JenJoyful

okay. so a silly question.

if you want to guesstimate how many pages your book would be if it were printed in standard paperback, what formatting do you use in Microsoft Word? I know that submitted manuscripts are meant to be Courier New 12 pt and double spaced. Does that translate approx. to what it would be when printed?

I know all that really matters is word count, with a standard novel being around 80,000 words (i'm still hovering at 30,000 grr.) but I'm curious

HisNibs

No matter how you format the MS, you can't estimate the number of printed pages. Why? Because the latter depends on the format of the book: size of pages, font, font size, leading, character spacing, etc. These variables can drastically change the page count of the printed book.

AdamR

What I do to get realativly close is pull an average sized paperback book off of the shelf. I then measure the height and width of the pages. I then measure the margins. I go to File > Page Setup in MS Word and imput these values. Make sure your text size and font is approximately the same as that published book in your hand.

It won't be 100%, but it's a good guide.

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JenJoyful

Thank you!!

Anonymous

The publishing industry standard is 250 words per page. So when people talk of an 80,000 word novel they mean a 320 page novel.

So shoot to avg. 250 words on the page. With a 12 pt. courier new font--the only other font publishers like to see is Times New Roman--and roughly one inch margins all around you should come pretty close.