Penguin Group Announces New Paperback Format

Posted on March 11, 2005

This summer, Maeve Binchy, Clive Cussler and Nora Roberts will sport a new look in paperback when Penguin Group (USA) introduces the Penguin Premium format -- a new format that Penguin says is designed to feel better and read more comfortably than the current mass market paperbacks. Penguin tested the format in December 2004 with the Berkley paperback original Disordered Minds by Minette Walters. Penguin says it found that follow-up research suggests that paperback readers prefer the new Premium format, and are not discouraged by the higher price point of $9.99.

The Premium format features a larger trim size, yet will still fit standard retailers' racks. Penguin says the interior of the books have been crafted with the production values of a hardcover book in mind: higher quality paper, more white space both in the margins and between the lines of text, and a larger font size throughout.

Penguin Group (USA) CEO David Shanks said, "We're addressing the needs of our readers; our readership has changed dramatically, so it's almost hard to believe that this is the first time the mass market format has been re-engineered in the last 50 years. Frankly, it's overdue."

The first Premium format titles from the Berkley, Jove and Signet imprints of The Berkley Publishing Group and New American Library will be among Penguin Group (USA)'s largest mass market paperback releases of the year. The complete launch list is as follows:

July 2005