Bye to Mass Market Paperbacks

Are they disappearing or just changing?

Lately, I’ve been noticing something, not in a big obvious way, but in small moments.

Scrolling through new releases, I am seeing more trade size paperbacks or hardcovers first. There is also a lot of people talking about audiobooks replacing their reading time and seeing way more e-readers in everyday life.

This made me pause for a second, because for a long time, paperback books felt like the most accessible version of reading. They were affordable, easy to carry and the kind of book you could throw in your bag without thinking twice.

People are reading in different ways now:

• audiobooks while driving
• eBooks before bed
• physical books when they want to slow down

And each format serves a different purpose. For me though, there’s still something about a paperback that feels different. The way it bends slightly when you hold it, the way it fits so easily into your day, the feeling of flipping through pages without thinking about battery life or screens.

There are still moments where you just want a book in your hands, not a device, not a screen, but a physical book.

So, it got me wondering, are paperbacks becoming less common or are they just hanging along with everything else? When I investigated this question and according to Publishers Weekly, mass paperbacks are being phased out and will be discontinued.

Effective in North America, mass market paperbacks have stopped being distributed at the end of 2025.

I’d love to know, do you still reach for paperback books or have your habits shifted?