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Novels & chapter books

Short story collection generator

Novellas and themed story collections.

A novella or short-story collection (20k–50k words): ideal for series starters, reader magnets and themed anthologies.

5 × 8 inBlack & white · cream paper144 pagesPaperbackKindle eBook
Make a novella & short storiesSee the KDP specs

Default book ≈ 805 credits · estimate shown before launch

Printed novella & short stories made with kdpbook.io, lying open on a desk
What’s inside

How a novella & short stories is laid out

A novella is 10 to 20 chapters. A collection is 5 to 15 stories of 2,000 to 7,000 words, each with an optional B&W title vignette. 11 pt on 5x8.

The default voice is mysterious: intrigue and clues. You can change the audience, tone and length in the Story step.

Pages
144
80–260 possible
Illustrations
–
text or code-generated pages
Words
35,000
15,000–50,000 typical
Credits
≈ 805
for the default book
KDP specs

The numbers KDP will check

These are the specs of the default novella & short stories, computed from our KDP rulebook: the same code that lays out your pages and sizes your cover. Change the trim, paper or page count and every number updates.

Paperback

Available ✓

5 × 8 in, black & white · cream paper, 144 pages by default.

Hardcover

With changes

Possible with a different trim or page count. Hardcover is only offered in 5.5 × 8.5, 6 × 9, 6.14 × 9.21, 7 × 10 and 8.25 × 11 in.

Kindle eBook

Available ✓

Reflowable EPUB: text adapts to the reader's screen and font size.

Default novella & short stories · paperback

Default trim
5 × 8 in
Ink & paper
Black & white · cream paper
Bleed
No
Interior page size
5 × 8 in
Pages (default)
144 · template 80–260
KDP page range
24–776 for this ink & trim
Minimum margins
0.375 in gutter · 0.25 in outside
Spine width
0.36 in at 144 pages
Full cover (wrap)
10.61 × 8.25 in
Printing cost (US)
$2.73 per copy
Minimum list price
$5.46
Expanded Distribution
Eligible

At a $8.99 list price, KDP pays about $1.77 per copy sold on Amazon.com. Check any price with the royalty calculator.

Recommended styles

Styles that suit a novella & short stories

All styles →
Who it’s for

Audiences

Teens (young adult) (13–18)AdultsSeniors (large print)

Fonts, type size, sentence length and vocabulary follow the audience you pick, and children’s books get the reading-age field for your KDP listing.

Publishing tips

Before you publish

  • Very short collections may not reach KDP's 75-page hardcover minimum; paperback and Kindle have no such issue.
  • Novellas work well as series starters and reader magnets for a longer series.
Step by step

How to make a novella & short stories for KDP

  1. 01

    Describe the book

    Write one sentence about your novella & short stories, or import your own manuscript.

  2. 02

    Choose the style

    Pick an illustration style, or describe your own.

  3. 03

    Confirm the KDP format

    Start from 5 × 8 in, black & white · cream paper, or change trim, paper and page count.

  4. 04

    Generate and edit

    Watch the pages build, then edit text, images and fonts with a live preview and a KDP preflight check.

  5. 05

    Export for KDP

    Download the interior PDF, the cover PDF, the Kindle EPUB and the listing sheet, then upload them to KDP.

Novella & short stories questions

What trim size is best for a novella & short stories on KDP?

kdpbook.io starts novella & short storiess at 5 × 8 in on black & white interior, cream paper. You can switch to 5.25 × 8 in, 5.5 × 8.5 in, 6 × 9 in; the layout and cover are recalculated for the new size.

How many pages should a novella & short stories have?

Our novella & short stories template runs 80–260 pages and defaults to 144. For this ink and trim, KDP accepts 24–776 pages. KDP counts every page, including front matter and blank pages, and rounds odd counts up to an even number.

How much does it cost to print a novella & short stories on KDP?

At the default 144 pages, 5 × 8 in, black & white · cream paper, KDP's printing cost on Amazon.com is $2.73 per paperback copy, so the lowest list price KDP allows is $5.46. At $8.99 you would earn about $1.77 per copy sold on Amazon.com. Printing costs change with the marketplace, trim and page count.

Can I publish a novella & short stories as a Kindle eBook?

Yes. Reflowable EPUB: text adapts to the reader's screen and font size. It is exported from the same project as the paperback and hardcover.

How many credits does a novella & short stories cost on kdpbook.io?

The default novella & short stories (144 pages, about 35,000 words) is estimated at 805 credits. You see the exact estimate before you launch, only what is produced is charged, and the rest of the hold goes back to your balance.

Is a novella & short stories a low-content book on KDP?

No. KDP's low-content category only covers notebooks, planners, journals with repeating pages and logbooks. A novella & short stories is published like any other book and can use the free KDP ISBN.

Do I have to tell Amazon the book was made with AI?

Yes. KDP asks every publisher to declare AI-generated text, images and translations when publishing. kdpbook.io books are AI-generated, and the export sheet lists what to declare for yours.

Related book types

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Read novels & chapter books other authors made with kdpbook, free in the 3D book player.

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Make it with kdpbook

Make your novella & short stories today.

Describe it in one sentence. kdpbook writes, illustrates and lays it out at 5 × 8 in, then gives you the interior, cover and listing for KDP.

Make a novella & short storiesSee pricing

600 free credits · no card required