The Last Page Of Mass-Market Paperbacks

There was an article at the end of last year on Publisher Weekly's website that notes the fall of mass-market paperbacks, and how Readerlink distribution is no longer offering them as of 2026.

They've fallen out of favor in recent decades, in no small part due to the rise of ebook readers. But for people of a certain era, those pocket-sized books were magical . . . and affordable. My own beloved 1980s editions of the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks were in that easy-to-tote format, and I have far too many of them from various authors tucked into corners of the house.

Of course, I imagine the format will still persist in some instances. Especially for as long as used bookstores exist, there will be plenty of throwback offerings for at least the next few decades. I'd just need to figure out where else to store them in our bookshelves. Fortunately they're small . . .

-- Steven Marsh