Support for Indie Authors discussion

I just got my ebook up for sale on Amazon in time for Black Friday. In the meantime, I've been working on formatting it for print, but I'm really confused about what size to pick. I had heard 6X9 was recommended, but, when I got the proof, it looked more like a non-fiction (and mine is a novel). I measured by own library of books and they appear to be around 4X7.5, but that size isn't available on CS. The closest is 5.06 X 7.81 without going to a custom size. And, that size costs more to print.

So, help me understand what size I should prepare for my paperback? Please!

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It really comes down to your own personal preference. 6x9 is more of a trade paperback size and is cheaper because it will result in less pages. I've used the 6x9 and the 5x8 and have found I prefer the 5x8. If it's too long then you might try changing the font size or some of the interior spacing, but again it's all about what YOU want to do.

Thanks for your feedback.

This was one of the big reasons I chose Ingram Spark over Create Space. They support a vast number of print formats, including 4x7 and nearby variants. I also found that by judicious adjustment of margins, headings (move the pg no into the heading - alternating in the left and right margin, lose the footer), and font size, I could reduce the no. of pages for my 4x7 editions. This was partly because I'd chosen a generous 10.5pt Georgia for the 5x8 edition, so even after reducing it to 9pt Georgia, the print was still larger than the print in most mass paperbacks I compared it to.
My 1st book is 131k wds: 467pp in 5x8, but 369pp in 4x7.

Doing the exercise, I copied tricks I noticed when I examined other mass market paperbacks.

Though I probably won't release the 4x7 editions of vols 1 & 2 until Jan 2017, since I need to find a workaround for a bug in LibreOffice, and my deadline for vol 3 takes priority.

Thanks for the advice.

... or maybe not. I just received (literally 10mins ago) the updated IS pricing chart planned to kick in from Jan 2017. I think they've just made it uneconomic: if I've read the increases correctly, it's a 40%-50% production cost increase. Maybe I've misread their tables.

Yeah, I just checked on pricing and they were way high.

I prefer the 5X8 size for my novels that run about 48K words. The 6X9 look too big to me and I think my books would look awkwardly short (page count wise) in that size. If I had a lot more pages I might consider a bigger trim size.

Hi Marie, I agree with your thinking regarding book size depending on length. However, from a reader standpoint, may I please suggest not doing that in your current series and keeping all books in each series the same size. Looks much nicer on a bookshelf. Hugs

Angela wrote: "I just got my ebook up for sale on Amazon in time for Black Friday. In the meantime, I've been working on formatting it for print, but I'm really confused about what size to pick. I had heard 6X9 w..."
Hi, Angela. I use 6x9 for all my books, and instead of using a template to change a normal Word document to 6x9, I use the Word 'Page Setup' to change the document to that size. To save there being too many pages (my latest novel is 124000 words!) I reduce the margins to 2cm and the top and bottom spacing to 2.7cm. CreateSpace will accept that with no errors. You can then check through what they have created and correct anything you don't like. The best of luck with your book.

Sue (Rescue Dog Mom) wrote: "Hi Marie, I agree with your thinking regarding book size depending on length. However, from a reader standpoint, may I please suggest not doing that in your current series and keeping all books in ..."
Hi, Sue. I have had one book printed 5x8 and didn't like it. I had it re-done as 6x9 and have had all subsequent novels printed in that format. Even with a lot of pages (or few - my shortest novel is 60,000 words) the format looks good. Best of luck.

Hi Tony, I had actually decided to make my book 5x8 earlier this year, but have since been reconsidering that decision based on several opinions. I pulled out several books and measured them. After much deliberation, I held a 6x9 next to a 5x8, and my thought was 5.5 x 8.5... or not... Still thinking...

That's the size I chose for mine, Sue. I like it. Big enough to save on pages, yet not too big.

G.G. wrote: "That's the size I chose for mine, Sue. I like it. Big enough to save on pages, yet not too big."

Thanks G.G. Based on using Createspace's MS Word template for 5x8, my story of approx. 80,000 to 100,000 words (not finished) will be about 350 to 400 pages long. I'm afraid if I go bigger, the book would be too thin.

