it. I have a rule: if I follow somebody's RSS feed, and they release a book, then I buy it. It's an earnest transaction: writers put out something to you for free, that's not necessarily polished, and so you buy when something more final is produced. Like seeing a shaky comedy preview for free and then returning at the end of its run.
On having a giftable title- perhaps The Genius Myth is a kind of anti-gift title. I'd worry the person I was giving it to would think I was implying something.
Does it help that I will definitely get it from my library when it arrives and I wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t been on substack and done the podcasts?
This is very instructive, depressing, if not surprising. I like the phrase ‘busy work’, I sometimes call it ‘visible work’ but suspect you’re right and it’s content providing for everyone else. Can I ask where e-books figure in the economics? I read all the time and barely cover the top few of my wish list but I’d read far less if I restricted myself to physical books, especially hardbacks. I do use audible, particularly for non-fiction but I put everything on my kindle and read via that and via the kindle app. Please tell me you get at least 75p for that purchase!
The margins are definitely lower over the course of the whole sales period, because there are so many discounted periods (I love 99p Kindle deals but Amazon isn’t eating that discount). Ultimately I would rather people read it than didn’t so Kindle sales are fine by me!
Could not disagree with this more. Came to Helen via podcast, bought and “read” the Genius Myth (audiobook) and like hearing Helen’s views on lots of subjects, like a public intellectual.
I think split the difference. Sod social media but do lots of podcasts and write lots of books. A bit Cory Doctorow, if he wants to publish it now, I’ll read it even if I’ve heard much of the argument on podcasts.
My dad (80) told us all that he’d been up in a plane as a cadet, and the next person who used it had accidentally hit the ejector seat button and died. Us kids left the holiday wondering if Dad had got away with the perfect crime.
I have never understood why publishers insist on hardbacks first. Not only are they expensive, but they are too large and heavy to take anywhere, take up far too much room on overcrowded shelves and hurt when I doze off reading and drop them on myself at night. I have almost always waited for the paperback - although these days I usually just wait for the ebook to drop in price (sorry).
They were bought by libraries - remember those? They were better quality, made to last, to be handled by many people. Not sure that's true any more, either - hardbacks often seem cheaply made now, with paper that yellows quickly.
There was no need for that somewhat snide addition, but isn’t that the nineteenth century publishing model Helen mentioned?Besides, hardbacks are, and have been for as long as I can remember, marketed at individuals not just libraries.
Anyway, the answer turns out to be, inevitably, money. The profit margin is higher on hardbacks so delaying the paperback release means that there is more time to sell the hardback. In the US, very popular books can take several years to get to paperback. I wonder how well this model works for most authors though and how well it works now that, by the time the paperback is released, the price of the ebook has typically already been substantially reduced.
Made in sorrow, not snidely - my parents were librarians in the public library service, and witnessed its sad decline.
Huh, okay, that kind of makes sense, but part of me wonders what would happen if publishers did things the other way round?
Release paperbacks first, and then see which of the books were successful enough to justify getting hardbacks?
In the 1980s Picador was seen as a pioneer for launching paperback originals that sold extremely well and in some cases made their writers into household names (this is how I discovered Edmund White), but that was the 1980s when people still read books.
This is the same as the music market - and foretold in Lyotards The Postmodern Condition in the late 70s - bang out the regular edition (CD and digital) then bring out vinyl and premium packages at a hefty mark-up for ‘collectors’. As more of the world turn digital the ‘item’ can only exist as a luxury.
Notably Rebellion, publishers of 2000AD, do likewise for their thriving graphic novel line - regular softcover 9.99-15.99 and then limited slipcase hardcover often with print etc for massive mark-up (30-40 quid) and they all sell out.
Crucial caveat to that detail though - 2000AD fucking rules
All of the libraries I've worked in recently stick with buying the paperbacks as it's cheaper.
As a small-town bookseller in upstate New York, one thing has grown increasingly clear: the quality of paperbacks has taken a nosedive, while prices have massively increased (average paperback in the US is now $20 or even $22 and quality is abysmal, and increasingly print-on-demand, whereas hardbacks may be $8-$10 more and are well-printed on quality paper. The decline in paperback quality has been achieved because publishers know that most people order on Amazon and have no idea what they'll be getting through the mail a few days later.
I’m so glad I came across this note. I just reread a used Penguin paperback copy of The Odyssey I’ve had for more than 25 years. It was first printed in 1962. I was amazed that the spine is still tight, the pages soft and yellow, but it’s not falling apart—unlike many new paperbacks I’ve bought.
I think the binding they used back then was similar to a hardcover, groups of pages bundled together, then glued to the spine. Today, each page is often just glued right to the spine. Garbage.
Thanks for your note!
That's an interesting point about the pages glued right on to the spine - very frequently I find there are no front or end papers, either - the title page is the first page after the cover.
