What Are the Standard Book Sizes for Publishing Your Book?

• Jan 25, 2024
• 4 min read

• Tags: Books, Fiction, Formatting, Nonfiction, Novel

Book sizes are extremely important. They not only impact the book’s readability but also the portability, production, and distribution costs. Especially when the competition is against the convenience of eReaders, sizing a book correctly for print can make or break a sale.

Given that consideration, several standard paperback book sizes work for books of different genres. For example, the sizes of books considered best for children’s books may not be suitable at all for self-help books. To clarify any doubts regarding standard book page sizes, let’s understand standard book sizes, trim sizes, and book dimensions in detail. 

Standard size of books for every genre

The table below shows standard book sizes for various genres:

Additionally, the size of books is also determined depending on the type of publication your book is going to be.

Understanding standard trim sizes and their importance

Trim size is the final size of the book after all the unnecessary parts have been cropped and the script is ready to go into production. These are the dimensions your book will physically have after getting printed.

For example, for a lengthy fiction story, the publishers may take a call to publish it in parts with a smaller trim size. Alternatively, the publishers may also select a slightly larger trim size but reduce the font size to accommodate the story into one book.

Consider standard children’s book sizes, for example. The book sizes are larger because it makes it easier and more interactive for them to look at large-sized illustrations and read larger fonts with relative ease.

Importance of trim size

Trim size is important because it determines the aesthetic of the book. Its size and thickness impact how a book is carried or held, making or breaking a buyer’s decision to get the book. For example, when meant for sale at airports, the trim sizes are kept as compact and lightweight as possible so that travelers can carry them hassle-free.

Trim size is important because it impacts these major aspects of a book:

• Reading experience: Book trim sizes determine the reading experience because it is the book size that makes it easy or hard to hold a book and flip its pages. For larger trims and fonts, the book would be easier to read but harder to sell to those who carry it around.
• Marketability: A book with a smaller font and lesser margins may become a challenge to read for seniors. To market your book, it is important to consider the target audience before deciding on the trim size depending on the book genre.
• Cost: The larger the book, the more paper it needs to get published – which inevitably increases the cost. It is important to select the right trim size to achieve economies of scale with publishing. The ultimate book cost is passed down to the buyer in the form of sale prices. 
• Book presentation: Larger trim sizes give more space for your story to exist, allowing more flexibility with font selection, blank space, illustrations, and other aspects. On the other hand, it may increase the number of pages required for the story. A good trim size is a balance between making a story presentable and keeping the bulk of the book under control.

How do you select the most suitable book size?

Multiple aspects come into consideration when selecting the right trim size. Keep the following points in mind when selecting the trim size:

• Word count: For longer stories, select a larger trim size. For shorter stories, a smaller print would do just fine.
• Genre: For every genre, the buyers expect a certain standard from the printed book. If it deviates from being too large or short of the standard, it may throw off the reading experience.
• Costs: Publication costs, overheads, profit margins, etc., need to be taken into account before deciding your trim size.

In the end, what matters is getting your amazing story published into the world. We hope you have got a brief idea about average book dimensions through this guide. Our expert team at PaperTrue can ensure perfect typesetting for any book size you choose. We also provide other self-publishing services like editing, online book distribution, book marketing, and book cover design. Whether you want to know about the standard book cover size or convert your book into an eBook, we’re here to help. 

Keep reading to enhance your knowledge about book publishing! 

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.