Can anyone help me figure out how many pages would be in my book? There are 400 in word, but I don't know how to know how many there would be in an actually book so I can have the cover done for a printed book.
Number of pages
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You can download a CreateSpace template in the trim size your book will be printed in and then copy/paste your book into it to give you a general idea. Make the font Times New Roman, point size 12. You can Google CreateSpace interior templates and you'll get a list of those that are available for downloading.
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The way I get an approximate page count in Word is changing the page size from 8.5"x11" to 6"x9". Of course, if you aren't publishing a book around that size (it's a standard size), Word's approximations may be off if you try out other page sizes.
It all depends on how many words you've written, and how you format your book.
I'm moving this thread out of "covers" and into "self-publishing", where you'll probably get more help.
I'm moving this thread out of "covers" and into "self-publishing", where you'll probably get more help.
I sent you a PM about this, but for any lurkers out there I will repeat what Merri said - on the CreateSpace website you can download a formatted template for the trim size you wish to use. Just copy your document into it and then format it to look the way you want it to.
If you are using the create space cover creator, then it alters to fit your book.
My advice though would be to format the book first, and then do the cover.
If you are using the create space cover creator, then it alters to fit your book.
My advice though would be to format the book first, and then do the cover.
Got another question. I know you guys think this character must have came from a cave somewhere since I know so much about computers and such, but I copied, but it would not allow me to paste. What gives? Can anyone tell me what I did wrong?
Most 6" x 9" books, in my experience, use about 350 words per page. However, that isn't good enough. And all the other methods suggested, while they are good for an approximation, won't be accurate enough to create your final cover artwork.
To accurately calculate the spine width you need to know the exact number of pages in the book. At CreateSpace you can then multiply this by the thickness of one sheet, .0025" for their cream paper, for instance, to get the exact spine width.
This is important because the full cover wrap dimensions have to be correct and, at some printers, if you are off by a few thousandths of an inch they will either reject the file or "make it fit" which may not be the result you wanted.
Hope that helps.
To accurately calculate the spine width you need to know the exact number of pages in the book. At CreateSpace you can then multiply this by the thickness of one sheet, .0025" for their cream paper, for instance, to get the exact spine width.
This is important because the full cover wrap dimensions have to be correct and, at some printers, if you are off by a few thousandths of an inch they will either reject the file or "make it fit" which may not be the result you wanted.
Hope that helps.
What exactly are you doing?
Have you downloaded the template, opened it to word?
If so, open you book in another window, select all and copy. the go to the template and paste. It shoudl work.
If you are going it vai mouse and it's not working, then try copying using CTRL+C and then pasting using CTRL+V
As has been said, you won't know the 'EXACT' pages until it's formatted.
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You need to know the final trim size as that will make a difference in how many words fit on a page. Once you know that, you can do minimal formatting to figure out how many pages (download a template, drop the chapter titles 1/4 to 1/2 way down the page, and remember to count the copyright page, dedication, list of other books, and any blank pages that need to appear in the printed book).
Ok, I finally downloaded the template, but I couldn't figure out why some of the pages did not have a full page. I did not use tap, but first line hanging in the paragraph. Set zero for indentions and spacing. In the template came up with 437 pages, but that was with me trying to fill those pages. I don't figure this is exact. Could some one tell me why I am having those pages that aren't completely filled?
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You need to turn off the widow and orphan control - it sounds like Word is carrying whole paragraphs over, rather than break them up, which can leave huge weird looking gaps.
You can turn it off in the 'line and page breaks' tab in the paragraph settings.
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By fully formatting the book in the desired trim size, margins, font, spacing, and so on. There is no real substitute. I do that sort of thing as part of my business (not soliciting business here, BTW), and can change the page count radically by adjusting those parameters. A downloaded template is not sufficient for the purpose. It takes knowledge and experience.
--Ken
I have the margins set at 0.75 all around except the gutter, which is 0.13. When I downloaded the template the font came up as book antigua, so I changed my Time Roman to this. Was that wrong. Should I leave it as 12 Time Roman? Also, I went with the 5.5 X 8.5 instead of the 6X9. The 5.5x8.5 seems to be the most size for a paperback book that I see. Am I wrong? Thanks for your help.
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I just figure 220 words equals a novel page. It gives me a nice way to figure things out. So an 80,000 word document would equal 364 pages roughly.
100k words = 455 pages.
That's how I figure things up as I write. As far as layout, I use to change my margins to show 220 words per page, but after reading the smashwords guide I just keep writing in the style the suggest...saves me time later.
My eBooks come out looking really nice as a result. The only printed books I have are comic and graphic novels at this point, so not much help from me there (yet).
100k words = 455 pages.
That's how I figure things up as I write. As far as layout, I use to change my margins to show 220 words per page, but after reading the smashwords guide I just keep writing in the style the suggest...saves me time later.
My eBooks come out looking really nice as a result. The only printed books I have are comic and graphic novels at this point, so not much help from me there (yet).
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I prefer Times New Roman, but it is your preference as it's your book. There is no "wrong" when choosing a trim size, again, it's your preference. I like 5.25" X 8".
Have you finished the formatting, as was noted above, with the blank pages after your dedication and acknowledgments and dropped your chapter headings 1/4 to 1/2 way down the page? Added headers/footers to include your book title and name, as well as page numbers?
When you have it looking exactly as you want it to look. Then you will know your final page count.
Keep at it. You've almost got your answer!
There's no doubt that it's a skill, but in terms of a dowloaded template, the ones in question are createspaces own templates, they are pretty basic, but they are functional and easy to use, and for the author who has the time to spend on it, they can look great.
You can use whatever trim you like, and whatever font you like. Honestly. It's your book, and if you like the look of it then it's all good.
Ok, I went with Time Roman, which knocked off about 50-60 pages, which is good. It gave me 378 pages instead of 435 pages. That includes all pages. I like that better. So I'm telling the guy how many pages today. Hopefully I have done all this right. Again, thanks for all your help!
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I would add, "and who knows what he or she is doing." I find that very few I come in contact with do.
--Ken
1. Obtain an actual, real, physical book, of the format you aspire to publish in. These remain available in bookstores and libraries. Pay attention especially to font style and size. Do a bit of experimenting with portions of your manuscript, printing them at selected fonts until you can figure out what matches those in the book.
2. Count the number of words on a representative sample of pages, and multiply by the number of pages in the book. These are normally indicated by a numerical code at the top or bottom of each page.
3. Compare to the word-count of your manuscript.
caw
2. Count the number of words on a representative sample of pages, and multiply by the number of pages in the book. These are normally indicated by a numerical code at the top or bottom of each page.
3. Compare to the word-count of your manuscript.
caw
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True. Or they just can't be bothered to spend the time to learn and gain the skills they need.
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