Why did you publish the latest ‘Lakeshore Chronicles’ book, Lakeshore Christmas, in hardcover, after hooking readers into the series with paperback originals?
SW: I’m glad this question has been asked (and asked and asked) by readers. It is annoying to get hooked into a series at once price point—pocketbook-friendly paperbacks—and then to find the next eagerly-awaited book as a hardback that costs more than twice as much. The explanation is, it’s a balancing act. Having low-cost paperbacks available is a great way to build a readership. A reader is more likely to take a chance on an author she’s never read before if she only has to invest $8 or so in the book. On the other hand, the lack of a hardcover edition creates huge problems for the public library. With their dwindling budgets, libraries can’t afford to buy many paperbacks, because they tend to fall apart. So that creates problems for libraries with tough choices to make. When I decided to write a Christmas book about saving the library, the best choice seemed to be a hardcover edition, followed by a paperback edition a year later. It’s not a perfect solution, and it doesn’t thrill me
SW: I’m glad this question has been asked (and asked and asked) by readers. It is annoying to get hooked into a series at onc price point—pocketbook-friendly paperbacks—and then to find the next eagerly-awaited book as a hardback that costs more than twice as much. The explanation is, it’s a balancing act. Having low-cost paperbacks available is a great way to build a readership. A reader is more likely to take a chance on an author she’s never read before if she only has to invest $8 or so in the book. On the other hand, the lack of a hardcover edition creates huge problems for the public library. With their dwindling budgets, libraries can’t afford to buy many paperbacks, because they tend to fall apart. So that creates problems for libraries with tough choices to make. When I decided to write a Christmas book about saving the library, the best choice seemed to be a hardcover edition, followed by a paperback edition a year later. It’s not a perfect solution, and it doesn’t thrill me
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