what is MINIMUM word count for physical books?

by BJ Min

Posted: 16 years ago 17 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Hi,

i have 2 questions:

1) What is the MINIMUM or RECOMMENDED word count for NON FICTION physical books allowed on amazon?'

i know they say 24 pages is minimum pages but what does that mean in WORD COUNT?

2) What is the MOST COMMON non-fiction format?

there are TONS of book formats...6 x 9 , etc...what is the MOST popular one for a SHORT non-fiction book?

thanks
BJ

#books #count #minimum #physical #word

KenJ 16 years ago

I don't know about word count. They ask for a minimum of 25 pages last time I looked.
My 3 books on Amazon are over 100 pages long. I think 100 pages is a good minimum to work with if you want a good number of sales.

Kenj
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aandersen 16 years ago

If I'm going to pay for a physical book to be shipped to me I want a little substance.

If you only plan to give me 25 pages... those better be some damn impressive 25 pages!
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BJ Min 16 years ago

so how many WORDS are in your 100 pages?
and how many words are in 1 page?

that way, i think we can figure out what the minimum word count is.
thanks
bj
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- seobro 16 years ago
  
  OK so writersservices says for an academic hard cover it is an average of 500 words per page. Also that for a paper back it is 350 words per page. Thanks for the question and I hope you are like very happy with my answer.
  
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  BrianTubbs 16 years ago
  
  I have a similar question to BJ's, and one where word count is an issue. What's the recommended minimum length for a Kindle ebook?
  
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aandersen 16 years ago

EDIT : I see you modified the OP since I posted this

Why you gotta ask about WORDS and MINIMUMS like that (tone down the caps dude)?

With all due respect, don't you own any books? You could count the WORDS yourself, you know. You could also go over to amazon and use the search inside feature to look at books. You could also use Google Books to look at books.

When you do, you'll notice the font face, font size, and margins play a huge role in words per page. I would say between 300-700 is average.

You could also just look for yourself on amazon for their requirement instead of asking us (24 pages BTW)
https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/#content4

Therefore, if the MINIMUM word count is based on 24 pages, that could be anywhere, on average, from 7,200-26,800 WORDS depending on font, size, margins, images, etc...
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aandersen 16 years ago

I just checked a handful of book on my hard drive (electronic versions of printed books) and the page count is consistent to what I posted above. Between 300-700.

Although, I will say I have more around the 350ish area than the 700 area. You really do have to consider images though. These figures are just considering pages with text on them, but add in full-page, half-page, and quarter-page images every 10 pages or so, and it that really changes the game.
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BJ Min 16 years ago

ok ive been googling this for awhile...and from my quick research it seems like
200-250 words per page...

so 24 page minimum words would be 4800 words - 6000 words
but recommended physical non fiction books is around 20,000 words

fiction seems longer word count...around 50,000 words...
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aandersen 16 years ago

hmm... I don't think I have many books with less than 250 words per page... I feel confident telling you 350 is a more common average.

20,000 is reasonable.

I figure at 350 per page, that would be about a 58 page book if it were all text. Add in your copyright, TOC, blah blah, and something like 5-10 pages wroth of images, charts, margins, heading spacings, unfinished pages, etc... and you're looking at more around an 80 page book.

Which is much more reasonable to purchase than 24.
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BJ Min 16 years ago

What is the MOST COMMON non-fiction format?
there are TONS of book formats...6 x 9 , etc...what is the MOST popular one for a SHORT non-fiction book?
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jasonmorgan 16 years ago

Why not ask these questions over at amazon.com, they probably have an answer.

btw... what is the typical shoe size for midgets and how to I change the alternator on a 2005 VW Jetta... see where I'm going with this?

Last time I checked this was an internet marketing forum, not an amazon self publishing forum.
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rickfrazier1

16 years ago

Originally Posted by BJ Min

Hi,
2) What is the MOST COMMON non-fiction format?

there are TONS of book formats...6 x 9 , etc...what is the MOST popular one for a SHORT non-fiction book?

thanks
BJ

I would expect that to be what is commonly known as "trade paperback" which is about 5 1/3" x 8 1/2". (I've often wondered if it has anything to do with the fact it could fit two pages in a US standard 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper... Probably not, but you gotta wonder sometimes).

If you go to some of the print on demand and short run printers, you'll find pricing to "feature" this size for softcover books.

Of course, you didn't specify if you were talking hardbound or soft cover. Hardbound books have their own size ranges.

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darrenmonroe 16 years ago

Hey BJ I agree with KenJ

Now how that breaks down per page depends on how big your going to make the book.

For instant 5.5 x 5.25 document say in open office doc would be 100pages + vs. the same doc reset to 81/2x11 pages will be roughly 85.
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Jay B 16 years ago

Hi BJ,

As far as I know there is no "word count" minimum as it applies to publishing via CreateSpace. And you're right...it's a 24 page minimum. But boy...that's a skinny book.

When I am publishing for my clients I am shooting for about 100 pages, which turns out to be about 1/4 of an inch in thickness for a 6 x 9 book trim.

Hope this helps and keep on truckin,

Jay
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kindsvater 16 years ago

The minimum word count is zero.

Think of these books: The Wit and Wisdom of [insert your favorite President here].
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- Paul Myers 16 years ago
  
  The minimum word count is zero.
  
  Yep. I have a whole bunch of books that I purchased, some of them with hard covers and quite hefty in page count, which came to me in exactly that state. They've turned out to be among the most useful books in my collection.
  
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what is MINIMUM word count for physical books?

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