I used to travel to the US quite often for work and often visited a local bookshop - my general impression is the paper quality for us editions was a lot lower than the uk versions. Those may themselves have declined but I think they are still better paper than the US ones.
And speaking personally I buy more hardback than ever, for both fiction and non-fiction. But I do like a nice print edition with a good cover!
You are so right. I’d go so far as to say the print quality of most paperbacks is weak to poor. One reason I crave hardbacks. But medium sized publishers like Norton and Bloomsbury seem to have better paperback print quality.
1 - Two waves of marketing / sales for the same product. The paperback can use any success of the hardback to help push sales, including potentially bookshop table space
2 - A bit of profit margin, and why not take that when there are people who still value hardbacks (libraries used to buy them, but I don't know what happens now), and also people like die-hard Helen fans who will do the pre-order and pay more because we want to support the author?
Well, Claire when deep archer publishes a book we do both at the same time which we can do because we are in control and we are not trying to cause a big sensation. I’m just talk talking about my generation, etc..
This (lovely) independent bookshop owner wrote a whole post about this. I found it very informative, having pondered about this myself: https://tomrowley.substack.com/p/whats-the-point-of-hardbacks?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=4qckj5
Totally with this. I have little space for books and it is paperbacks all the way. Seems odd to have all the publicity at the point few will buy a book and may well forget about it at the point more limited publicity is done for the paperback.
And if you have shelves of hardcovers and move, your moving costs double!
I love hardbacks. Most of my books are hardbacks. Paperbacks can barely last four or five readings.
I bought, and am enjoying yor book because I read everything you write in The Atlantic, love Strong Message Here, listen to Page 94 and subscribe. That said, I can't remember which one persuaded me to buy. But the scattergun theory seems to apply here. Your hard work was not in vain.
Yes, I am also here for the Atlantic, Strong Message, Page 94, Bluestocking and am really enjoying The Genius Myth. Loved the talk at Dr Johnson’s house btw and treated my American husband to a tour of the area inc Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese a few days later. Enjoy the break!
It is a joy to listen to Helen and to read her pieces, I have just ordered her latest book and am rapidly becoming a fan. I might take a subscription to ‘Atlantic’ too. Maybe it’s a 78 years old woman’s ‘girl crush’ !
I’m also a bit dyslexic, started reading and found I was skipping names and some words…..then I downloaded the audio book. Even read by the bluestocking herself….genius!!!🌈
Me too! I signed up to the Atlantic when I realised you wrote for them Helen, and also love your podcasts. I pre-ordered your book when I read somewhere (probably you or Ian Leslie) about the benefit to the author of getting decent pre-order numbers. I've been saving your book for my holiday - really excited to get stuck in!
I hope that you have a restful and refreshing August - you have been working very hard. Take care of yourself.
I think you’re right - I enjoy your podcast appearances, but I had preordered your book anyway.
On your point of “public intellectuals” - I think the thing that going on multiple podcasts has done is convinced me that you do warrant that label: you don’t do the same bit on every podcast. Instead you listen and engage with the host and what their audience are interested in, which seems beyond most of the guests on the podcast circuit seem
Yes me too. This exactly.
I don't know if it's any consolation, but all your hard promotional work has other impacts beyond selling the book. I came to see you at Buxton with my 13 year old daughter. My Mum had died the week before and I was wrangling with writing her eulogy. Not only did you inspire me to be honest and brave rather than polite, but you talked about unfulfilled potential which has really hit a nerve as I consider my new stage of life without my Mum. Even better, my daughter has talked a lot about the themes you discussed - even the smallest spark of inspiration is worth something. I know it doesn't pay the bills and it's galling to have to slog so hard when your work is of such quality. But please know you're impacting lives for the good. I have spent my whole career in marketing and everything you're saying about the new fractured landscape is true, whether it's for books or any other product or service. Things that shifted the dial even 2 years ago have stopped working. Fingers crossed for a big uptick for you when the paperback comes out. Enjoy your holiday.
What a nice comment to read, thank you for leaving it. I'm sorry to hear about your Mum, and I'm glad you found a fitting way to eulogise her.
There is something very strange about the publishing industry, churning out thousands and thousands of books every month and losing money on nearly all of them. What a waste of paper! My book, published by PanMac, was actually a biography of the founders of Macmillan Publishing, and I was terribly disappointed that even so I did 90% of the marketing and PanMacmillan struggled to do anything. But then I looked at the size of their tiny PR department and the number of books they were publishing THAT WEEK, and was just grateful they did anything!
So what is the benefit of Publishers?
One wonders….
Thanks Helen for this honest and informative piece. Was shocked that you only got £300 for 400 people going to see you and Armando at £30-50 per head. Pretty outrageous.
One presumes they covered travel and accommodation and maybe the odd cocktail? To be fair, festivals are expensive to run (though one senses that Hay feels it punches above its weight and can get writers the way that Glastonbury can get bands, and doesn't have to stretch).
