Um artigo de Jim Milliot, na Publishers Weekly, de 04.02.2008, apresenta as linhas de força do formato paperback, bem como dos seus maiores desafios. Alguns excertos:
«Figures from both the Association of American Publishers and Nielsen BookScan show that sales in the mass market paperback segment were a bit soft in 2007, but interviews with publishers and distributors found that while the format faces some challenges, mass market paperbacks remain an important part of the publishing mix.
(...)
... if the paperback segment has so much going for it, why were sales soft in 2007? Heightened competition for shelf space is one reason. The tremendous consolidation among ID wholesalers has meant the loss of some accounts, said Shanks. “Racks used to be everywhere,” Burke noted. “That’s not the case now.” And with many retailers devoting more space to hardcovers and trade paperbacks, “something had to give,” observed Stehlik. The limitation on retail space has made it difficult to find room to display midlist authors, hurting their sales. And 2006’s strong sales of Dan Brown paperbacks as well as a Nora Roberts trilogy weren’t repeated last year.
Whatever problems mass market may have, they are not enough for publishers to consider abandoning the field. The low price point serves as a way to interest readers in new authors, and the formula of building an audience through publication first in mass market can still work. rs found that while the format faces some challenges, mass market paperbacks remain an important part of the publishing mix»
