Physical Size Matters!

Okay everyone, pull up your pants, but keep the ruler nearby. Yes, we are now getting to the nitty gritty of the physical size of your book. Stand back, because we have something we’re proud to show you.

All joking aside, the physical size of your book can either make or break sales. From the small pocket book to the huge hard cover, you need to choose wisely to attract the right target audience.
Book sizes vary based on the individual book. A publishing company may choose 6X9 as their standard or the diminutive 4.25X6.87. It all depends on their target. You don’t want a novella in a 6X9 format because it will look really thin. Likewise, most tomb-sized manuscripts are not put into anything as small as 4.25X6.87.
The following is a list of standard sizes per genre: [List graphic shown in magazine]
Nothing says you need to stick to a standard size, but for distribution purposes, books need to have at least one edition in the sizes listed. I have published memoirs in 6X9 size, but only because they had a high word count.
Pages upon Pages
Remember back when we talked about typology? Well, physical book size will depend a lot on the font size you pick. A small book with under 50,000 words and small font size will have few pages (under 100), but bump up the font and throw in a couple of pictures, and you have 200 pages plus.
Spacing can also increase page count. However, don’t make the book appear to be a lot of pages using these tricks. Readers will see through this. Why have a 300-page memoir when it will fit within 200 pages? These are important things to think about when setting up a book.

Read the entire article in the September 2019 issue of InD'Tale magazine.

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