Managing inventory at a bookstore was hard work, but when you’re managing inventory on your own bookshelf, sometimes you need a second opinion…

This is serious, so pay attention:

When I first discovered Loren Estleman’s amazing Amos Walker series of detective novels, I didn’t know whether I’d like them or not.  I did what anyone should in that case: shop around and find a really cheap paperback edition, which I found through Motor City Books.

Also, the series is set in Detroit, so I thought I was being clever by buying as many of these through them.

Since I’d purchased the first in mass-market, I kept that up.  Book fourteen, “A Smile on the Face of a the Tiger”, I had to buy in the larger trade paperback size, which hurt, but I got over.

Here’s the deal though, then came to “Sinister Heights”, the fifteenth book in this series, and I could only find it in hardcover.  I held out hope that one would come up for sale, but it seems the book wasn’t put out in paperback at all.  I could be wrong, but that’s how it looks, and it isn’t that far fetched.

An author I know mentioned once that the hardcover and paperback rights to his first book had been bought by two different publishers, the latter allowing it to go out of print.  So perhaps something similar happened here, and publisher opted not to put a paperback edition out.

Oh well.  I went with the hardcover.  This is where I need some help.  Should I go back to the smaller, mass-market paperbacks, or stick with hardcover?

Estleman is up to twenty-four books now, the latest, “The Sundown Speech” was just released November 10th.  I still have some catching up to do, but I’m getting close to the point where to keep current with Amos Walker I’ll have to buy the hardcover.

I have a handful of other books to read before I need to make a decision, so I have a little time.  Take a look at the poll below and let me know what you think; should I go back to paperback and hold out as long as I can, or stick with hardcover?