4.25x6.875 or 6x9?

I prefer the smaller size, my beta readers too, though I do have to reduce the font size from 12 to 11 (Garamond).

The reason they don't offer mass market is that they are usually made to not last as long. The quality of trade paper over mass market in terms of longevity of the book is usually higher with trade. I personally prefer 6x9 myself, but most mysteries and romance readers seem to prefer mass market. So, it also depends on your audience.

If you're going POD the price for your book is set by the page number.
A 6x9 will retail less than the smaller sizes.

How do I know? My first two books are 6x9 and sell for less than $16.
My third book is an 8x5 and sells for a whopping $18.95.

Each book is approximately the same word count.

Now clearly there will be give and take depending on how much of a royalty you chose from the POD menu but that will not impact the retail cost as much as page count.

POD isn't for everyone and writers often see their books priced out of the competition.

C

I chose 6x9 for my book. I agree with citymouse on the pricing aspect. I cut my price to less than what lulu suggested. I want to sell books, not hold out for the higher dollar. Making less money per copy sold isn't all that important to me. I want readers; as I'm sure we all do.

Tika Newman
The Eyes of Innocence

Through my first book I earned a readership that I value far above the check that I get.
C

Tika said:

I chose 6x9 for my book. I agree with citymouse on the pricing aspect. I cut my price to less than what lulu suggested. I want to sell books, not hold out for the higher dollar. Making less money per copy sold isn't all that important to me. I want readers; as I'm sure we all do.

Tika Newman
The Eyes of Innocence

Click to expand...

When reading a book, I prefer 6x9 myself.

The smaller size tends to be poorer quality, just because so many extra pages have to get packed into the spine. The spines always crack or break after the second or third reading, making them basicly little more than disposable books.

The 6x9 size has bigger pages (and often thicker paper) resulting in a spine that lasts longer and a book that can be read and reread several times, thus making them longer lasting for libraries. I prefer a book that I can keep for several years.

The other reason I prefer 6x9 is because the print-font size if often larger and easier to read, thus making reading the book a more enjoyable experiance.


As to LuLu.com, I haven't yet seen the finished result, as I'm still editing, but I'm going to have my book set to 8.5x11 because it is more of a children's picture book type of book. It has lots of pictures going in it. But I'm planning a second book for this summer on LuLu and that one I plan to do in 6x9.

I chose 6x9 on Lulu because with the smaller size, this meant more pages even with a reduced font size. You can't have the font too small - sometimes this is even a psychological barrier that puts people off reading your book. With more pages in the smaller size, this means it will cost more to manufacture. That ultimately means the sale price is going to go up. So 6x9 was the only practical option for me.

BOOK SIZES

My books tend to be 5.5 X 8.5. Readers have repeatedly told me they like this size book.