Mass Market Paperbacks: 5 Parts of a Mass Market Paperback

A mass market paperback book (MMPB), or simply mass paperback, is a mass-produced book that is typically small with thin paper covers and relatively low-quality pages to keep printing costs down. Bestsellers are often printed as mass market paperbook books for wide distribution. They are often sold in airports, drugstores, or supermarkets to provide readers with an easy diversion on a vacation or business trip.

In publishing, there are three main categories of books. These types of books differ in size and scope:

• Mass market paperback: Mass market paperback books are mass-produced for a large market, as the name suggests. They use lower-quality paper, have a smaller font size and are more compact, (usually around four by seven inches) for easier portability (and are sometimes also called “pocket books” for this reason). Bestsellers are often made available as mass market paperbacks, and they are easily found in grocery stores, newsstands, airports, railway stations, and used bookstores. The low-quality paper helps keep them cheap.
• Trade paperback: A trade paperback, also known as a paperback or softcover, is a somewhat larger, better quality version of a mass market paperback. Paperbacks generally use acid-free paper and will sometimes have a “French flap” that mimics the dust jacket on a hardcover. They are also more expensive than the MMPB version. The idea for a paperback version is to offer something like the hardback experience, with good design and material quality and attention to detail, for a lower price. Generally, a trade paperback edition will have the same typeface, font size, and pagination as the hardcover edition. This is generally true for both A-format and B-format books; the former refers to broader market copies, while the latter is for more upscale and literary editions.
• Hardback: Also referred to as hardcover books, these are the highest-quality and most expensive versions. Made with a more durable book cover and bound with stitching and glue, this book format is often the first edition. It receives the most attention to detail in its manufacture and provides publishers with the most significant profit margins. Many book retailers will prominently feature their new hardcovers in the front of the store for high visibility.

Beyond the basic characteristics that distinguish mass market paperbacks from trade paperbacks and hardcover books, there are a few other defining details:

1. 1. Barcode: A little-known difference between trade paperbacks and the mass market versions is the barcode type. Mass market paperbacks have a UPC (universal product code) barcode, while trade paperbacks and hardcover books have a Bookland EAN (European article numbers) code.
   
2. 2. Genre: While there are no rules about which books can appear in mass market paperback, certain genres, such as YA (young adult fiction), thrillers, mysteries, true crime, and popular history—World War II is a favorite—are more common. Mass market paperbacks are especially common for established bestselling authors like James Patterson.
3. 3. Strippable: The book covers of unsold copies of mass market paperbacks can be “stripped” from the rest of the book and sent back to the book publisher or distributor for credit; the seller must then recycle or pulping the rest of the book. If a seller wants credit for unsold trade paperback editions, they must return the entire book.
4. 4. Extra content: In some cases, a paperback, particularly a mass market paperback, will not contain the same features of a hardcover edition, such as forewords and afterwords. Sometimes, publishers will release updated additions of a popular book in paperback format with new supplemental content.

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