Devotion to the Paperback
Why Fat Books are Dumb and Wrong
As a new father with a relatively small living space, I find myself in the position where I buy physical books less and less, instead turning to ebooks. Do I enjoy this fact?
Not really.
But do I enjoy having space for all the things that make my daughter happy? Space for her to play? Places to store my family’s memories?
Yes, I do.
See, the problems with physical books are as follows:
They take up space.
Gathered together, they are heavy as F.
Most of the words in 500-page tomes don’t mean anything.
Ok, so that last one is some hyperbole, but I steadfastly maintain that the plot of MOST fatty books could be excised down to like 150, maybe 200 pages. I am guilty of being a Dan Brown fan, as well as Clive Cussler and James Rollins. These pulpy thriller novels typically represent the pinnacle of the form. Even considering their bloated nature, they maintain a gripping pace and offer thrilling action set-pieces.
That said, I am not sure there is any real reason for them to be as long as they are outside of some corpo-suit telling the author that it is the financial sweet spot. You see, I KNOW that a good story, even a complex story, can be told in 6,000 words and sometimes less. In fact, I’d argue some of the BEST stories EVER have word counts that pale in comparison to modern novels.
I’m not saying ALL books should be drawn and quartered. Epics will always and should always have a place. I just don’t think that EVERY novel or story NEEDS to be an Epic. Is that too much to ask?
Perhaps I’m getting off track.
My central thesis here is that big fat books in weird tall sizes are bad and also dumb. While I have surrendered my reading pile to a mostly digital space, I reserve my physical book purchases now solely to that most sacred of shapes: the mass market paperback.
There was an age, the waning days of which I witnessed as a child born in the late 80’s, when supermarkets had spinner racks and the so-called mid-tier novel was printed in a back-pocket-sized format complete with evocative cover art. This, my friends, was the golden age. A las, Traditional Publishers and their soulless corporate pencil pushers have determined, sans meaningful deliberation, that the populace no longer enjoys this format as a way of pigeon-holing consumers into purchasing the product that yields the most fruit per dollar.
*Pukes.*
Listen, I like making money as much as the next guy. I have mouths to feed, bills to pay, yadda yadda. But I also find value in things that maybe don’t make THE MOST money. This tendency toward soaking every last cent out of something is, I sincerely believe, a core source of moral disease in society. Min/Maxing monetization reduces diversity in the marketplace. I thought we were pro-free market, here?
Another digression.
I am so freaking glad that Independent Authors and Publishers are bringing back the mass market paperback IN SPITE of higher printing costs forced out by Amazon (who obviously doesn’t make enough money boo hoo) and other print-on-demand services. The mass market paperback is a thing to be loved, shared, cherished, and read till the pages fall out.
Time to call some people out.
Matthew John, my muscle-bound, syrup-chugging, Canadian friend, was the first (to my knowledge) to bring the MMPB back to the Sword & Sorcery space with his knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark “To Walk on Worlds”. On top of that, he sourced superbly retro cover art from artist Mike Hoffman.
What a champ.
Following suit, one of my favorite modern S&S authors, Steve Dilks, reprinted “Gunthar: Warrior of the Lost Land” and “Bohun: The Complete Savage Adventures” in the classic size.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t call out New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine, who took it a step further in their “Double-Edged” release, “Walls of Shira-Yulun/Waste Flowers” by Dariel Quiogue and Bryn Hammond, respectively. You see, this resurrected a variant MMPB where two novellas share the same space, and the back cover acts as the front cover for the other story. This was something popular in the fantasy/sci-fi sphere back in the day. New Edge even has painted edges!
It makes total sense to me that this sort of thing blossomed in the Sword & Sorcery space. Afterall, the Conan Ace/Lancer line is something of a holy artifact to all my dog-brothers, lawless rogues, and sword-maidens.
In the Adventure realm, I applaud the commitment of Nathaneal Hummel and his Nate Colt series. The covers are reminiscent of the Hard Case Crime imprint with a dash of James Bond and Magnum P.I. It is especially worth noting that the author himself poses for the Cover Art, embodying the character he pens. Likewise, the Veritas imprint he publishes under puts out a number of offerings in mass market size.
Early February, “Honor Among Rogues” will release in Mass Market Paperback size, as well. I did everything I could to replicate the releases of the 70’s and 80’s when the world saw runs of Conan, Thongor, Talbot Mundy, Tarzan, and Louis L’Amour. From the front cover art, the design of the back cover, and even the formatting of the interior, it is all intended to evoke the feeling of reading something that could have been purchased from your local Pac-N-Save (Shout out to my fellow Nebraskans) nearly half a century ago.
Is that nostalgia bait?
Maybe.
But I’d argue, in this specific case, the older format is the better format. Who genuinely likes to carry around those stupidly shaped trade paperbacks? I can’t even fit one in my briefcase without it making a big dumb lump on the side. Is that a briefcase problem?
Of course not.
Anyway, Indie authors and publishers, I behoove you, with the most possible hooves, adopt the Mass Market Paperback. In fact, if anyone out there needs some directions or a template, I’m happy to provide it. If you need interior formatting inspiration, look to the old Louis L’Amours, the Lin Carters, the Robert E. Howards, and the Edgar Rice Burroughs. And if you need some cover art, I know some guys and gals who do the work. GOOD work. I’m happy to pass those on.
The Mass Market Paperback is an art form, a culmination of various media, that should be celebrated, preserved, and replicated.
And to revisit my original modern trade paperback criticism, MMPBs:
Take up less space so I can have more of them.
I can fit more of them in a box before it’s heavy as F.
Every word on every page counts for something.
Come on.
All the real ones are doing it.
I KNOW I MISSED SOME AUTHORS IN THE GAME. IF YOUR BOOK GOT THAT MASS MARKET PAPERBACK VIBE, DROP A LINK IN THE COMMENTS!
LINKS TO AFFORMENTIONED REAL ONES:
“To Walk on Worlds” by Matthew John: https://tinyurl.com/yc7r646b
“Within the Weeping Eye” by Matthew John: https://tinyurl.com/ueh3uk6p
“Gunthar: Warrior of the Lost Land” by Steve Dilks: https://tinyurl.com/y2bvsc5r
“Bohun: The Complete Savage Adventures” by Steve Dilks: https://tinyurl.com/yajhd2ed
“Walls of Shira Yulun/Waste Flowers” by Dariel Quiogue and Bryn Hammond: https://newedgeswordandsorcery.com/product/double-edged-sword-sorcery-mass-market-paperback-pre-order/
“Treasure is my Trade” by Nathaneal Hummel: https://www.amazon.com/Treasure-My-Trade-Nate-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0F5MZ3L6W
“Crime is my Caper” by Nathaneal Hummel: https://www.amazon.com/Crime-My-Caper-Nate-Colt-ebook/dp/B0GCNNTQGS?ref_=saga_ast_ss_dsk_dp
“Honor Among Rogues” by L.D. Whitney: https://tinyurl.com/f25zhdm6
Veritas also publishes small paperbacks.
One Dan Brown brick can probably stop a .38 cal bullet at 25 yards. Slim is definitely in.