MIne is about 110k and has 350 pages. I don't see how yours would be too thin. Four hundred pages is starting to be a big book. The minimum you'll be able to sell it might be higher than you'd like.

I don't make much money but I can still sell it for 9.99$ and get something. I could still up the price to 12.99$ and it wouldn't be too high.

G.G. Thank you for your numbers. My story will be 10,000 or more less than yours, which means I'm off in my estimate by about 100 pages. Oops!! So if my book will only be around 300 or more pages, I should stick with 5 x 8. I'm using font Georgia, size 11, and zero line spacing.

Hi Sue. My 100k books are about 300 pages with the 6x9 template and the spine is a good inch thick on those. One thing to keep in mind is that with Createspace, all books are printed on the same weight paper as trade paperbacks. Making a book smaller and thicker might make it harder to hold or keep open. Since most of the mass market paperbacks are printed on a lower grade paper, they aren't a good comparison.

Ok I used Times New Roman on mine size 12 on the first and 11 on the second because it was bigger and would have added too many pages. Of course, different fonts can make a huge difference in number of pages too.

Georgia and font size 11 is a great choice. :)

Christina, Thank you for that information. Whatever books I used for comparison all had thin paper, so I figures CS's paper would be of the same weight. That makes a lot of sense. Boy, I've got some reformatting to do!!

G.G. Thank you! I chose that font because that's where my Dad lives.

Okay, so going from 5 x 8 to 6 x 9 cut my page down by one third. Gotta fill that in!!

Also, the print now looks crowded on the page. Am I supposed to designate Line Spacing as a certain number? I don't have it in my 5x8 version and it looks fine. If I set it at 15pt, in the 6x9 version, it spreads out the lines of text, making them easier to read.

Does anyone set line spacing? If so, to what? Thank you! Hugs

My line spacing is at 'single' with my 5.5 X 8.5 with my size 12 font but with my other book that is same size but with font size 11 it is set Space line: multiple at 1.15.

Strangely, although the fonts are smaller, it seems easier on the eye.

Hope this helps.

Oh and don't worry about page counts on KU. They don't go by actual pages so even if you'd make your book 4X5 to get more pages, it would give you the same amount of money per book read. :P

G.G. Thank you very much!! Yeah, it's like a trick on the eye that added line spacing makes the print easier to read on a larger page. Whatever works!! And thanks for the KU info. I know readers can personalize the font size... I always enlarge mine. : D

Stick to Times Roman and 12pt, with single line spacing. One can get away with 11pt, and that saves a tremendous number of pages with a long novel. 10pt is still readable for most people, but anything less than that is not acceptable.

Since the population is aging, I suspect anything that makes your work easier to read will have the potential to increase sales. I can't tell you how often I see a person over age 45 trying to adjust their glasses, or moving the book around, turning on more lights...and looking annoyed about it, too!

Brenda & Tony, I know what you mean. I blame florescent lights for my eye problems. We started with them in grade school and lots of us worked in offices or factories that have them.

I like reading on paper and ereader. On my ereader, I change the screen from white to tan in addition to enlarging the font.

I really like the Georgia font and will stick with that. I'll print pages with both sizes 11 and 12 and see which is easier to read and make a decision.

Sue (Rescue Dog Mom) wrote: "Brenda & Tony, I know what you mean. I blame florescent lights for my eye problems. We started with them in grade school and lots of us worked in offices or factories that have them.
I like readin..."

I puff the font right up to 14 whenever I'm reading. And I use verdana for writing articles (apparently, it's the easiest one to read on a computer if your eyes are tired - seems to work). When I'm reading something and it's a struggle, it makes me feel old (and therefore irritated), so anything authors can do to avoid that problem is good! :-)

I push the font up for proof-reading. It helps, particularly when one uses that boring but best of methods, reading aloud each sentence from the end of the book forwards. And, though I hate to admit it, I am old!

Just as an FYI for anyone who may have an older audience who reads paperbacks: Createspace allows you to do a large print edition.

With a big increase in price.

Tony wrote: "With a big increase in price."
Unfortunately, when you increase the font size, it also creates more pages, which cost more. I've never printed a large print yet, so I don't know if the increase is proportionate or unreasonably higher.

I think I'll stick with size 11. George size 10 is just too small to me.