Predicting Your Book's Page Count

My book is 50,000 words. How many pages will that translate into?

This is one of my most frequently asked questions. In order to give a comprehensive answer, a number of variables need to be defined.

Common factors that need to be determined when calculating page count:

·       Text Point Size (11-point vs. 12-point)

·       Font Style (Garamond vs. Century Schoolbook vs. Times New Roman)

·       Line Spacing (also called Leading)

·       Chapter Pages (how far down the page does the text begin)

·       Page Layout and Design (more white space vs. less white space)

Determining all these variables may seem overwhelming, but do not be discouraged. There is still a way to predict the potential page count of your book that does not involve hiring a mathematician. Before taking on this project, might I suggest that you check out Dan Poynter’s, Self Publishing Manual? I would highly recommend this book to any self-publishing author. I have spent some time reading Poynter’s  manual and found the information was easy to follow and highly valuable.  For today’s blog, I will give the CliffsNotes version from a section of his book.

First and foremost, if it is not already set up this way, your book needs to be converted to a word processing document.  The next step is to adjust the document so the margins are proportionate to the amount of space you will have available when the book is professionally typeset.

At this point, I am sure you are asking yourself, “What measurements should I use when setting my margins?” Very good question.  In an effort to make your life easier, I have been experimenting with the margins in Microsoft Word and have created two templates.  

These templates are available here on our templates and downloads page.  

Please feel free to download either or both for your own personal use. When creating the templates, I chose the most common book sizes of 5.5"x8.5" and 6"x9". The only thing you need to do is download the file, open it, and insert your text into the document.

We have now come to the point in today’s lesson that I insert a disclaimer. My disclaimer is different than most in that it is NOT in small, italic, barely legible print. Mine is more like:

**** DISCLAIMER: ****

Beware! These templates are tools to assist you. They do NOT guarantee an exact page count!!!

It is important to remember that the variables listed above still apply when using these templates. For example, changing from 11-point Adobe Garamond to 12-point Century Schoolbook will create a significant change in the page count. Additionally, the design selected for the page layout will have a significant effect on the final count. At the same time, these templates are a great resource and should help you get a fairly accurate page count for starting out. Be generous in your estimation. For safety’s sake, plan on your page count growing by 20 pages or so from what you see in the template.

While this is not an exact science, by using a template, taking into consideration all the variables, and being generous with your page count you will likely protect yourself from an unpleasant surprise when the time comes to send your book to a professional typesetter.

GOOD LUCK!

ISBNs — Why Are They Important?

Would you like your book to be sold in stores?

You need an ISBN.

Would you like to market your book on Amazon and increase sales by participating in the “Look Inside the Book” program?

You need an ISBN.

Would you like to have your book available for searching, marketing and sales on the Google Books website?

You need an ISBN.

Do you want to increase your chances of book buyers and distributers purchasing your book?

You need an ISBN.

Do you absolutely HAVE to have an ISBN to PRINT your book?

Nope. You don’t need an ISBN to PRINT the book. But you do to SELL the book. Will you be missing out on some huge marketing and sales opportunities if you choose NOT to get an ISBN? Yep.

So, exactly what IS an ISBN?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. This is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies a particular book, or book-type product, such as an ebook.

And why do YOU need one?

Well, if the question and answers above weren’t enough to convince you to purchase one, hopefully this technical jargon will…

Assigning an ISBN to your book gives it a unique identification code that directs anybody (book sellers, distributers, universities, etc.) to an exact edition of your book. It is like a tracking number used to exclusively reference your product.

Let’s say you publish your book, ingeniously titled “My Fabulous Book” as a hardcover version, paperback version, and as an ebook. You will need three separate ISBN assigned to each separate entity of “My Fabulous Book.” That way, when a person places an order using the unique and specific ISBN for the hardcover edition, they know that they will the HARDCOPY version of “My Fabulous Book,” and not the softcover version. Or, they won’t get the hardcopy version of a book with a similar title, like Joe-Schmoe's latest release: “My Sort-of Fabulous Book.”

So, what is the easiest way for you to get an ISBN?

Check out this website: https://www.myidentifiers.com/index.php?ci_id=1479

Here you can purchase one or more ISBNs instantly! Remember, you can go through ISBNs quickly. If you plan on writing more than one title, or if you plan on publishing your book in more than one format, you’ll need to purchase a group of numbers. The bonus is that the more numbers you purchase, the cheaper the price per number.

And once you have your ISBN, be sure to place it on the copyright page of your book, and pass it along to your layout designer.

And now that you have ISBNs taken care of… you can get back to the more important task… marketing and selling your book! Happy writing!