Type your manuscript’s word count, pick a trim size and type setting, and see how many pages your printed book will run to — then price exactly that book in one click. Estimates use the same typesetting assumptions we work to every day in Exeter.
A professionally typeset book carries far more words per page than a double-spaced manuscript — which is why a 300-page Word document does not make a 300-page book. At a standard 11pt setting with normal margins and leading, typical words-per-page by trim size:
| Trim size | Dimensions | Words per page (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| B-format | 198 × 129mm | 295–345 |
| A5 | 210 × 148mm | 320–380 |
| Royal | 234 × 156mm | 385–455 |
| B5 | 250 × 176mm | 440–520 |
| A4 | 297 × 210mm | 600–700 |
Type size moves these numbers a long way: a compact 10.5pt setting fits about 15% more words per page, a comfortable 12pt about 15% fewer, and large print (14pt+) roughly a third fewer. Not sure which trim suits your book? Our guide to UK book sizes walks through the conventions genre by genre.
As a standard A5 paperback at 11pt, 50,000 words typesets to roughly 142–164 pages including typical prelims — plan around 154 pages. That’s novella-to-short-novel territory: a slim, elegant book with a spine around 8mm.
As a standard A5 paperback at 11pt, 80,000 words typesets to roughly 220–258 pages including prelims — plan around 240 pages. This is the classic full-length novel: comfortable in the hand, around a 13mm spine on 80gsm bookwove.
As a standard A5 paperback at 11pt, 100,000 words typesets to roughly 274–320 pages including prelims — plan around 298 pages. Books this length are routine work for us — we print and bind well beyond it — though a heavier manuscript is worth a thought about paper: a lighter stock keeps the spine and the postage sensible.
Commonly cited ranges, if you’re still writing and wondering where to aim: most adult fiction lands between 70,000 and 100,000 words — crime and thrillers toward 70–90k, literary fiction 80–100k, fantasy and science fiction often 90–120k, romance and young adult 50–80k, memoir 60–90k. None of these are rules; they’re what readers and retailers are used to holding. If you’re self-publishing, our complete guide to UK self-publishing covers the whole journey from manuscript to printed book.
The calculator divides your word count by a typical typeset words-per-page for the chosen trim and type size, applies an honesty band of ±8% (prose density, chapter breaks and section spacing all move the figure), adds 8 pages for prelims if selected, and rounds to an even number — because books print in two-page leaves. Your real extent is set by your typesetting; once your files are final, the page count is whatever your PDF says it is. For cover artwork you’ll also want the spine width calculator, and our guide to formatting a book in Word if you’re typesetting it yourself.
Our calculator prices your exact spec — size, pages, paper, binding, quantity — in seconds. From 10 copies, free physical proof on every order.