The size of your book is important for many reasons. Too big? Too small? Your readers will likely notice that something feels “off” or your book will look funny on the bookshelf next to other books.
The size of your book is important for financial reasons, too. It can be expensive to change the book size late in your project, or to lose sales because your book just isn’t what stores or individual buyers are looking for.
But how do you pick the size of your book, especially when you’re self-publishing and see a long list of sizes like this one from Amazon KDP?
Authors sometimes ask me for my opinion about what size their books should be. While I am happy to tell them (and you) what I know about book sizing, ultimately I suggest that they do their own research and make the final decision about book size themselves, because book sizes are more of a marketing decision than a design decision. Poor planning when it comes to the size of your book can mean expensive design changes to your files, a loss in sales, or a book that just doesn’t end up with the look and feel you were hoping for.
I want to offer a bit of input on how to make this important decision. I can’t tell you the “right” size for your book. But what follows is what I can tell you.
Photo by Lina Kivaka on Pexels.com
The orientation and size of your book are decisions that should be made early on in the book project, especially if your book has a lot of graphics.
The orientation of your book’s pages (portrait / landscape / square / other shape) of your book is a decision that needs to be made early in the process of your book project, before any visual decisions about your book are made. It can (and maybe should) be made in conversation with your illustrator, photographer, or book designer, but before they begin their work. It’s never fun to have clients who are disappointed that their photographer shot the images for their book at a different aspect ratio than the book itself (ie: the book is 8x10” but the photos are 8x14”). Or they want full spread illustrations but their illustrator created images that are more suitable for one page, not two. The more visuals in your book, the more important it is that size and orientation be decided early on and communicated to all contributors. For example, any images that you want to have cover the whole page or spread (for example, 8x10” or 16x10”) need to actually be slightly bigger than that to allow for some trim area around the edges of the paper when the book is produced (standard is 0.125” in every direction).
Research the size of other books in your genre.
Do you know which books would be displayed next to yours in a bookstore or online store, and what size they are? Have you picked up and felt a physical book of the size you are hoping to print? For novels or trade books, the sizes are fairly standard. But for art books, coffee table books or children’s books there is a lot more variety. While you may be expecting to print and distribute mostly in your own country, it’s good to also consider whether your book size would work well for a broader, international audience when (not if!) it becomes a best-seller! 😊
The popular print-on-demand printers are best for standard book sizes. Unusual sizes, paper, or binding usually require offset printing.
Print-on-demand book printing services offer a more limiting selection of trim sizes, binding styles and paper options. Click to view all the sizes at IngramSpark or Amazon KDP.
If you want your book in an unusual size or something that will be bound in an unusual way (such as the short side of a rectangular book, or a square book) you may find yourself with limited options with print-on-demand printers or basic digital printers.
I had a client recently who really wanted to have a landscape orientation trade book, because the traditionally-published books in her genre mostly had a landscape orientation. However, when she realized that her preferred size and orientation was not available from Amazon KDP, she decided to go with a size they offer, because publishing through Amazon KDP was much more convenient for her.
On the other hand, if your book’s unique size, paper or binding style is important to your project, may need to consider traditional offset printing, whether locally or in Asia. Offset printing is not limited to traditional book sizes, binding or materials. Of course, the set up costs are more expensive, but the sky is the limit as far as sizes, shapes and materials.
Do your homework carefully before producing a book in a non-standard size.
A non-standard size can make your book stand out: in a good way, or in a bad way. You probably don't want a book that doesn’t fit on bookshelves (unless it is a unique coffee table book) or is too big or heavy for standard shipping. But on the other hand, sometimes an unusual size can give you a unique edge in your category. Maybe it needs to be a special size to serve a special purpose (such as fitting in a coat pocket or tucking into a certain size bag or package). If you decide that from a marketing perspective, an unusual size is right for your book, more power to you! Just do your homework first and be sure you can articulate why!
If you’ve read this whole article and still have questions about your book project, it’s probably time we talked! Pick my brain through a free consultation, or skim through my articles page and find more helpful information for getting your book done! ✅