Paperback Versus Hardback Book Printing

For self publishers, authors and some businesses choosing between paperback (softback) or hardback covers is an important decision. Both options comes with their own benefits especially when it comes to differing purposes of the book and print budgets. 

In simple terms a hardback book provides a more durable and premium book, where has paperback books are sleek, lightweight and often more cost effective. Understanding the differences can have a big impact on your final printed book. 

We’ve broken down some of the key differences to help you determine which format is best suited for your book printing project.

Authors personal choice

An often underestimated aspect to be considered when you are weighing up the difference between hardback and paperback is personal choice. We know authors dedicate a lot of time and effort to writing so it seems obvious that they’d want to have their books published in the most aesthetically pleasing yet practical way possible.

One simple question to ask yourself is whether you feel that your book would look better in hardback or paperback – had you already envisaged what it would look like when it was published? If you had envisaged your book as a hardback then you may well prefer to choose this option to fulfil your dream of seeing your work in print.

First edition publication

Traditionally first edition novels are always printed in hardback. If you are expecting to do more print runs of your novel in the future, you may want to consider doing a shorter initial print run as a hardback. This gives your book launch more prestige and usually generates a higher profit margin, before producing a more affordable paperback version.

Genre of book

Some genres of books are traditionally printed as hardback and this is for both style and practicality reasons. Plus the expectations of readers, usage and market trends can vary depending on the purpose of the book. 

Hardback books are commonly seen in historical books and memoirs, coffee table art style books, or collectables. Where has you’ll see more paperbacks editions for fast past fiction and self help books, where affordability and portability is more important.

Look at your competitors

By analysing competitor books you can identify common practices in your niche or genre. This way you can gain a clear understanding of what your target readers are accustomed to. The format of your book plays a crucial role in how it’ll be perceived but also your costs and selling price, you’ll gain a sense of what an acceptable price is.

In addition to researching formats, this will also give you a good idea of the types of print finishes and binding competitors are using. 

The printing budget

It’s sad but true that cost will often be a guiding force in the decision you make. Self publishing a paperback book is cheaper, so its the obvious choice to those on a tight budget. It’s important to measure up the amount of copies of your book that you require alongside the cost of publishing.

If you need or wish to make a profit, you need to think about your margins. Your readers will expect to pay more for a hardback book, but will you sell enough volume to turn this into a good ROI? Increased costs could impact of sale numbers but also make you less competitive to similar books if you’ve not done the research mentioned above.

The functionality of the book

The way in which the book is going to be used by the reader will impact on whether you choose hardback or paperback book printing.

For example, if you are publishing a cook book you may find that a hard cover is a more popular choice as the book will be protected whilst being used in the kitchen. If you are writing pop fiction you may find that a paperback is a better choice as someone will easily be able to take their book with them in a bag, handbag, or laptop case.

Print2Demand

We are an all round UK book manufacturing and printing service. We work closely with publishers, self publishers and authors. We have a state of the art factory, complemented by our sales and marketing office in Westoning, Bedfordshire. We have invested in the very latest digital and litho printing technology, to integrate with a fully equipped craftsman bindery.  The conclusion of which means we are offering both softback and hardback books, to a very high standard of quality.

Order your book printing online or contact our team for more information.