by the late 1950s, ace's was publishing almost one hundred titles a year. almost all the books were 35 cents, though some slim single volumes were 25 cents. a few were 50 cents. in the early '60s, rising costs finally forced an increase in the price of the books, and more books appeared at 40 cents, 45 cents and higher. a few thick volumes, such as the 1967 paperback of frank herbert's "dune", were priced at 95 cents. with ballantine books, ace was the dominant american science fiction paperback publisher in the 1950s and 1960s. other publishers followed their example and sold books to the increasing audience for sf. but, no other publisher had as much the influence as ace or ballantine.