Why Authors Should Use a Book Publishing Cost Calculator Before Choosing a Trim Size

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Let’s say you’re exploring BookBaby.com and you’re asked to choose the trim size of your book. Sounds like a harmless decision, doesn’t it? Actually, this is one choice can affect everything from page count to royalties, reader experience to retail price. A 6” x 9” paperback, a square children’s book, and a large-format art book don’t just look different — they also have different costs to produce.

That’s why our team at BookBaby strongly recommends using a book publishing cost calculator before you decide on your book’s trim size. Our online pricing tool lets you build a quote quickly, based on a number of choices you’ll need to make before your book goes into print production, such as:

• Project type
• Book genre
• Quantity of books
• Page count
• Trim size
• Binding
• Paper stock
• Cover finish

“Trim size” sounds like it’s just a simple, isolated design decision, but it’s actually part of the science behind the production of your book. In this quick guide, we’ll go into more detail into what it actually involves, what it affects, how much it can cost, and more.

What is trim size?

Trim size is the physical size of your printed book. Specifically, it’s the dimensions of the interior pages after your book is printed and trimmed. Trim sizes are measured by width and height. You might be surprised to learn that trim size affects how the book actually feels when a reader holds it. A small softcover book feels portable and familiar. A 6” x 9” trade paperback feels professional, while a large landscape book may be ideal for photography, art, or illustrated work.

Generally speaking, you’ll see common fiction and nonfiction trim sizes noted as “trade” or “digest.” Children’s books, on the other hand, often use “letter,” “square,” or “landscape” formats. These particular sizes have to do with what readers of the genre expect. You wouldn’t publish a business book in a square children’s book format any more than you’d squeeze illustrations from a children’s book into a tiny paperback.

It’s important to note that a trim size affects more than just the layout and format of your book. It can also affect everything from printing to page count. Let’s dive deeper.

Your trim size can change your printing costs

One of the biggest reasons why authors should use a book publishing cost calculator is that larger trim sizes usually cost more to print. BookBaby’s free online printing guide explains that the per-copy price you’ll pay for your books depends on binding, trim size, paper choice, and page count, as well as whether it’s a hardback or a larger trim size.

A book publishing cost calculator helps you see the financial costs before you commit to a specific choice. It also forces you to be intentional about the decisions you make throughout the process. Does your book need premium paper stock or hardcover binding? Should it include full-color printing? These choices aren’t necessarily wrong, and they certainly add a premium touch to any book, but they also add to the overall price tag, which is something you’ll want to be aware of as you make your selections.

The trim size affects your page count

A trim size also affects how many pages your book will have. A smaller trim size means fewer words will fit on each page, which increases your total page count. A larger trim size may fit more text per page, but it also raises production costs, since this type of book uses larger sheets and different manufacturing specifications. Our free pricing resources can help you select recommended word counts for various page lengths and trim sizes to make your choices even easier.

The last thing you want to do is make the trim size choice after your book has been formatted. This is because the trim size has a ripple effect on other aspects of your book, from its interior layout to the page count, which in turn affects the printing cost, which in turn affects the minimum viable retail price, which affects royalties and reader expectations alike. It’s all connected, like a small publishing ecosystem.

A trim size can influence your book’s retail price

Pricing is where your trim size becomes particularly important. A high-quality art book, cookbook, workbook, or photography coffee table book can often justify a higher selling price, as readers expect these kinds of books to cost more. But a paperback that’s priced too high because of a poor choice of trim size might struggle more in the market.

Having a book publishing cost calculator helps you answer questions like:

• What will this book cost to produce?
• Which retail price makes the most sense?
• Will readers accept that price for this genre?
• How much in royalties will I earn per sale?
• Would a different trim size improve my profit margins?
• Is the larger format worth the higher printing cost?

If you’re setting up Print On Demand distribution through BookBaby, you can use our free royalty calculator to see the minimum allowable retail price and royalty amounts for sales through both Amazon and the BookBaby Bookshop.

Conclusion

This article has explained why authors should use a book publishing cost calculator before selecting a trim size for their book. A trim size affects the printing costs, page count, layout, retail pricing, royalties, and overall reader experience. Larger formats typically cost more to print, while smaller formats can increase page counts and production costs in other ways. Using a cost calculator helps authors compare options, estimate royalties, and make informed publishing decisions before committing to a specific book format.

As you can see, a trim size isn’t merely a design detail. Before you choose a format, we recommend using a book publishing cost calculator to compare trim sizes, estimate printing costs, and forecast your potential royalties. At BookBaby, our helpful tools and publishing resources make it easier to see how all of these things affect the final cost of producing a book. Start your self-publishing journey today at BookBaby.com.