Choosing Your Book’s Trim Size

BookBaby publishing specialist Sierra Edwards discusses what a book’s trim size is and how to choose the one that’s right for your project.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

You’ve spent a lot of time writing, editing, and finalizing your manuscript. During that time you’ve probably imagined seeing your cover design, paging through your printed book, and sharing that book with everyone.

What does the actual book look like in those moments? Is it hardcover or paperback? What shape is it? What about the dimensions of the book? How big will the pages need to be to contain your epic story or show off your larger-than-life illustrations?

You’ve already had to make so many decisions about plot and characters — how do you figure out the best trim size for your book?

What is trim size?

The trim size is the actual size of the printed book you’re producing — the physical dimensions of the book. As a self-published author, the choice is ultimately up to you, but every genre comes with industry recommendations.

And to be more specific, the trim size is the size of a page within your printed book. If you want to check the trim size of a hardcover book, make sure to measure an interior page as the cover itself will be a little larger.

Generally, trim sizes can be narrowed down to two categories: portrait and landscape. Portraits are taller than they are wide, and landscape books are wider than they are tall. Measurements in the publishing industry are always given as width by height. For example, there’s a big difference between an 8.5 x 11” portrait trim size and an 11 x 8.5” landscape trim size. This distinction is important to keep in mind when selecting the dimensions for your project.

Trim size is not just about aesthetics; it also affects printing costs and the book’s usability. For instance, larger books, like coffee table books, may use more paper and have higher production costs. On the other hand, smaller books fit better on retail shelves and are easier to carry around.

Why does trim size matter?

You wouldn’t likely buy a large coffee table book-sized romance novel, or a small, pocketbook-sized photography book, right? The fact is, different genres have different sizes and different cover styles. Larger books use more paper, which increases costs but also allows for much more vivid and sharp imagery.

What’s more, retailers tend to like smaller, more accessible books to give themselves plenty of room when there’s limited space on store shelves. Cookbooks, on the other hand, need to be large enough and easy enough to read when you’re elbows-deep in batter.

That being said, conventional wisdom always prevails when it’s time to choose the trim size of your book. To help make it easy, we’ve divided them into genre-by-genre trim size recommendations.

Portrait trim sizes

Most fiction authors will want to choose between two standard trim sizes: Digest (five-and-a-half inches wide by eight-and-a-half inches tall) and US Trade (six by nine inches). These are the recommended trim sizes for fiction — including sci-fi, romance, and fantasy — as well as many nonfiction titles, including memoirs, business books, self-help, history, and faith-based works.

Generally, nonfiction and hardcover fiction are produced at the 6” x 9” Trade size, while paperback fiction is commonly at the slightly smaller Digest size. These two trim sizes have become fairly interchangeable, and your decision may come down to an aesthetic or financial choice.

If you’re a romance author with a 50,000-word manuscript, you might choose the Digest size, both as a nod to tradition and as a means of increasing page count; the smaller page size means fewer words per page, which translates to more pages and a heftier final product. Alternatively, you might opt for the Trade size to allow more white space on the page and provide a lighter, more relaxed reading experience. Fewer pages — since you’ll fit more words on each page — also means lower printing costs. Either is a great option.

Landscape and Square trim sizes

For authors publishing cookbooks, children’s books, and art and photography books, there are more options to choose from. In addition to the standard portrait options, you can choose from landscape and square options in a variety of sizes.

Children’s books and photo books, for example, may require larger or nontraditional shapes to accommodate illustrations and artwork. A large 12 x 9” Landscape size might showcase your visuals beautifully, but smaller sizes like 9 x 7” or an 8.5” Square book are more practical for print-on-demand distribution.
For children’s books, the 9 x 7” Landscape size is ideal, while cookbooks often use the 8.5” Square trim size for their bold visuals and recipes. Larger books, such as 11 x 8.5” editions, may work better for in-person sales or special editions.

Some authors even create multiple versions of their books. For instance, a children’s book might be produced in a smaller 9 x 7” size for online sales and a larger 11 x 8.5” version for book fairs or events.

You could even decide to produce your book in two different trim sizes. Some BookBaby authors create a nine-by-seven children’s book for POD distribution and an eleven-by-eight-and-a-half version to sell through Bookshop and at in-person events.

Genre-specific trim size recommendations

Different genres often have their own conventions when it comes to trim size. For instance:

• Fiction: General fiction novels are typically 5.5” x 8.5” or 6” x 9”. Mystery and thriller books may trend smaller, like 5” x 8” or 5.25” x 8.25”, while sci-fi and fantasy novels benefit from the extra space provided by the larger 6” x 9” size to accommodate detailed world-building.
• Nonfiction: Self-help and business books often align with the standard 6” x 9” size for easy readability and professional presentation. Memoirs can vary based on tone and target audience, with larger sizes creating a sense of sophistication.
• Children’s Books: Sizes like 9×7” or 8.5” square are common for picture books, while larger sizes might be used for special editions or art-heavy content.
• Cookbooks and Coffee Table Books: Larger sizes such as 8.5×11” or even 10×10” allow for vibrant photography and ample space for recipes or visuals.
• Graphic Novels: These often require larger dimensions, such as 6.625” x 10.25”, to fully showcase artwork and panels.

Your manuscript and your trim size

One final thought — you’re probably composing your manuscript in Microsoft Word or another word-processing program. The default page size in those programs is typically US Letter: eight-and-a-half by eleven. That is a great size for composition, regardless of your book’s final trim size.

Of course, that means the page count of your manuscript will not be the same as the page count of your six-by-nine-inch book. We have a handy chart on our website that gives a rough translation to page count based on your word count, but those details will emerge once you get to the interior formatting stage.

BookBaby will turn your manuscript into a beautiful book

The team at BookBaby is here to answer all your questions and help you choose the trim size and book format that will turn your manuscript into a beautiful book.

Email us at info@bookbaby.com or call 877-961-6878 and get started today!

See all our Indie Author Minute videos on the BookBaby YouTube channel.