Hardcover and Paperback - 精装本和平装本

Books published in the US are generally published in hardcover first and come out in paperback a year or so later.

This practice might have made sense in the past, but with the advance of digital books, the two-tiered marketing should change. In the past, if high prices of hardcovers made readers wait patiently for a cheaper version, now they might opt for digital books immediately ... which is likely to make publishers of paper books obsolete -- or will at least put them in the same perilous position as companies that publish music CDs.

The book market in China might serve as a better model. Books are generally published there only in paperback. Sometimes publishers simultaneously release a slightly more expensive versions of books with laminated covers. Or they only publish laminated versions. On very special occasions, publishers present hardcover or cloth-bound editions as collectibles.

This approach can reduce overall publishing costs and also eliminates an unnecessary wait for readers who don't want to pay hardcover prices. As for authors' compensation, I am confident that arrangements can be found to ensure the profitability for the publisher and fair payment to authors.

The very high expense of text books in the United States troubles me too. Text books are very printed cheaply in China and don't cost much to own. It's time for us to learn a thing or two from China.

在美国出版的书籍一般都是先发行精装版，一年多后，平装版才出来。

这种做法也许在过去是合适的，但随着数字图书的发展，这种两级图书市场现象应该改变。在过去，如果高价的精装书使读者耐心等待更便宜的版本，现在他们可能马上转向数字图书，这可能最后使纸书出版商被淘汰，或者至少处于和唱片公司同样的危险境地。

相反，中国图书市场可以作为一个典范。那里，书籍一般以平装本发行，有时，会有稍微贵一些塑料压膜版同时发行。或者只发行压膜版。在非常特殊的情况下，会有精装本的或布面版本作为收藏品出版。

这个方式可以降低总成本，减少不想付精装本高价的读者们许多不必要的等待。至于作者的报偿，我相信可以找到一个新的方式，可确保出版商的盈利和对作者的公平稿酬。

超贵的美国的教科书费用也一直困扰着我。在中国，教科书是用非常便宜纸张印刷的，不会花很多钱来买。现在是我们从中国学一、两样东西的时候。


Young Man, Book and Flowers / 青年，圖書和花卉 © Matthew Felix Sun