What is a mass-market paperback?
Mass-market paperbacks are generally seen as disposable, hence the reason why you can find new paperback books being sold at airports, drugstores, and supermarkets; this is unlike hardcovers that are exclusively sold in bookstores or online.
Are mass-markets “strippable?
Mass-markets are “strippable.” This means that bookstores can rip off the front cover and return only the cover for full credit from the distributor. The book retailers are supposed to destroy the rest of the book. Inversely, trade paperbacks are not strippable. Therefore, the book retailers must return the entire book, not just the cover.
What is the current state of the mass-market book industry?
According to Publishers Weekly, the current state of mass-market books is a “microcosm” of the publishing industry’s state as a whole. New authors struggle to earn their big break while the “mid-level” authors are squeezed by major publishing houses.