In an earlier post, we looked at the print-on-demand (POD) publishers and the reason I chose to go with CreateSpace. That settled, my next decision was to select the “trim size” for the book.
The term “trim size” simply refers to the industry term for a book’s dimensions such as the height and width (and depth).
Somewhere along the self-publishing route, you willhave to decide on your book’s size. Choosing the trim size can depend on a few factors such as the genre, number of pages, the format, book interior (black and white versus full-color), and distribution choice. There are lots of trim size options. CreateSpace alone has about 15 different trim sizes: https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/InteriorPDF.jsp
I divided the trim sizes into two categories by their size and how they are commonly used.
A. Smaller Trim Sizes: – this category contains mass-market paperbacks, trade paperbacks, fiction and non-narrative fiction, chapter books and the like. The most popular trim sizes in this category are:
· 5×8
· 5.25×8
· 5.5×8.5
· 6×9
For my chapter book for 8-10 year-olds, I selected a 5×8 trim size. My search in Amazon for books of this genre, yielded books with a trim size of 5×7, but I selected 5×8 since it is among the most popular trim sizes in CreateSpace as well as NOOK press. In addition, this trim size is one of the recommended trim sizes for extended distribution.
For my women’s fiction and romance novels, I will probably go with the 6×9 format and cream colored pages to allow for 1) wider distribution such as book stores and online retailers, 2) can fit more words on page and 3) be more cost-effective to produce.
B. Bigger Trim Sizes: – this category includes non-fiction books such as cookbooks, how-to books, technical/electronic/architectural manuals, graphic novels, and picture books, requiring larger pages for full-color picture and diagram displays. The trim sizes in this category are:
· 7×10
· 8×10
· 8.5×11
With that said, keep in mind that the choice of trim size is entirely up to you and while I’ve separated them as I have in A and B, you can do a full-color picture book or travel book in 6×9 trim size or a non-narrative fiction in 7×10 or 8×10.
C. Extended Distribution: – If your book production is solely for your personal purpose to share with family and friends, then you can basically choose whatever trim size you want whether it is industry standard or not. If however, you’re expecting your book to be widely distributed worldwide and in bookstores, then you should choose trim sizes that are industry standard. Click this link for a list of trim sizes that meet industry standards for black and white books as well as full-color books. https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/#content4.
To help you in deciding what trim size to use, check the online bookstores for books within your genre and scroll down to the “product detail” section to see the dimensions of the books. Have a book that you want your own book to mirror, measure it and see if the trim size is within industry standards and go from there.
You can also download any of the CreateSpace templates and copy and paste your manuscript into the template to get an idea of the number of pages and how it will look in the end. Remember to put placeholders for images and keep in mind that formatting the interior, font-style, and font-size all impact the total number of pages and end result.
You can also download any of the CreateSpace templates and copy and paste your manuscript into the template to get an idea of the number of pages and how it will look in the end. Remember to put placeholders for images and keep in mind that formatting the interior, font-style, and font-size all impact the total number of pages and end result.
Stay Blessed,
~Arama Christiana
