After paperback books reappeared in the United States in 1936 after being banned in 1891 due to Copyright Act of 1891, it now constitutes 70% of books published in the US. Since paperback books are now becoming a trend again, a lot more people can now acquire books at a lower cost. The lower cost of printing also helps in lower cost of books.

As the saying goes, “You can’t judge a book by its cover” and the same goes for paperback books. There is no difference now whether you invest in buying a paperback book or a hardbound book. There is no difference on the content, the cover is the same, and the only difference is the quality of the book.

Most hardbound books published always have their paperback counterparts and this is a great marketing idea for the publishing company. Since not all people can purchase a costly hardbound book, they can just settle on the paperback counterpart. The content would be the same and it is still written by the same author, the only difference is the thickness of the book.

Hardbound books often use full color printing to fully maximize the benefits of book printing. Books printed on hardbound usually have a dust jacket, a front matter, the body of the book and in some cases, the end of the book component.

The same parts can be seen on a paperback book as well the only difference is the material used for printing. Although both books may have the same cover design and the same number of pages, the fonts may differ and the thickness of the book would be different as well.

This is the similarity between hardbound books and paperback books. And what are the differences between hardbound and paperbacks?

Since thickness is one factor that differentiates hardbound books from paperback books, the weight is also a factor on why some people choose paperback books over hardbound. Paperbacks are much easy to carry around and they can easily fit in any bag and doesn’t add much to the baggage.

There is a price difference as well in choosing to purchase a hardbound book over a paperback book. Since paperbacks tend to use materials out of cheaper products than those used in hardbound books, the cost would be less as well in book printing and in turn the cost of the book itself.

Hardbound books are therefore more pleasing to the eye because they are considered of high quality than paperbacks. Endurance and durability is also an advantage of hardbound printed books. Since they were printed using only high quality materials, they are also expected to withstand time.

Hardbound books are preferred mostly by people who would want to keep a book for a long time like that in libraries. Hardbound books are also easy to handle when turning the pages and binding is far stronger and far more superior to paperback books. They are also sturdier and much easier to set aside and stack.

Paperbacks are easy to carry around while hardbound books are easy to read because of its size. It is much easier to bring around a paperback book to go anywhere you like but if you want to search a specific topic, hardbound books are the best way to go.

In the end, the only thing that would matter is how much your budget is for your next book and how much you want to keep it.