In the Science Fiction Book Club, is it possible to buy paperback books?

Question

I looked in their catalog and I only saw hardcover books for sale.

Answer 1

Nope, that's all they have for the most part. The only exception is some of the larger art and specialty books that are only printed in soft cover.

Most of SFBC's regular books are specially printed for the club in hard cover editions. If you want paperback versions, check for the title on Amazon.com or Barnes & Nobles web site.

The only problem with paperbacks is that books are often printed first in hardback and then anywhere from 6 months to a year later appear in paperback.

I was going to buy a book from them a short time ago until I discovered it had already come out in paperback and was on Amazon for $5 cheaper.

Answer 2

Occasionally, they will have trade paperbacks.

Then again their books are pretty shoddy, almost the equivalent of paperbacks, not remotely the quality of a standard hardback.  That said, I'd say they are worth money, especilly if you limit yourself to ordering collections.

Joining once or twice is a nice way to get complete sets of a lot of classic series, but most of the solo novels will leave you feeling ripped off.

If you don't know anyone who has joined already, check out a used book store, most will have multiple copies of sci-fi book club editions so you can check out the quality.