Assume nothing about what organisers of those events cover.
Yep - eye-opening! I was trying to persuade a friend to do a trip to London for that event because it would be fun and the expense was OK as it would support the author....
"Otherwise, write self-help." Indeed, guru culture seems indestructible. The awful Notes algorithm seems to reward people who phrase their posts or opinions as if they contain some extraordinary secret knowledge or life-altering insight. Culture is just way more primitive than I have tended to think.
Chris—I’m not here for the big names, but for the triers, the doers, the have-a-go-ers. The people who write just for the love of it. Writing isn’t just a job—it’s a vocation*.
* and that’s why all my posts are written by ChatGPT
A v depressing realisation I had in the thick of publishing my first book was that I made more money per copy through affiliate sales of *other* people’s books recommended via my newsletter than per copy I sold of my own book. (This felt like a bleak metaphor for the economics of ‘content’ more broadly….)
Also: Nicola Washington gives excellent social media marketing advice for authors. Something I wish I’d been told when my book came out (which seems really obvious when you think about it) is that effective social media content for a book shouldn’t really be to do with you/the publication cycle or what you’re up to as an author, but instead be built around the topic/themes of your book. So I absolutely agree that all the stuff that has become routine/expected for authors on social media (cover reveals, sharing press coverage, blurbs, unboxing copies etc etc) really is just busywork.
Any BTS author-ing content might interest people who want to be authors - but they’re not necessarily the people who will buy the book. Yet this strain of content is what publishers seem to encourage, with little alternative. As you say, it’s *almost* like no one knows what actually works…..
This is great advice, thank you for sharing it.
Re. calculating what titles sell, the great Alan Coren was looking for a title for his latest collection of columns and asked his publishers what the public actually bought.
"Books about cats, WW2, and golf."
So he titled the book Golfing For Cats, with an illustration of a cat playing golf on a course with Nazi signs on the hole flags...
My big brother bought that book. I'm pretty sure it's in my house somewhere today. A classic of its genres. Today, Sunderland University would run a course entitled; "Marketing Intersectionality for people who haven't decided to kill themselves yet", although admittedly they'd probably leave that last bit out.
Never written a comment before but just wanted to say how much I appreciate this substack. I lkook forward to reading it every Friday so will miss doing so this month! Is Book Tok useless for selling non-fiction books?
Maybe, but in the words of Joey from Friends, “some of you are going to have to become significantly more attractive”
I've been buying your books a) to read, but also to have as books for my children to find on the shelves when they grow up. And this post worked, because I meant to buy this one and I forgot 😂 I have an infant, forgive me.
Bought it, loved it. I have a rule: if I follow somebody's RSS feed, and they release a book, then I buy it. It's an earnest transaction: writers put out something to you for free, that's not necessarily polished, and so you buy when something more final is produced. Like seeing a shaky comedy preview for free and then returning at the end of its run.
On having a giftable title- perhaps The Genius Myth is a kind of anti-gift title. I'd worry the person I was giving it to would think I was implying something.
Most ethical parasocial relationship
Sorry all the podcasts you’ve been on were not that effective at sales - but i have so enjoyed listening to them all!
I've listened to two and thoroughly enjoyed them. Though I didn't, er, buy the book, so I guess Helen is correct here.
Does it help that I will definitely get it from my library when it arrives and I wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t been on substack and done the podcasts?
I asked my local library to buy Helen’s books.
This is very instructive, depressing, if not surprising. I like the phrase ‘busy work’, I sometimes call it ‘visible work’ but suspect you’re right and it’s content providing for everyone else. Can I ask where e-books figure in the economics? I read all the time and barely cover the top few of my wish list but I’d read far less if I restricted myself to physical books, especially hardbacks. I do use audible, particularly for non-fiction but I put everything on my kindle and read via that and via the kindle app. Please tell me you get at least 75p for that purchase!
The margins are definitely lower over the course of the whole sales period, because there are so many discounted periods (I love 99p Kindle deals but Amazon isn’t eating that discount). Ultimately I would rather people read it than didn’t so Kindle sales are fine by me!
Could not disagree with this more. Came to Helen via podcast, bought and “read” the Genius Myth (audiobook) and like hearing Helen’s views on lots of subjects, like a public intellectual.
I think split the difference. Sod social media but do lots of podcasts and write lots of books. A bit Cory Doctorow, if he wants to publish it now, I’ll read it even if I’ve heard much of the argument on podcasts.
A rueful laugh as I realise just how many nonfiction books I've bought my Dad over the years
Btw if there is anyone out there struggling to think of what to get a dad, may I suggest: flying/gliding lessons.
My dad (80) told us all that he’d been up in a plane as a cadet, and the next person who used it had accidentally hit the ejector seat button and died. Us kids left the holiday wondering if Dad had got away with the perfect crime.