Custom Book Cover styles
BookBaby offers both hardcover and softcover book options. There is a 24-page count minimum for our hard case bindings. Custom hardcover books can also be covered with a dust jacket, a removable paper cover used to protect a book from dirt or damage. Both our hardcover and softcover books come in all standard book sizes.
Softcover books
Softcovers are flexible book covers printed on 10pt cover stock with glued bindings.
Hardcover books
Hardcovers are protective rigid book covers with glued bindings.
Hardcover books with jackets
Jackets are printed on 80lb Enamel stock with gloss lamination.
Standard Trim Sizes
Deciding which trim size will best suit your book can be confusing, especially given all the industry-standard but completely unhelpful book trim size names, like "US Trade" and "Digest." We've put together our genre recommendations, based on industry standards, to help you choose a book trim size that makes it clear to the reader what they're buying. Here are our most popular standard book sizes.
4.25" x 6.87"
Pocket book
more info
5.5" x 8.5"
Digest
more info
6" x 9"
US trade
more info
7.5" x 7.5"
Small square
more info
8.5" x 8.5"
Square
more info
10" x 10"
Large Square
more info
9" x 7"
Landscape
more info
11" x 8.5"
Landscape
more info
12" x 9"
Landscape
more info
6.625" x 10.25"
Comic book
more info
8.5" x 11"
US letter
more info
8" x 10"
Portrait
more info
9" x 12"
Large Portrait
more info
Custom Book Binding Options
Whether you want a flexible perfect bound paperback or a sturdy hardcover, we offer custom book binding options that give your book the look and feel you want. Not sure which binding style is right for your book? Each binding style is explained in detail below.
Perfect binding
more info
Adhesive case wrap
more info
Adhesive case wrap and Dust jacket
more info
Custom Book Cover Finishes
Grab your reader's attention with a professionally designed book cover finished with a soft matte or polished gloss.
Gloss film lamination
more info
Matte finish
more info
Interior Book Text Print Type & Image Printing
Make sure the inside of your books look as good as you write with fully colorized image printing and custom interior book text print.
Black & White interior text & image printing
more info
Full color interior text & image printing
more info
Book Interior Text Paper Stock Options
Your pages should look as good as the words written on them. The art of choosing the right paper stock is tricky, but it will ultimately define the feel and quality of your book, depending on your budget and production time. Uncoated paper stock has a rough, natural feel to it and is recommended for more traditional books without imagery. Coated paper stock reflects more light and has a slicker feel. It’s a popular choice for photography, art, comic and children’s books.
500 PPI, 92 Opacity, SFI Certified
Uncoated & Off-white
Best for lengthy novels and books without imagery.
420 PPI, 94 Opacity, SFI Certified
Uncoated & Off-white
Best for lengthy novels,
prose and non-fiction.
500 PPI, 93 Opacity, SFI Certified
Uncoated & White
Best for lengthy novels and extended text.
556 PPI, 95 Opacity, SFI Certified
Heaviest & White
Best for photos and full color printing books.
Word Count
Our recommended word count for the most popular styles of books.
| Word Count |
POCKET BOOK pages |
DIGEST pages |
TRADE pages |
| 10,000 |
30-75 |
25-50 |
25-50 |
| 20,000 |
75-100 |
50-100 |
50-100 |
| 30,000 |
100-150 |
75-150 |
75-150 |
| 50,000 |
200-300 |
150-250 |
150-250 |
| 70,000 |
250-375 |
250-350 |
200-300 |
| 100,000 |
400-500 |
350-450 |
300-400 |
| 150,000 |
550-650 |
450-575 |
400-500 |
| 200,000 |
700-800 |
600-700 |
550-650 |
| 225,000 |
N/A |
700-800 |
650-750 |
| 250,000 |
N/A |
N/A |
700-800 |
Based on 11pt font (9pt for Pocket size), 1.5 line spacing, no images.