The Rise Of Softcover Booklet

Posted by Brett Slansky | 10:09 PM | 0 comments »

By Mary Wright


Books are now found everywhere from bookshops to the streets we use every day. Many people read during their free time for pleasure. Having a book reach the reader is the biggest headache for most writers with the increased publishing and printing costs. As a result, most writers will choose softcover booklet that are cheaper to print compared to hardcover ones.

While paperback books are covered in soft, easily bent paper, hardcover books are covered with heavy paper covered with a piece of cloth. Printers began using paperbacks in the 19th century, and it was mostly used for reprinting previously printed books. These books would then be sold for a price lower than the original print at a variety of places.

When copies were produced in numerous copies, it was known as the mass paperback. Copies that were not but would be returned to the printer who would tear off the cover then recycle the inner pages. If copies reached the reader without the cover, this meant the writer had not received any payment for it.

The first original print in paperback was produced in the 1950s. With time, more original books had reprints. Most of these were by upcoming authors as it did not necessitate a lot of investment. The popularity of the books grew as they were cheaper to produce and buy, took relatively less time to produce and was widely available.

While writing a book to be printed with a paperback, the writer edits the first page and last as the front cover and back cover respectively. The second page and second last pages are the inner sides of the cover for the front and the back respectively. Depending on the writer choice soft covers can be thicker than interior pages or similar to other pages. The thicker pages have extra durability though they are a bit expensive comparatively.

Production of hardcover books results in a relatively high-profit margin. Therefore printers attempt to create a balance for writers between the two by producing more paperback books, this serves to seal the gap. During production, the paperback books can either be mass market or trade paperbacks.

Once printed, the pages of the book have to be bound together. The writer can choose to have their books saddle stitched, perfect bound or spiral coil bound. Saddle stitching is easy and is done by neatly arranging the papers then folding them and creating a mark in the middle then stapling with a stapler design for it. Perfect bound books are virtually everywhere and are bound by gluing sections of the book to a heavier cover at the spine. In-spiral coil binding, the coil is usually the spine of the book and is attached to holes in the pages which are punched by the same machine that does the binding.

There was once a phase when some publishers criticized paperback books saying their diminished the entire structure of printing. Paperback booklets however despite all these have gained popularity among writers and are now go to for writers without finances who are yet to gain ground. The books have also become loved by many readers.




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