Dutton, a Penguin Random House imprint, releases its first batch of mini books, with a box set of novels by the best-selling author John Green.
The tiny editions are the size of a cell phone and no thicker than your thumb, with paper as thin as onion skin. They can be read with one hand — the text flows horizontally, and you can flip the pages upward, like swiping a smartphone.
Over the centuries, publishers have experimented with smaller paperback books, occasionally with great success. In 1939, Pocket Books introduced pocket-size mass-market paperbacks in the United States and sold them in department stores, newsstands, and drugstores around the country. During World War II, an effort to arm American troops with books gave rise to Armed Services Editions, miniature paperbacks that troops carried with them, which helped create a new audience for mass-market paperbacks.
But in the last few decades, most of the pivotal advances in publishing have been digital, with the evolution of e-books and digital audio.
Recently, some publishers have tried shrinking print books as a way to repackage older backlist titles, in an effort to entice readers to buy new editions of books they already know and love, and own.
The Mini Books
It’s a bold experiment that, if successful, could reshape the publishing landscape and perhaps even change the way people read. Next year, Penguin Young Readers plans to release more minis, and if readers find the format appealing, other publishers may follow suit. Read more of Alexandra Alter's article via NYT
The tiny editions are the size of a cell phone and no thicker than your thumb, with paper as thin as onion skin. They can be read with one hand — the text flows horizontally, and you can flip the pages upward, like swiping a smartphone.
Over the centuries, publishers have experimented with smaller paperback books, occasionally with great success. In 1939, Pocket Books introduced pocket-size mass-market paperbacks in the United States and sold them in department stores, newsstands, and drugstores around the country. During World War II, an effort to arm American troops with books gave rise to Armed Services Editions, miniature paperbacks that troops carried with them, which helped create a new audience for mass-market paperbacks.
But in the last few decades, most of the pivotal advances in publishing have been digital, with the evolution of e-books and digital audio.
Recently, some publishers have tried shrinking print books as a way to repackage older backlist titles, in an effort to entice readers to buy new editions of books they already know and love, and own.
The Mini Books
It’s a bold experiment that, if successful, could reshape the publishing landscape and perhaps even change the way people read. Next year, Penguin Young Readers plans to release more minis, and if readers find the format appealing, other publishers may follow suit. Read more of Alexandra Alter's article via NYT
Tiny Books Fit in One Hand. Will They Change the Way We Read?
Dutton, a Penguin Random House imprint, has just released its first batch of mini books, with a box set of novels by the best-selling author John Green.
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