Choosing from among standard book trim sizes for a book means making sure the book size is appropriate for its genre while staying comfortable to read and reasonably priced. Choose incorrectly, and you could end up paying more per copy while struggling to set a retail price that makes your book stand out on digital and retail shelves. At worst, you may even have to redesign the whole interior of the book before it goes to press.
Use this guide to learn how to choose between standard book trim sizes according to your specific needs, no matter what genre you're writing.
What is book trim size?
A book's trim size is the width and height of its final pages once the printer has cut them to their precise dimensions. Trim size measurement is written as width by height, so a 6" x 9" book is six inches wide and nine inches tall.
Keep in mind that trim size refers to the size of the finished interior pages of the book, not the dimensions of the file before factoring in things like bleed and other production allowances. Trim size also doesn't include the thickness of the spine.
BookBaby offers 13 standard US trim sizes including common formats for novels, memoirs, children's books, photography books, cookbooks, manuals and more. Choosing an already-established size for your book makes it easier to format the interior, create a stylish book cover template, and prepare your book for professional printing and distribution.
How trim size affects printing costs
Printing costs for your self published book depends on several different factors working together.
Larger pages use more paper
A larger trim size uses more paper per page. For example, a 100-page 8" x 10" book contains considerably more surface area than a 100-page Pocket Book. Add in features like color interiors, heavy or premium paper, and hardcover binding, and the cost increases. Larger formats require fewer pages, but page count also needs to be considered as part of the overall production price.
Smaller trim sizes can increase page count
Many self published authors try to save money by shrinking the font size or margins of their books to avoid higher costs, but reducing font sizes and margins too much can cause readability problems. We recommend estimating your page count early on in the quote process when choosing your trim size to avoid surprises later on when your book goes to print.
Page count affects spine and binding
More pages require a thicker spine and higher material usage. Paper type also affects the thickness of your book. In some cases, choosing a larger trim size can reduce your page count enough to make the book more manageable and avoid exceeding production limits.
Trim size affects the cover
Changing trim size also changes the entire cover layout, including the spine width and bleed requirements. If the interior size of your book changes later on in the process, the cover often needs to be completely redesigned. This may also increase design costs, so keep this in mind when choosing from among standard book trim sizes.
Size affects shipping and handling
Although not directly related to printing costs, larger, heavier books cost more to ship and store. If you're ordering books in bulk for events, bookstores or fulfillment, you'll want to keep shipping and handling costs in mind.
Trim size affects retail pricing
Printing cost directly influences the retail price needed to keep your profit margins intact. Premium formats like art and photography books or cookbooks can command higher prices, while short paperbacks may not. With that in mind, trim size may very well affect how your book is positioned in the market, and not just how it reads or how portable it is.
Are larger book trim sizes always more expensive?
Larger book trim sizes aren't necessarily more expensive. The actual cost of printing your book depends on a number of factors, including:
- Trim size
- Page count
- Color versus black and white printing
- Paper stock
- Binding type
- Order quantity
The only reliable way to compare standard book trim sizes and prices is to get a free quote and use different configurations to see how trim size and other factors affect the cost of your book. Fortunately, BookBaby offers a free Publishing Cost Calculator that includes trim sizes as one of several factors.
This page also explains more about how trim size affects everything from printing costs to royalties, and is worth reading if you're trying to decide on the ideal trim size for your book. You should choose your trim size before you begin formatting your book or handling the interior design, as changing it later can affect more than just the spine width or cover design. It may also impact the overall page layout and breaks, the placement of images and how your chapters are structured.
Save yourself the surprise of hidden costs or extra fees. Try BookBaby's free Publishing Cost Calculator and see how changes to your book's size affect everything from shipping to retail pricing, so you can settle on a size that fits your budget, your genre, and your reader's expectations.