What is the difference between a mass market paperback book and paperback book?

Answer 1

The paperback book is both taller and wider and is considerably more expensive. These variations in the book's appearance and price have their roots in the ways they are sold. Mass-market books are designed to fit into the racks set near the checkout counter at supermarkets, drugstores, hospital gift shops and airport newsstands. They are priced affordably so they can be bought on impulse. There are other production differences in binding and paper quality (historically, paperbacks were printed on "pulp" and could fit in the consumer's pocket). The format is often used for genre fiction, Science Fiction, romance, thrillers and mysteries. There is also a large category of books known as mass-market originals. Besides being somewhat larger in size than mass-market versions, paperbacks are generally printed on more expensive paper and with sturdier binding. Because they are more expensive to produce they are higher in price and often (not always) printed in smaller numbers. Unlike mass-market paperbacks, which are usually sold on racks, trade paperbacks are sold in bookstores ("to the trade") and are shelved with their spines facing out, like hardcovers. Sometimes they are sold on display tables, lying flat so that customers can respond to their cover art.