How many pages will my book have?
The same 80,000-word novel can be 230 pages or 390 pages depending on trim size, font and spacing. This book page count calculator estimates your printed page count from your word count and design choices, then shows what that means for spine width, KDP printing cost, minimum list price, reading time and audiobook length.
Words per page — rough guide
| Trim size | Words per page (11 pt) | 80,000 words ≈ |
|---|---|---|
| 5 × 8 in | ~240–260 | ~330 pages |
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | ~260–290 | ~300 pages |
| 6 × 9 in | ~300–330 | ~270 pages |
Dialogue-heavy fiction has fewer words per page; dense nonfiction more.
What changes your page count
- Trim size — the biggest factor.
- Font and size — Garamond fits more words than Georgia; 12 pt adds about 20% more pages than 11 pt.
- Line spacing and margins.
- Chapters — each chapter starts on a new page; starting every chapter on a right-hand page adds blank pages.
- Front and back matter — title, copyright, contents, acknowledgments, about the author.
Why page count matters
Page count sets your printing cost (KDP charges per page above 110 pages), your spine width and cover size, your minimum price, and whether your book looks the right thickness for its genre. KDP paperbacks need 24–828 pages.
Have your manuscript? Count the words with the manuscript checker. Next: spine width, book cover size and book pricing calculators.
What changes your page count most
| Setting | Effect on pages |
|---|---|
| Trim size | The biggest effect. 50,000 words is about 242 pages at 5 × 8 in but about 176 at 6 × 9 in (11 pt Garamond). |
| Font size and font | 12 pt instead of 11 pt adds about 20% more pages (80,000 words: 270 → 326 pages at 6 × 9 in); wide fonts add more than narrow ones. |
| Line spacing | 1.25 instead of 1.15 adds about 8% (270 → 292 pages); 1.5 adds about a third. |
| Type of book | Dialogue-heavy novels and children’s books have more white space than long nonfiction paragraphs. |
| Chapters | Each chapter starts on a new page; “start on a right-hand page” can add a blank page per chapter. |
| Front and back matter | Title, copyright, contents, about the author — usually 6–15 pages. |
Everything you get from one estimate
- Printed pages and words per page.
- Spine width for your paper type, and whether spine text is allowed.
- KDP print cost and the minimum list price for your marketplace.
- Reading time and approximate audiobook length.
Example: 80,000-word novel
In 6 × 9 in with the default settings the book is about 270 pages. Change the trim to 5 × 8 in and it grows to about 388 pages — which moves it into a bigger gutter-margin band and raises the print cost. A slightly larger trim can make a long book cheaper to print.
Tips
- Estimate early, before you design the cover — spine width depends on the final page count.
- Run the estimate again after editing; cutting 5,000 words can remove 15–20 pages.
- Set your margins next with the book margin calculator.
More examples in our guide: word count to pages.