The dominant pharmacy chain here in New York is called Duane Reade, named for two streets in lower Manhattan; there's one on practically every corner here.
Despite being massively in debt, so much so that it was recently sold off to Walgreens, the company has been putting its stores through unnecessary makeovers. The 'new look' includes a rack near the counter with trade paperbacks as well as mass market, something I haven't seen in any other drugstore chain around here (and you know I look).
A quick glance through the rack at the store near my office reveals Walter Kirn's UP IN THE AIR (better than the movie), Michael Lewis' THE BLIND SIDE (possibly better than the movie?), Joe Queenan's CLOSING TIME and... LEBRON'S DREAM TEAM: HOW FIVE FRIENDS MADE HISTORY, cowritten by James and Buzz Bissinger. (Its hardcover title was SHOOTING STARS.)
Given the speculation and outright advocacy surrounding James' possibly coming to play here, this means... absolutely nothing. But it's interesting to note from this collection what Duane Reade assumes its primary customers for these books are.
5 days ago
4 comments:
Michael Lewis' book The Blind Side is way, way better than the movie. And speaking of Michael Lewis, I just finished The Big Short, and thought it was wonderful - the best book about finance that I've ever read. Sometimes there's no there there, and Lewis is able to articulate why and how so few people realized.
you work in publishing. you can help.
What is a trade paperback? What makes it "trade"? how is it different from other books.
Even my friend the buddhist publisher could not tell me. I need to know!
Wade, that is a glowing endorsement -- I wanted to read it but perhaps I should bump it up? I did catch him on NPR recently doing a funny bit about how no one should ever ask him for financial advice, ever, and yet everyone does.
8: "Trade" has to do with the way the paperback is distributed. Mass-market paperbacks are distributed through different channels than hardcovers (hence their presence in a lot of places where you can't buy hardcovers), with different rules on returns. Trade paperbacks are distributed through the same channels as hardcovers and follow the same return policies. They don't actually have to be of better quality/ larger than mass-market books, though they often are. But I don't know why they use the word "trade" to show this.
Ironically, "My Friend The Buddhist Publisher" is my favorite Simon & Garfunkel song of all time.
8YOD - Ellen's absolutely right, but I would just add this: Trade paperbacks are most commonly 4 1/3 by 7 inches - think of the size of a Stephen King paperback; the the type that does not lie open on its own (unless you break the spine). Trade paperbacks are a little bit larger and sometimes lie flat.
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