I would say that 95% of the books I buy brand new are YA books. Besides the obvious factor that I love YA, I love trade paperback size and don't really care for MMPB size. I find that I can get a trade sized YA book for less money than a trade sized or even MMPB adult book. YA is usually around $7-$10 for a new paperback book compared to upwards of $14 for a new adult fiction book (or $7 and up for a MMPB adult fiction book). I can get the same amount (or more!) of enjoyment from YA than adult fiction so to me it just makes sense to buy YA new instead of adult fiction. I usually buy adult fiction at thrift stores or get it from PBS.

Plus I like to fulfill YA wishes on PBS, especially when I can offer them to people with similar wish lists/reading tastes.

I agree with everything you said. YA is just cheaper. Usually anyway. I don't like MMP either, but when it's the only option available....

How come adult hardcovers can cost close to $30 dollars? It doesn't make much sense. I also prefer trade paperbacks, since the MMPB spines seem to "break" so easily. Although I do like my YA hardcovers: most of the books I'd like for my permanent collection I try to get in hardcover. :)

Standing in the line that likes trade pb vs anything else if at all possible. I just really don't like hardcovers, they are hard for me to hold comfortably, dunno why. And like Colleen,  on mmpb, unless they are only thing available, sigh, then I will suffer them. lol.

That said, most of the series books (other than YA) on my bookshelf are all mmpb, because they were only thing available so I am stuck with a ton. Boo! But! I would much rather have a mmpb to read than a hardcover. I know hc last longer, but I read for enjoyment and comfort, clutching a book and constantly reshifting it to get a better hold on it doesn't do that so much for me.

I agree Misty. Hardcovers look nice, but they hurt my wrists. I have carpal tunnel and I like to reading laying on my side in bed. With a hardcover, my wrists hurt in minutes. I much prefer the trade sized. Easier to hold open and easier to hold in general.

Stephanie- I KNOW! I can't believe some adult hardcovers cost that much! It's absurd.

I have a thing where if i would randomly pic a book off the shelf of teh YA shelf, i have a much higher chance of enjoying that book, then if i would do the same in the 'adult' section. I don't know if its the amount of authors/books in comparison, or just the general style of writing when the perspective is younger.

But if i'm gonna spend the money i'll pick from the section i have better chances in ;)

I just find that YA are generally lighter reads...  and reading is relaxing for me... I'm right there with you guys that hate MMPB.... they are the worst...  I hate the feel of the pages!!!  I don't prefer to have hardcovers, but a lot of the newest stuff I want to read is in that format, so I end up with them....  but you can generally get them at better cost on Amazon in the marketplace than in a traditional bookstore...  I find that I go in bookstores, make lists of what I want, then come home and order them at better prices even with shipping included (if necessary)....

Huh. I guess I'm in the minority in this. I actually prefer hardcover books. . . probably because I either read lying on my stomach in bed (in which case the hardcover is the only version that will stay open to my page without me pressing it down) or sitting up in a recliner (in which case the hardcover rests in my lap). I'm sure it's also because I absolutely ABHOR spine breaks, and I read a lot of 900 page tomes (what else do they publish in adult fantasy these days?) which you simply cannot read in paperback (even trade paperback) without messing up.

Also, when I was growing up I loved going in my parents library for books, but I was always destroying their older paperbacks (I was like 9, I didn't know how to properly hold a book to keep from bending it totally out of shape) and getting yelled out, so I have a bit of guilt there. :)

I will say, if I have a choice between MMPB and YA TP, I buy the YA version because, as others have mentioned it's a nicer version for less money. However, I'm not convinced that the YA TP versions will hold up as well as the adult TP versions. . . they feel less sturdy, and it would not surprise me at all to find that they skimp on the glue and the binding to make those version cheaper.

My problem with buying in paperback is that when I start a series I like all of my books to look the same.  Usually when I get into a series the first two or three will only be out in paperback and then if a new one is released, it will be in hardcover.