Embarking on your self-publishing journey presents many challenges. You’re in charge of mapping stops and your final destination on the way to publishing success. One of the first things you must consider when formatting your book is trim size.
What Is the Best Size for a Self-Published Book?
The best size for your book will depend on what you’re publishing and the standards in the category. Search for advice on the best size and you’ll get as many answers as there are potential shapes and dimensions. However, the consensus in online forums and from authors who’ve published for a while is that the book should be easy to hold.
Books come in nearly every shape and size imaginable, but several factors can impact the size you choose, including:
- Cost: While the average cost to print a book is between around $3.50 and $5 per book, larger trim size often means a book is more expensive to publish. For those with smaller budgets, smaller book sizes are often the most feasible.
- Target audience needs: Think about the things your target audience cares most about, and take these factors into consideration when choosing a book size. For example, about 42% of U.K. and U.S. consumers care about whether products use sustainable materials, which may mean choosing eco-friendly paper, which might have more limited sizing options.
- Genre: Further, there are some industry norms for book sizes, depending on what type you write. We’ll cover these in more detail below.
Genre Fiction
In the United States, trade books are usually 6 inches by 9 inches. Book size is indicated in inches, with width first and height second. Other common sizes include:
- 4.25 inches by 6.87 inches
- 5 inches by 8 inches
- 5.25 inches by 8 inches
- 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches
Most genre novels fall within these sizes. Consider how the book might look displayed alongside others on a store shelf or reader’s bookshelf.
Children’s Books
Children’s books may be the trickiest category for deciding the best size for your book design. Typically, sizes run:
- 7.5 inches by 7.5 inches
- 7 inches by 10 inches
- 10 inches by 8 inches
You’ve likely noticed children’s books come in all different sizes. Some are in fancy shapes, such as cupcakes, or have three-dimensional elements. For self-publishing, stick with standard sizes to save on production costs. You’ll also be limited if you publish through Amazon KDP or IngramSpark.
The wear and tear a favorite kid’s book receives means you should use more durable pages and a cover. The page material you select can impact the size of your book. Costs might necessitate smaller trim sizes or something more standard.
Nonfiction
Authors sell around 767.36 million independently published books annually. Around 60% of them are nonfiction, although the number varies constantly. Knowing common sizes used can help you reach the right audience and show you understand the industry. Sizes tend toward:
- 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches
- 6 inches by 9 inches
- 7 inches by 10 inches
You might choose a different size for a few reasons, such as having a workbook alongside the text.
Journals, Textbooks and Workbooks
You’ve likely noticed that textbooks tend to be larger than other books. They have to be durable enough to last through a semester and beyond. Used textbook sales are a hot market, especially for college students.
Journals and workbooks are often in similar sizes, allowing room to write answers and add notes and reflections. Standard sizes include:
- 6 inches by 9 inches
- 7 inches by 10 inches
- 8.5 inches by 11 inches
One technique is to look at similar books in the niche you’ve written in. What are the typical sizes, and is there a reason for this? For example, a textbook may need room to show formulas or photos to drive home a concept.
Tips for the Best Finished Product
You must understand some basic industry considerations when selecting book size to create a polished, beautiful finished product. For example, you’ll need to add room for bleed to ensure the images and text remain visible when the printer trims your book. Amazon recommends leaving 0.125 inches for the bleed lines to prevent losing anything crucial.
Take the time to order a proof copy and page throughout the book to catch missing tabs, unaligned sections or other issues. Sometimes, page breaks get left out, creating a strange look in print and electronic copies. Also, holding the book in your hands lets you see if the size is what you thought it might be.
Make the Best Choice You Can
Gather feedback from your target audience and make the best choice you can with the data you have. Print sizing is more challenging to change than a few edits to a digital copy. However, if you use print-on-demand services, you can update your files to fix sizing and other issues. The result will be a beautiful, professional-looking book you’ll be proud to call yours.
