Do paperback first. Then if the response is substantial enough, release hardback as “another option” for collectors and fans who want to give it as a gift.

Or if you’re capitalizing on the library market, release both simultaneously. (Though the economics behind that could be the problem.)

Trade paperbacks may be a little more expensive than mass market, but they seem to be that happy middle ground where the libraries will take them, and readers will still buy them, especially if a few bucks are knocked off the price at amazon.com

The idea of the million niches and fewer and fewer authors being able to make a living doing this, just points more to going indie.

It seems to me that you’re more likely to be able to make decent money publishing good fiction if you have 10 titles available for sale in 10 years. Full backlist availability, rather than just the one or two your publisher has left in print.

The indie option at least builds equity for you and a larger profit margin per book.

I think a lot of people are looking at indie authorship as a possible small business model in the short term. i.e. “You aren’t going to sell that many of your first book compared to trad publishing.”

Well, no, probably not, but author platform building is the same process for indies as it is for trad published, and most of it is done on the internet. Consistent marketing of good work, and a backlist, in ten years I believe will show strong results.

But I’ll report back in ten years. Assuming this little internet fad is still here.