#TodayILearned that mass-market paperbacks are nearly dead. In fact, they've been dying almost since I began reading, having peaked at 49% of the book market in 1970, and being down to 3% in 2024, with ReaderLink having stopped distributing mass-market paperback books at the end of 2025.
I even looked at some #BookTube videos, and the young hosts referred to trade paperbacks as "traditional" books, and "the usual type" of book, and finding MMPBs odd and old-fashioned. #TIL
@bok I wonder if there will be a resurgence at some point, the way there has been (in music) for LPs and CDs...
@woozle ♦ It's possible, but not likely. With paper and transport and stuff, there's a minimum price that has to be charged for them, and it's reached the stage where people are saying "If I have to pay that much, I might as well spend a bit more and get a nicer version. "
@bok ...as in, hardbacks are now getting the lion's share of book sales? That makes sense... LPs are kind of like the hardback of the music world... and CDs are small and light (and digital but not ephemeral), so not quite the same niche as paperbacks.
