3.18.2005

More on trade paperback originals

There is an interesting letter by Christian Bauman on Moby Lives on the wisdom of publishing your first book as a trade paperback original. I had forgotten, for example, that Bright Lights, Big City was issued in paper first (and then in hardcover).

2 comments:

segall said...

Here's an interesting NYTBR article on paperback origs, on the occasion of Cloud Atlas's paperback originality. You really don't realize how many books begin in this fashion - The Sportswriter, Waiting for the Barbarians. I'd have no problem with it. I guess I ought to write a book first, but even still...

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DB1530F93AA2575AC0A9629C8B63

(The link looks gangly and likely to not work. If it doesn't just to to the Times homepage and search for "paperback original." It's the Laura Miller column from Sept. 04)

Grendel said...

Thank ye, segall. The link works. I too would have no problem publishing my first novel in paper first. I'd have no problem publishing it with a lawnmower on the face of Nebraska, or one word at a time on all the world's buses either. Pretty much anyway it can get out there is good. I say this now, anyway, well before it's even an issue.