Weekly Writing Prompt #27
On the back of every Penguin Classic is the story of the paperback. This week in 1935, British publisher, Alan Lane's dream of something affordable and good to read on his train ride home (from meeting with Agatha Christie no less) was realised. Penguin Publishing was born and the subsequent 'paperback revolution' began. Penguin started reprinting quality fiction and nonfiction in low-cost paperback editions. Lane revolutionised publishing with the introduction of the first ten Penguin paperbacks. Within a year, more than one hundred titles were in print and one million Penguin books had been sold. As the rest of the publishing world caught on, quality books became more affordable and available to everyone. Today, more than 80 years later, more than 600 million paperbacks are sold annually worldwide. Who said print is dead?!
With the well-loved and battered Penguin Classic on everyone's bookshelf in mind, this weeks prompt should be a familiar one.
