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ReaderLink Ends Mass-Market Paperback Distribution Amid Declining Sales

2/24/2026

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Summary

Story summary

ReaderLink, the largest US book distributor, will stop distributing mass-market paperbacks after sales fell from 131 million in 2004 to 21 million in 2024.
Bethanne Patrick, a book critic, says the decline represents a cultural loss.
Industry shifts, including the rise of trade paperbacks, digital reading, and changing consumer preferences, contributed to the decline.

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Story summary

ReaderLink, the largest US book distributor, will stop distributing mass-market paperbacks after sales fell from 131 million in 2004 to 21 million in 2024.
Bethanne Patrick, a book critic, says the decline represents a cultural loss.
Industry shifts, including the rise of trade paperbacks, digital reading, and changing consumer preferences, contributed to the decline.