Just days after Harper Lee's will was sealed from public view, Hachette Book Group sent out an email to booksellers across the country announcing that Lee's estate would no longer allow mass-market editions of the classic To Kill a Mockingbird to be published.
The kill on the mass-market paperbacks, which are smaller in size and notably cheaper than trade paperbacks, will force readers to pay as much as nearly double the price for the classic novel, as Hachette's mass-market paperback sells for $8.99 while trade paperbacks sell for between $14.99 and $16.99. Due to the price difference, mass-market paperbacks are typically sold at significantly higher volumes than trade paperbacks. Since January 2016, 55,376 copies of HarperCollins' mass-market editions of To Kill a Mockingbird have sold, as compared to only 22,554 copies of the trade paperback editions.
The announcement is a particular blow to schools, which rely heavily on mass-market paperbacks. Lee's classic is currently taught in 74 percent of U.S. schools, but The New Republic notes that if schools aren't able to fork over the cash for the trade paperback editions, that percentage could soon decline.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
No explanation has been provided from Lee's estate. While mass-market paperbacks have generally been declining in popularity in the publishing world, To Kill a Mockingbird has been an exception. The New Republic reports that the estate will likely receive more money in royalties because of the switch.
Read the full story over at The New Republic.
-
How climate change is affecting Christmas traditionsThe Explainer There may be a slim chance of future white Christmases
-
The MAGA civil war takes center stage at the Turning Point USA conferenceIN THE SPOTLIGHT ‘Americafest 2025′ was a who’s who of right-wing heavyweights eager to settle scores and lay claim to the future of MAGA
-
The 8 best drama movies of 2025the week recommends Nuclear war, dictatorship and the summer of 2020 highlight the most important and memorable films of 2025
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
