A word count does not give a page count on its own. The trim size, the type, the margins, the dialogue and the number of chapters all change it. So instead of a rule of thumb, here is one novel set at seven lengths and three trim sizes, with the pages counted.
Pages for a word count
| Words | 5 × 8 | 5.5 × 8.5 | 6 × 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40,000 | 162 | 148 | 144 |
| 50,000 | 202 | 184 | 180 |
| 60,000 | 244 | 218 | 214 |
| 70,000 | 286 | 256 | 248 |
| 80,000 | 328 | 292 | 282 |
| 90,000 | 372 | 330 | 318 |
| 100,000 | 410 | 364 | 350 |
These are the page counts KDP would see, with the front pages and the blank pages included. Another book comes out differently, for the reasons below.
How the test book was set
- The text. A novel in English with dialogue. About one paragraph in five is speech, and half the paragraphs have 33 words or fewer.
- Chapters. From 2,000 to 4,000 words, each opening on a right-hand page.
- Front pages. A half title, a title page and a copyright page. No contents page, and nothing at the back.
- Type. Torcul's Novel setting: EB Garamond at 11.5 points on 5 × 8 and 5.5 × 8.5, and 12 points on 6 × 9.
- Margins. At or above KDP's minimums for each page count.
Words on a page
| Trim size | A full page | The whole book |
|---|---|---|
| 5 × 8 | 284 (275 over 300 pages) | 242–248 |
| 5.5 × 8.5 | 318–319 | 270–275 |
| 6 × 9 | 327 | 278–286 |
A full page is a page of running text in the middle of a chapter. The figure is the median.
The whole-book figure divides the words by every page. That includes the chapter openings, which start lower down, and the short last page of each chapter. It also includes the blank pages and the front pages.
For a quick estimate, divide your word count by the whole-book figure for your trim size.
Why 6 × 9 holds only a little more than 5.5 × 8.5
A 6 × 9 page has about 15% more paper than a 5.5 × 8.5 page. In this test it held about 3% more words.
Torcul sets the type half a point larger on 6 × 9. A line holds about 70 characters on both pages: 69 on 5.5 × 8.5 and 70 on 6 × 9, measured. The larger page gets larger type, not more words. Other programs and other type sizes give other numbers.
What changes the count
- Dialogue and short paragraphs. Every paragraph ends with a line that is partly empty. The same novel was also set from its long paragraphs only. A full 6 × 9 page then held 353 words instead of 327, and 60,000 words came to 204 pages instead of 214.
- Chapters on a right-hand page. Torcul starts each chapter on a right-hand page unless you choose the next page. With 22 chapters, that cost 12 pages at 6 × 9 (214 against 202) and 10 at 5 × 8 (244 against 234).
- The inside margin. KDP's minimum inside margin grows with the page count: 0.5″ from 151 to 300 pages, and 0.625″ from 301 to 500. A 5 × 8 page has no room to spare, so its lines get shorter: a full page fell from 284 to 275 words once the book passed 300 pages. The two larger pages took the room from the outside margin instead.
- Front and back pages. A contents page, acknowledgements and an author page each add pages, and KDP counts blank pages too.
- The language. Words in the German and Turkish translations are longer on average than in the English. The same novel, translated and set at 6 × 9, came to 230 pages for 60,000 words in German and 270 in Turkish.
What the page count changes on KDP
The printing cost. On Amazon.com, a black-ink paperback of more than 110 pages on white or cream paper costs $1.00 plus $0.012 a page to print. That holds at all three of these trim sizes. So the same 60,000 words cost $0.36 more a copy at 5 × 8 (244 pages) than at 6 × 9 (214 pages).
The spine. Spine width is the page count times 0.002252″ on white paper, or 0.0025″ on cream. A book of 214 pages has a spine of 0.482″ on white and 0.535″ on cream. See cream, white or groundwood paper.
The limits. KDP prints black-ink paperbacks from 24 pages, up to 828 on white paper and 776 on cream. See KDP minimum page count and spine text.
The exact count for your book
A table can only estimate. The page count of your book is known once it is set. Torcul sets the whole book from your manuscript and shows the page count before you pay. The free spine calculator gives the spine width for any page count.
Sources
None of this guarantees that KDP will accept a file. KDP changes its help pages and its prices, so check the date on this one and on any report a tool gives you.