Publishers stopped printing "mass market paperbacks" in December 2025 due to low sales. We cannot purchase new copies once current inventory sells out.
Mass market paperbacks have come in a variety of sizes over the years. They got taller; they got wider; there was no industry standard. Then there are “trade paperbacks.” Trade paperbacks are bigger and usually have acid-free, higher quality paper, and cost more to purchase.
- Traditional Mass Market: 6.5” x 4”
- Taller Mass Market: 7.5” x 4 3/8”
- Mass Market Max: 7” x 4.75”
| From left to right: Trade, Mass Market Max, Taller Mass Market, Traditional Mass Market paperbacks |
We shelve trade paperbacks in the Adult Paperback Classics section for convenience. We recently purchased new Classic titles to replace weeded copies, but we are now cataloging them as adult fiction or adult nonfiction (plays, i.e. Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, etc.). You may notice a few titles cataloged in both places. This is ok.
The Adult Paperback collection will slowly become smaller and smaller as we weed these mass market paperback items. It is important to continue to weed all items in poor condition. We do foresee this collection going away by 2030 unless publishers change their minds.
We can Interlibrary Loan mass market paperbacks for patrons if we do not own the requested title.
Great information Meredith. Thank you for sharing.
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