For authors, designers & indie publishers
Everything you need to turn a manuscript into a real book.
Trim sizes, paper sizes, spine widths, cover templates, ISBN tools, fonts and a directory of publishers, awards and literary magazines — 8,800+ reference pages built from open data and careful book math.
Today · October 29
What's new →On this day
- David Farr (theatre director)born 1969
- Gerald Morrisborn 1963
- David Remnickborn 1958
- Don Simpsonborn 1943
Trending on Open Library
- Atomic Habits James Clear
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad Robert T. Kiyosaki
- The 48 Laws of Power Robert Greene
- How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie
- Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill
New public-domain books
- The crew of the Dolphin
- Less than a bird
- "Blue for your eyes and brown for your hair"
- Double take
- Collected papers, Volume I
Poem of the day
Oh! could I hope the wise and pure in heart
Might hear my song without a frown, nor deem
My voice unworthy of the theme it tries,--
I would take up the hymn to Death, and say
…
Term of the day · Printing & prepress
The finished size of a book's pages after the printed sheets are cut, such as 6 x 9 in. It is always quoted width first, then height.
Free calculators
All tools →
Spine & cover
Calculate paperback spine width and full-wrap cover dimensions for any trim size, page count and…
Words → pages
Estimate how many printed pages your manuscript will be at any trim size and font size, plus spine…
ISBN converter
Convert ISBN-10 to ISBN-13 and back, validate check digits and hyphenate any ISBN correctly using…
ISBN barcode
Create a print-ready Bookland EAN-13 barcode for your ISBN with an optional 5-digit price add-on…
Paper size converter
Convert paper and page sizes between millimetres, centimetres, inches, points and pixels at any…
GSM ↔ lb
Convert paper weight between g/m² and US basis weights — bond, text (book), cover, index and…
Image DPI
Check whether an image is sharp enough to print: maximum print size at 300 dpi, pixels needed for…
Booklet imposition
Get the page order for printing a saddle-stitched booklet or zine on a home or office printer…
Explore the reference
35 pages
Trim sizes
Every paperback and hardcover size with margins, page counts and platform availability.
871 pages
Spine width & covers
Cover dimensions for 12 trims and 66 page counts, with templates.
357 pages
Word count to pages
How long your manuscript will be in print, at any trim and font size.
285 pages
Paper sizes
ISO, US, JIS, envelopes, photo, poster and historic sizes in every unit.
1,571 pages
Free fonts for books
Open-source fonts with book-page specimens and pairing ideas.
1,266 pages
Publishers
Publishing houses, university presses and imprints worldwide.
757 pages
Literary awards
Book prizes with organisers, prize money and recent winners.
292 pages
Literary magazines
Journals and reviews for short fiction, poetry and essays.
790 pages
Public-domain classics
Word counts and print-length estimates for the most-read free books.
298 pages
ISBN groups
Every ISBN registration group and its publisher ranges.
49 pages
Book anatomy & binding
Front matter order, binding methods and how they compare.
20 pages
Imposition & signatures
Folding schemes and booklet page orders with diagrams.
72 pages
Paper weight & stocks
GSM and pound conversions, thickness and paper types.
59 pages
Genres & book length
Expected word counts and trims for every major category.
172 pages
Glossary
Printing, binding, typography and publishing terms explained.
414 pages
Classic typefaces
Garamond, Baskerville, Caslon and the history of type.
367 pages
On this day
Writers born and died, and literary events, for every date.
Updated daily
Trending today
The books readers are looking for right now on Open Library.
427 pages
Public-domain poems
Full texts of classic poems with forms and typesetting notes.
255 pages
Free audiobooks
LibriVox recordings with running times and print lengths.
124 pages
Nobel laureates
Every Nobel Prize in Literature with the official motivation.
145 pages
New books
This year's novels and nonfiction with Wikipedia articles.
41 pages
Popular books
Page counts and reading times of books readers track now.
140 pages
Free cover art
Public-domain paintings (CC0) for book covers.
Popular trim sizes
All trim sizes →
6 x 9 in US Trade
6 x 9 inNonfiction, Fiction, Memoir
5.5 x 8.5 in Digest
5.5 x 8.5 inFiction, Nonfiction, Memoir
5 x 8 in
5 x 8 inNovels, Novellas, Poetry
8.5 x 11 in Letter
8.5 x 11 inWorkbooks, Manuals, Coloring books
Royal (6.14 x 9.21 in)
6.14 x 9.21 inNonfiction, Hardcovers, Academic
8.5 x 8.5 in Square
8.5 x 8.5 inPicture books, Coloring books, Photography
Guides
All guides →- How to Choose a Book Trim SizeA practical decision guide to picking the right trim size for your paperback or hardcover — by genre, page cou
- Book Spine Width Explained (with Formulas)How spine width is calculated for paperbacks and hardcovers, why paper choice changes it, and how to design a
- Bleed, Trim and Safe Zones: Print Files Done RightWhat bleed, trim and safe zones are, how much bleed printers need, and how to set up interior and cover files
- Paper Weight Explained: GSM vs PoundsWhy 20 lb bond and 50 lb text are nearly the same paper, how to convert GSM to pounds, and which paper weights
- ISBN Guide for Self-PublishersWhat an ISBN is, when you need one, how many to buy, free vs purchased ISBNs, barcodes and how ISBNs connect t
- Front Matter and Back Matter: The Complete OrderThe standard order of a book's front matter and back matter — what each page is for, which side it goes on, ho
- Book Interior Typography: Fonts, Size, Leading and MarginsPractical typesetting rules for book interiors — choosing a body font, type size and leading, line length, mar
Directory highlights
About this site
Leaf & Spine is an independent, free reference for people who make books. The numbers come from published printer specifications and transparent formulas — see how we calculate — and the directories are compiled from open data sources credited on every page.