Some of the most talked-about books — such as Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin — are printed on rich, touch-worthy paper that stands the test of time.
Who’s Impacted
Authors
Being a published author is something few people will ever experience. Your book is an enduring symbol of your dedication and persistence, one that should last long enough to pass down to future generations. Unfortunately, in today’s disposable culture, you have a much greater chance of that book not standing the test of time. For your work to endure, make sure your literary agent and your publisher insist on permanent paper, not groundwood.
Readers
As someone who loves the power of words and falling into the pages of a book, you’ve no doubt noticed a change in the look and feel of the books you read. The production value of books has been diminishing each year, unfortunately, due to the prevalence of lower-quality groundwood paper used in book printing. If your favorite author has written books that have been published over many years, often you will see noticeable differences in the production of the books from earlier to more recent volumes. Open up those books — is the shade of the pages different from the paper on the spine? Is the spine more yellow than it is in books printed several years ago? More than likely, these recent books weren’t printed on permanent paper.
The price you are paying for a hardcover book isn’t changing much, but the production quality is. With more people reading electronic versions of books on mobile devices, for many book lovers, purchasing a print book means it’s important to keep. Unfortunately, you cannot be assured that this book will last on your bookshelf.
Librarians
You are extremely attuned to the degradation of book production values, more so than anyone else. Many librarians report the rapid decline in the number of circulations a book receives before it has to be repaired — and more often than not, those books can’t be repaired at all and must be replaced. Lower-quality paper combined with flimsy bindings create a book that will not last in your libraries. Library budgets being slashed across the country has made it even more difficult to repair or replace these books with a diminished shelf life. Libraries have been a place of learning and refuge for people for thousands of years, and it should not be less so in modern times.
Conservators
You may believe that the crisis for preserving books ended when paper mills largely turned away from acid paper production. But now books are under threat more than ever due to an industry-wide migration to low-quality paper — and this threat is irreversible. As you know, there is a process to remove acid from paper, but there is no way to repair books made with groundwood paper, or undo the effects of low quality. The only way to make modern books stand the test of time is to raise the standards for quality for hardcover print books and insist that they are printed on permanent paper. The Permanence Matters campaign has partnered with leading book conservation organizations to research the current state of books, and we are actively looking for new conservation partners.
Literary Agents
Your clients deserve a printed book that lasts. Many authors do not know all of the steps of the production process, and they will benefit from your knowledge of this process. There is more to the physical production value of a book than the cover art.
Booksellers
With the increasing importance of e-reading to the industry, all bookstores fighting to survive and thrive. We understand and appreciate your hard work, and we think you are uniquely qualified to speak to the issue of book quality. We need your help in educating publishers and giving them the feedback about what your customers are saying. We believe as the march to e-books increases, people will more often turn to print books for keepsakes. We need your help to talk about what you’re seeing in the marketplace and consumers’ belief that print books should endure.
©2010 Glatfelter Corp.