Word count to page count for a novel
Estimated interior pages for a novel with kdpbook’s default novel settings (11 pt EB Garamond, 1.3 line spacing), including 4 pages of front matter (title page, copyright, contents and a blank page so chapter 1 opens on a right-hand page) and 3 of back matter (about the author, acknowledgements, other books). Totals are rounded up to an even number, as KDP prints both sides of each sheet.
| Words | 5 × 8 in | 5.5 × 8.5 in | 6 × 9 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20,000 | 94 pages | 78 pages | 66 pages |
| 40,000 | 180 pages | 148 pages | 126 pages |
| 50,000 | 222 pages | 184 pages | 154 pages |
| 60,000 | 264 pages | 218 pages | 184 pages |
| 80,000 | 350 pages | 288 pages | 242 pages |
| 100,000 | 436 pages | 358 pages | 302 pages |
How the estimate works
Pages = words ÷ words per page, rounded up, plus front and back matter, rounded up to an even number. The words-per-page figure is the one kdpbook uses to size a book before it typesets an imported manuscript: about 285 words on a 5.5 × 8.5 in novel page at 11 pt, scaled by the text area of the trim you choose (the page minus typical margins) and by the square of the ratio between the type sizes.
| Trim | Words per page (11 pt) | 80,000 words |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | 285 | 288 pages |
| 5 × 8 in | 234 | 350 pages |
| 5.25 × 8 in | 249 | 330 pages |
| 5.06 × 7.81 in | 230 | 356 pages |
| 6 × 9 in | 341 | 242 pages |
| 6.14 × 9.21 in | 361 | 230 pages |
Other text books use their own settings. A non-fiction guide set at 6 × 9 in with 11 pt type holds about 300 words per page, so 60,000 words make about 208 pages. Pick the book type in the calculator to switch.
What makes a real book longer or shorter
- Type size. At 5.5 × 8.5 in, 80,000 words go from about 264 pages in 10.5 pt to 602 in 16 pt large print.
- Chapters. Each chapter starts on a new page, so a book with many short chapters ends up longer than one with a few long ones.
- Dialogue. Short lines of dialogue leave white space at the end of each line, so dialogue-heavy fiction fills more pages than dense prose.
- Margins. KDP’s minimum inside margin grows with the page count, which slightly shrinks the text area of long books. See margins and bleed.
- Images, tables and headings take room the word count doesn’t show.
Why the page count matters on KDP
The page count sets the spine width, the cover size and the printing cost. For the 80,000-word example at 6 × 9 in on cream paper: 242 pages, a 0.605 in spine and a printing cost of $3.90 on Amazon.com. KDP requires at least 79 pages for text on a paperback spine.
Next step: check the spine width, the printing cost and the royalty for your page count, or pick a size in the trim size guide.