page conversion?

[Rider of scaled wing]

Sorry if the title seems confusing, first of all.

MY my current project is nearing 60 pages typed in microsoft word at the standard page size of 6 inches by 9 inches at a 12 point font. My question is this, how many pages does that equal on your average 4 by 8 (or whatever the normal size is) paperback novel? am i making more headway than i think or is my novel still abysmally small?

 

[Overread]

in truth: It matters really not how long or short the tale, but how well told the tale is. A long tale told well is a wonder and joy to read - as is a short story -- but either told badly is not. don't worry about how long your work is - just make sure that what you have written is consice and says what you want it to say

 

[Lith]

On the writing end of books, it's more useful to talk of thousands of words than pages, since page count can vary a lot. Anything over 50k (50,000) is considered novel length. I've been told editors prefer first-time novelists to have manuscripts no longer than 150k, but this is highly subject to change. A standard page in Word with TNR, 12pt, is about 500 words/page, so your manuscript's about 120k. Word has a useful feature that counts the words for you. I think it's under Format. Or maybe it was Type. I don't remember, but it's there. (The hotkey for it is ALT+T+W.)

Finished books reportedly run 300 words/page, give or take a lot.

But I wouldn't worry too much about length- just make it the best novel you can, at the length that gets the point across without without wandering into boring territory. And get a couple beta readers, who can tell you if it's too long or short.

 

[Overread]

its called "word count"
go to tools on the menu bar - and then down to word count
you can also add it to your quickbuttons (thoughs ones such as save and changing fonts - just right click anywhere on that bar and a list will appear - go down to word count and there you go!)

 

[Culhwch]

A standard page in Word with TNR, 12pt, is about 500 words/page, so your manuscript's about 120k.

Think you may have miscalculated, I get thirty thousand - sixty pages at 500 a page. But of course that also depends on line spacing, paragraphing, and breaks. Best to trust the word count. Actually, Word 2007 keeps a running count, which can be either a help or a hindrance, depending on what kind of mood you're in...

 

[Lith]

D'oh! Ran the numbers backward! Culhwch is right!

 

[WriterDoug]

MY my current project is nearing 60 pages typed in microsoft word at the standard page size of 6 inches by 9 inches at a 12 point font. My question is this, how many pages does that equal on your average 4 by 8 (or whatever the normal size is) paperback novel? am i making more headway than i think or is my novel still abysmally small?

You may laugh when I say this, but if you have used proper formatting, then the length of your novel in MS Word will be the same length as the novel in print. That is the reason these specifications exist: so a rough, but accurate estimation of the length of your book can be pre-determined. You did not specify if your manuscript is double-spaced or not, and that is of course an important detail.

I estimate you have about 15,000 - 20,000 words total. I usually go with 250 words per page as the standard.



Cheers,
WD

 

[Laerten]

A few years ago I printed the manuscript guidelines from the website of Harris, Harris & Donahue Ltd. and I tend to stick to them. They are:

MARGINS: 1.25 to 1.5 inch - adjusted to allow approx. 10 words per line
TYPE FONT: Courier or a similar easy to read non-proportional type style
TYPE SIZE: 12 point type on a computer
TYPE STYLE: Plain text throughout - underline words that are to be shown in italics in finished novel
TEXT SPACING: Double spaced, no additional lines between paragraphs. Top and bottom margins must be set to allow 25 lines per page (not including page header). Turn off 'windows and orphans' feature if using Microsoft Word.
ALIGNMENT: Flush left NOT justified
HYPHENATION: Words at end of line must not be split or hyphenated
SENTENCE SPACING: Double line spacing
PARAGRAPH INDENTATION: Initial word of each paragraph indented five spaces
PAGE HEADERS/TOP MARGIN: Every page except the first should contain the authors surname (lowercase), a slash and the title of the work (uppercase) at flush left in the header. Flush right should be the page number on the same line
THE TEXT: The first line of text should begin 1-1.5 inches from the top of the page
CHAPTER HEADING: A line of type, centred, in uppercase placed a third of the way from the top edge of the page (3.5 inches). Chapter number should be in words not numbers
TITLE PAGE: Authors real name, address, telephone number and e-mail address should be shown top left of the page (single spaced lines). The title should be centred, 5 1/2 inches from top edge of page and in uppercase. Second line below the title should be the word by followed by the authors name on the fourth line (shown as it would appear when published).
WORD COUNT: Do not use the computer word count, use the approximation of 10 words per line, 25 lines per page giving 250 words per page. Half pages or less are considered to have 125 words per page.

I hope this helps you as I have found it very useful. One other piece of information that may be of interest to you is that a book under 50,000 words is considered a novella and most publishers will not even consider these.

 

[anthorn]

It does'nt matter. Once the publisher accepts your manuscript, he makes all the decisions on how big the book will be