Backlist

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A backlist is a list of older books available from a publisher, as opposed to titles newly published. Record labels also have backlists of music titles they have published. Having a strong backlist for a publisher is also a form of The Long Tail in 21st Century business plans.

Building a strong backlist has traditionally been seen as the way to produce a profitable publishing house, as the most expensive aspects of the publishing process have already been paid for and the only remaining expenses are reproduction costs.

The list of current (new) publications is sometimes called the frontlist.