Size matters, but not a lot
When it comes to packing words between the covers of a book, bigger should be
better. The larger the page-size the more words that you can pack onto each page
so the slimmer the book. The thinner the book, the lower it costs to produce,
other things being equal.
But it does not actually work out like that. An analysis of 50 books produced
by WPS and covering all of the standard book sizes reveals the surprising result
that the size of the page has only a small influence on the page count. (See
some of the sample)
If you compare the surface area of the print formats, the space on the
smaller formats is under half that compared with an A4 page. So you get over a
third more printable space on a page with the Royal size compared with the
standard paperback (also known a B format) but that is not reflected in the
number of words inside our sample of real books.
| Format |
Percentage compared to A4 sheet |
| 198x129 Standard paperback |
41% |
| 216x140 Large paperback |
48% |
| 229x152 Popular academic size |
56% |
| 235x156 Royal |
59% |
The sample of books used here includes some with tightly packed text, others
are lavishly illustrated books and there are large print versions for children
and for those with poor eyesight. A small change in the font size or the
space (known as leading) between the lines makes a big difference to the number
of words that are set on each page. Skill designers can make sure that the text
is set in a way that will suit the intended audience.
The figures
The plot below relates the number of words to the number of pages. Most books
follow the broad line but there are a few that fall nearer the thinner lines.
The book format turns out to have a small impact on the total number of pages.
So the conclusion is that the book format chosen has less impact on
the number of pages than you might suspect. It is the font size, page layout and
number of illustrations that impact the number of pages. Pulp fiction can pack
the words into a standard paperback while an illustrated text needs the larger
page size to achieve a legible design.
Back to Getting ready
Word count Preparing a mock-up Paper
sizes Book sizes
© Chas Jones 2008
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