Book page count calculator: words to pages for every trim size

How it works

The estimate uses fixed figures for the words on a page, measured once with the studio's own typesetting on plain prose: 432 words a page at 6 × 9 in (and at 5.5 × 8.5 and 6.14 × 9.21 in), 408 at 5 × 8 in and 568 at 7 × 10 in.

Dialogue and short paragraphs fit about a quarter fewer words, so the range runs down to 324, 306 and 426 words a page. Both ends add 8 pages for the title, copyright and contents, and half a page per chapter, since each chapter starts on a new page. Without your number of chapters it assumes one every 3,500 words.

With the page count comes the spine width, the first number a cover designer needs.

A worked example

An 85,000-word novel prints at about 218 to 284 pages at 6 × 9 in, and about 230 to 298 pages at 5 × 8 in. At 284 pages on cream paper, its spine is 0.71 in.

Questions authors ask

How many words fit on a page?

This estimate uses 324 to 432 at 6 × 9 in, 306 to 408 at 5 × 8 in and 426 to 568 at 7 × 10 in, the lower figure for books with a lot of dialogue. Your type size and margins move them, so treat the result as a range.

Which trim size should I choose?

Most novels print at 5 × 8, 5.5 × 8.5 or 6 × 9 in. Up to 6.12 in wide and 9 in tall, a bigger trim means fewer pages and a lower printing cost. Anything wider or taller is a large trim, which KDP prints at a higher cost per page: $0.017 instead of $0.012 on Amazon.com.

Why does the page count matter?

It sets the printing cost, the lowest price you can charge, the spine width, and whether KDP can print text on the spine.

Sources

Checked on 17 October 2026 against KDP: Printing cost, KDP: Print options (trims and large trims). Stores change their rules: their own pages have the final word.