question about word/page count

[Quillwitch]

So, I downloaded a book in pdf format and it´s 181 pgs long. You know, one of those free share things...anyway, the original version of the book is 300 pgs long, according to Amazon. Question: Is this what normally happens? If I´m looking to write a 300 pg book, my manuscript should be about 200pgs?

 

[Robinne Weiss]

No idea. I go by word count. My mid-60,000-word novels end up being about 250 pages in a 6 x 9-inch paperback. Don't know if that helps at all. The manuscripts (A4 size) run around 140 pages. Does that help at all?

 

[Inga Vesper]

It all depends on formatting and layout. It's probably safer to go by word count. For a 300-page book I'd aim for at least 80,000 words, but in paperback format 300 pages can amount to 100,000 words.

If the book has been reformatted to PDF it can lose a lot of pages. For example, if you reformat from paperback format to A4, you'd lose probably a third of the original page count. I suspect that's what happened with your download.

 

[Quillwitch]

No idea. I go by word count. My mid-60,000-word novels end up being about 250 pages in a 6 x 9-inch paperback. Don't know if that helps at all. The manuscripts (A4 size) run around 140 pages. Does that help at all?

hmmm, not sure...but thanks!

 

[Quillwitch]

It all depends on formatting and layout. It's probably safer to go by word count. For a 300-page book I'd aim for at least 80,000 words, but in paperback format 300 pages can amount to 100,000 words.

If the book has been reformatted to PDF it can lose a lot of pages. For example, if you reformat from paperback format to A4, you'd lose probably a third of the original page count. I suspect that's what happened with your download.

ah, interesting, i did not know that. Thanks!

 

[Amber]

Pagination is what happens.

 

[Amber]

Well ... and yes the average typed page is about 250 words.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Well ... and yes the average typed page is about 250 words.

The average US Letter page. An A4 page holds more. I abuse this fact regularly, when submissions call for 'the first 5 pages' of the MS. I can fit more into 5 A4 pages than 5 US Letter pages. Since I live in a place that uses A4 size paper, I send it A4 sized, even if I'm sending to the US.

 

[Tim James]

I write my first drafts out handwritten into A4 spiral bound notebooks (Yeah! I know. But that's how I work) and then type it in double spaced using 12pt font. I find that a handwritten A4 page translates almost exactly to an A4 12pt double spaced page at about 250-260 words and that (depending on the font used) translates pretty much to a paperback page too.
So if I have a 300 page manuscript of around 75-80k words it should end up a paperback of about the same number of pages (if it ever gets that far).

 

[Geoff]

My current WIP is 61,000, but will rise to approx. 65,000 roughly when completed. An Agent I was working with a while ago, preferred manuscripts under 70,000 words with double spacing14pt. Page wise, I suppose it depends on line spacing, like Tim I use double with 12pt, Times New Roman, and layout, etc. I must admit, I have never really worried too much about the number of pages

 

[Quillwitch]

I write my first drafts out handwritten into A4 spiral bound notebooks (Yeah! I know. But that's how I work) and then type it in double spaced using 12pt font. I find that a handwritten A4 page translates almost exactly to an A4 12pt double spaced page at about 250-260 words and that (depending on the font used) translates pretty much to a paperback page too.
So if I have a 300 page manuscript of around 75-80k words it should end up a paperback of about the same number of pages (if it ever gets that far).

Interesting....