How Many Words Per Page in a Book
If you are a newbie writer and writing your first book, you must be wondering about the book's length. How many words per page should you write? This question must have hit you. Well, you're not alone. Knowing the number of words per page is useful for all new authors.
But that's the problem. There is no correct answer to this question. The number of words in the book depends on several factors, such as the font size, margins, spacing, and sometimes the genre of the book. In this blog, we discover the right answer and break it down as if it makes sense. Let's get started.
Basic: Average Number Of Words Per Page
When it comes to estimating how many words can fit on a page, several factors come into play. However, as a general rule of thumb, a book should contain 250-300 words per page. This number provides a baseline. It varies depending on your formatting choices.
Standard Paperback Novel
A standard paperback novel contains 250-300 words per page on average. This is based on the 5 x 8 to 6 x 9 size with the 11-12 points, using serif fonts like Times New Roman or Garamond with single spacing. This formatting can provide a reasonable reading experience, fitting an average number of words per page.
Hardcover Books
The average word count of hardcover novels generally falls between 70,000 and 100,000 words, depending on the formatting choices and publisher expectations.
Hardcover books, specifically in the hard trade format (6 x 9 or larger), can have slightly fewer words per page, from 200 to 250 words, due to the larger margins, slightly bigger font size, and more spaced-out formatting. When you format your book in normal sizes, it may contain 250-300 words per page. This formatting style makes reading biographies, memoirs, and literary fiction easy.
Larger Print Books
Books for visually impaired people can be formatted in a bigger font size, usually 14-15, significantly reducing the number of words per page. For instance, a normal book that has 250-300 words per page generally will have 400-450 words per page in the larger print books.
Non-Fiction and Academic Books
Non-fiction books, especially in the genres of business writing, self-help, history, and more, contain 200-400 words on average. Compared to fiction, non-fiction books have higher numbers because of their denser text and structured formatting. The word count can also vary depending on the trim size, font size, and genre.
Scholars design academic books for in-depth study, prioritizing content over readability. Textbooks can contain 500-600 words per page with a two-column layout, minimal white spacing, and smaller fonts. Besides that, academic books also have citations and references, which can affect the word count without significantly increasing the number of pages.
Factors That Affect the Words Per Page
When you think of how many words on a page, you also need to remember that several factors can affect the number of words per page. Here are the factors that can increase or decrease the average word count of your book.
Font Style and Size
The spacing between the lines significantly impacts the line and, consequently, the words on the page. Books are usually spaced between 1 to 1.15 line spacing. If you use double space like in academic papers, the word count will drop to 125-150 per page.
Margins
Standard margins are 1 inch for all sides; leaving less space for content as compared to the narrow lines. Adjusting the margins can increase the average number of words per page. Writers usually prefer using the normal margin to maintain readability.
Paragraph Structure
Books with a lot of dialogue tend to have fewer words per page because each line of dialogue starts a new paragraph. Compared to this, dense novels or non-fiction have longer paragraphs, having more words on the page.
Trim Size
Trim size, the height, and the width of the book, directly impact the number of words on a page. The larger trim size means more space will be available for the text, allowing more text to be printed on the page and increasing the word count. Conversely, a smaller trim size means fewer words on the page and a smaller font size. A larger trim size with more words per page will result in fewer total pages for a given word count, while a smaller trim size will require more pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
One page may accommodate 250 words in Times New Roman, which has double space and a 12-point font type. About 500 words of text can fit on one page when single spacing is used.
About 80,000 to 100,000 words, or 250–300 words per page, make up the 400-page book.
Yes, self-publishing gives authors more formatting freedom. You can easily change the font and trim sizes, as well as the number of words on a page.
Yes, compared to Times New Roman, typefaces like Arial and Verdana are larger and require more space, therefore, there are fewer words on a page.
Because users can change the layout and font size, e-books don't have a set word count as conventional books do. Although the ebook's word count varies by device, it typically ranges from 200 to 300 words per screen.
Final Thoughts
How many words per page in a book? The answer to this question varies. However, all you need to remember are the estimates that we’ve given you above. Now, whether you’re a writer looking to find out about the right word count per page or just curious to know how many words are in a book, keep the estimates in mind given by the book publishing help.
