MMP stands for Mass Market Paperback in the publishing industry. It refers to paperback books that are designed to appeal to a general audience and be sold in high volumes at low prices through mass-market channels like drugstores, supermarkets, and newsstands.
What are the Key Characteristics of MMP Books?
There are several key characteristics that define mass market paperbacks (MMPs):
- Small, compact size – MMPs are smaller in dimension than trade paperbacks and hardcovers. The standard size is around 4.25″ x 6.87″. This makes them lightweight and highly portable.
- Low production cost – MMPs use inexpensive paper and binding to keep costs down. This allows them to be priced low as well.
- Wide distribution – MMPs are distributed through mass merchandisers like grocery stores, newsstands, airport shops etc. This wide reach helps them sell high volumes.
- High volume print runs – MMPs are printed in quantities of hundreds of thousands of copies due to their mass market focus.
- Genre fiction focus – Most mass market paperbacks feature genre fiction like romance, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, crime fiction, horror etc. These have mass appeal.
- Minimal design – The cover and layout of MMPs tend to be simple and minimalistic compared to other formats. The focus is on keeping costs down.
What Types of Books are Published as MMPs?
The following major categories of commercial fiction and non-fiction are commonly published as mass market paperbacks:
- Romance fiction – This includes all subgenres like contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance etc.
- Mysteries and thrillers – Crime fiction, detective fiction, legal thrillers, spy fiction etc.
- Science fiction and fantasy – Space opera, dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction, sword and sorcery, paranormal fantasy etc.
- Horror – Gothic horror, supernatural horror, psychological horror etc.
- Westerns – Stories set in the American Old West frontier.
- Popular fiction – Mainstream commercial fiction with mass appeal.
- Romantic suspense – Romance stories with elements of mystery/thriller.
- Young adult and middle grade fiction – Teen and pre-teen fiction in genres like fantasy, sci-fi, romance etc.
- Movie/TV tie-in editions – Novelizations of films or shows released as MMPs to capitalize on popularity.
- Non-fiction – Mass market appeal non-fiction on topics like pop psychology, diets, self-help, spirituality, conspiracy theories etc.
Essentially, the MMP format allows publishers to reprint their successful paperback titles that have already sold well in higher priced trade paperback to now reach an even wider audience through mass market retailers.
What are the Advantages of Publishing in MMP Format?
Here are some of the major advantages of the mass market paperback format:
- Massive reach – MMPs can tap into huge mainstream retail channels like supermarkets, reaching readers who don’t visit bookstores.
- High volume sales – The low cover price and extensive distribution of MMPs allows for books to sell in high numbers.
- Lower production costs – The inexpensive printing and binding makes per unit production costs lower.
- Higher author royalties – Typical royalty rate for MMPs is around 8-10% since the per-unit profit margin is lower.
- Building reader base – MMP releases help authors connect with more mainstream readers and build their audience.
- More opportunities for new authors – New authors have more opportunities to get their work published in the MMP mass market space.
- Promotional opportunities – MMPs allow tie-ins with other mass market merchandising like in-store displays.
The MMP format is designed to maximize readership for already successful books and authors by making the books affordable and readily available to the average reader.
What are the Disadvantages of Publishing in MMP Format?
Despite the advantages, there are also some potential drawbacks of mass market paperback publishing:
- Lower prestige – The mass market format lacks the prestige and durability of hardcovers and trade paperbacks.
- Lower quality – The inexpensive paper and binding means MMPs lack the physical quality of higher priced editions.
- Minimal marketing – Publishers do not really market MMP releases since the focus is on high volume sales.
- Lower royalty rates – Due to low per book profit, authors typically get lower royalties compared to hardcover/trade editions.
- Cannibalization risk – Releasing a MMP at the same time as hardcover/trade edition can risk cannibalizing those format sales.
- Shorter shelf life – MMPs tend to have high turnover at retail and often have a shorter active shelf life of 6-9 months only.
- Less control for authors – Authors may not have input into cover design or any say in the title for MMP editions.
So while the MMP format expands readership, authors have to balance that with factors like prestige and creative control when considering a mass market edition.
What are the Standard Terms for MMP Publishing?
The standard contractual terms that authors can expect when signing deals for mass market paperback editions include:
- Royalty rate of around 8-10% of cover price.
- No author approval required over cover, design, or title changes.
- Publishing 12-18 months after initial hardcover/trade edition release.
- Non-exclusive terms allowing author to publish with other MMP publishers.
- No author payments except for earned royalties.
- Worldwide mass market rights for defined period (often 5+ years).
- Distribution in mass market retail and regular book channels.
- Accounting and payments made twice a year.
- Reversion of rights if book goes out of print.
These are general guidelines only. Contract terms may vary between authors and publishing houses.
What are Some Examples of Successful MMPs?
Here are some bestselling books that sold very well in the mass market paperback format:
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo – Sold over 20 million copies as an MMP.
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – Peak year sales of 2 million copies as an MMP.
- The Shining by Stephen King – Over 1 million copies sold in MMP format in the first year.
- The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – Sold 85 million+ copies globally including MMP editions.
- The Stand by Stephen King – All time MMP sales over 8 million copies.
- Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann – MMP release in 1966 sold 31 million copies.
- The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy – 5.3 million copies sold in North America as an MMP.
These books demonstrate the incredible sales potential of the mass market paperback format, allowing bestsellers to reach even greater readership through MMP releases.
Is the MMP Format Still Relevant Today?
While the popularity of mass market paperbacks has declined somewhat with the rise of e-books, MMPs do still occupy an important place in the publishing landscape today for the following reasons:
- Huge print reader base – According to Pew Research (2019), 65% of Americans read at least one print book in the past year.
- Brick-and-mortar strength – Mass merchandisers like Walmart and Target still sell huge numbers of MMP genre fiction.
- Airport/traveling sales – MMPs thrive in airports and travel shops catering to travelers looking for books to read on flights.
- Collection driving reprints – Backlist MMP releases of older bestsellers can still sell well by leveraging the popularity of an author’s body of work.
- Movie-TV tie ins – MMP movie or TV show adaptations capitalize on screen projects to introduce stories to new mainstream readers.
- Supplements e-book sales – Having both MMP print and e-book can maximize sales through multiple formats.
While the economics and logistics of MMP publishing have become more challenging, it still offers lucrative opportunities to both publishers and authors when done strategically.
Conclusion
In summary, mass market paperbacks occupy a unique place in book publishing, leveraging low prices, wide distribution and huge volume print runs to connect bestselling authors to the largest possible readership. It comes with both advantages like increased sales and reach as well as disadvantages like lower prestige and royalties. While facing competition from e-books, MMPs still have relevance when done strategically as part of an overall multi-format publishing approach. For the right books and authors, mass market paperback releases can still drive significant sales today.