Paperback Book Day
Who's in your back pocket?
Simon & Schuster announced that it will relaunch its Pocket Books imprint, focusing on self-published and hybrid authors.
The first US paperback was born in 1939, the brainchild of a former salesman for Doubleday, Page & Company, Robert Fair de Graff. These small “pocket books” sold for 25 cents and triggered a book boom that revolutionized reading: “Titles featuring romance, glamour and edge-of-your-seat suspense proved especially popular.”
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose: The Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books, scheduled to begin publishing in January 2027, will focus on core romance, romantic thrillers, dark romance, and horror.
Sources: https://www.simonandschuster.biz/p/pocket-books-relaunch; The New York Times: “PAPERBACKS; 1939: THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN PAPERBACK”
Collage: Artesano Living LLC