Book Size and Finish Options
Book Size and Finish Options
Trim size, paper and cover finish shape how your book looks, feels and costs to print, and some of them are hard to change once it is published. Here is how to choose, and how we help you decide before the interior is laid out.
- Size chosen before layout, not after
- Options checked against your printing platform
- Revisions included until the brief is met
- No lock-in on standard services
Why it matters
Size and finish are decided once, then live with the book
Trim size is the first physical decision in a book's production, because everything else depends on it: the page count, the font size, the margins, the spine width and therefore the cover. Change it after layout and the interior and cover both need rebuilding.
It also affects price. A larger trim with fewer pages can cost less to print than a smaller trim with many more pages, and readers in some genres expect a particular size. A thriller in a large, square format looks wrong on the shelf next to its competitors, even if readers cannot say why.
Trim size
Common trim sizes and what they suit
Sizes are width by height in inches. Each printing platform has its own list, so we confirm availability for yours.
5 x 8 and 5.5 x 8.5
Compact sizes popular for novels, poetry and memoirs. Easy to hold and familiar to fiction readers.
6 x 9
The most common US paperback size according to Amazon KDP, and a default for nonfiction and many novels.
7 x 10 and larger
Textbooks, workbooks and guides with tables or diagrams that need more room on the page.
8.5 x 11 and square formats
Activity books, workbooks, picture books and photo books, where the page is part of the design.
Not sure which option fits?
Send us the brief. You will get a scope, a timeline and a fixed price within 24 hours — no obligation.
Paper and cover
Paper colour and cover finish
Cream paper
A softer tone, widely used for fiction and memoir. Easier on the eye for long reading.
White paper
Crisper, and better for nonfiction with charts or images. Colour interiors are printed on white.
Matte cover
A soft, modern feel with less glare. Common for literary fiction, memoir and many nonfiction titles.
Glossy cover
Brighter colours and more contrast. Often chosen for children's books, thrillers and covers with photography.
Binding
Paperback or hardback
Most self-published books start as paperbacks, which cost less to print and allow a lower list price. A hardback edition adds durability and a more premium feel, useful for gift books, libraries and some nonfiction.
Hardback options depend on the platform. Amazon KDP prints hardcovers as case laminate, with the cover art printed directly on the board and no dust jacket, and offers fewer trim sizes than for paperbacks. IngramSpark also offers jacketed and cloth-look hardcovers. Special finishes such as foil stamping or embossing generally need an offset print run rather than print-on-demand.
- Look at successful comparable titles in your genre and note their trim, paper and finish
- Estimate page count at different trim sizes, and the printing cost of each
- Confirm the options are available on the platform printing your book
- Lay out the interior for the chosen size, with correct margins and gutter
- Build the cover to the exact spine width for your page count and paper
- Plan a hardback edition alongside the paperback if you want one
Free proposal
Tell us the goal. We’ll send the plan.
Share your requirements and a strategist gets back to you within 24 hours with scope, timeline and a fixed price. No obligation, no sales pressure.
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Response within 24 hours
Usually much sooner during business hours.
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Talk to a strategist
Not a call centre — the person who scopes your work.
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Fixed pricing upfront
You approve the number before anything starts.
Prefer to talk?
[email protected]Questions
Questions about book size and finish
Still unsure about something? Talk to a specialist — no script, no sales pitch.
Look at what successful books in your genre use, then consider page count and cost. Novels commonly use 5 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5 or 6 x 9 inches; nonfiction often uses 6 x 9; workbooks and picture books use larger formats. We check comparable titles and your platform's options before recommending a size.
It is possible but costly. A new trim size means re-laying out the interior and rebuilding the cover for the new spine width, and on some platforms it means publishing a new edition. It is much cheaper to decide before the interior is laid out.
Cream is the usual choice for fiction and memoir, because it is softer for long reading. White suits nonfiction with charts, tables or images. Colour interiors are printed on white paper. Paper choice also slightly changes the spine width, so it is fixed before the cover is finished.
Matte gives a soft, understated look and resists fingerprints and glare; glossy makes colours brighter and suits photographic or very colourful covers. Look at the top-selling books in your genre. We can design the cover to work well with either finish. On Amazon KDP, the cover finish does not change the printing cost.
Yes. Print-on-demand platforms calculate printing cost from page count, ink type and trim size, and that cost is deducted from every sale. A size that reduces page count without cramping the text can lower the printing cost of every copy.
Works well with
Pair it with the rest of the stack
Ready when you are
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