Question for the writers here...

[mjr]

How are the dimensions of books determined?

I've seen books and novels of all different dimensions. I'm not really talking about the thickness of books.

And how do you plan for that when you write? Do you just write on the "standard" size page (like in Word), or do you customize the page size?

How's that work? Just curious.

[Mental_Mouse]

I'm not a writer (at least, not the way you mean), but I hang out with them. The format of a book is generally the decision of the publisher, and will depend on both costs and market preferences. That said, there are a few standard sizes which will fit most bookstore shelves. The publisher's staff will treat most books as a text stream, sometimes with occasional pictures; reformatting it for a given size is the job of the layout team.

Graphic novels and such (i.e. manga) have likewise settled on a few usual sizes; in the former case, the idea generally is to reproduce the comic pages at original size. When a webcomic goes to print, things can get more interesting -- some webcomics have Infinite Canvas stuff (or animated frames!) that you simply can't handle with any normal print format.

The wildest variations are in photo books; they tend to be large in general ("coffee-table books"), but I've seen photo books that could rest in my palm, and others that you could stick legs on and use the book for a coffee table. In fact, I recall reading about one "coffee-table book" that actually did have folding legs, but that was more or less a prank production by the publisher.

And then there's stuff like pop-up books, books with included artifacts or measuring charts, and so forth. At that point, you're dealing with some serious negotiations among the author(s), illustrator(s), and publisher's staff.

[AnaKhouri]

Dimensions are really only your concern if you're self-publishing. There are industry standards (hardcovers, trades, mass markets, etc...coffee table, photography and children's books are much more variable). If you're just working on a draft I wouldn't worry about dimensions; even if you plan to self-pub all that is something you can format afterward. It's not difficult but there are several steps.

[Kittish]

Deciding the actual dimensions of a physical book has absolutely nothing to do with the writing process, it's a decision that's made long after the manuscript has been written. Like AnaKhouri said, there are some industry standards and unless you're publishing something unusual like a how-to or hope that your work becomes collectible, I'd say stick with the mass market dimensions.

The Boyfriend is a successful independent author, and he does his writing in Word. Any specific formatting we need for publishing comes after the writing and editing.

ETA: Don't cheap out on the cover art!! That's one of the biggest factors that influence potential readers, and poor or badly done cover art will cost you sales. Boyfriend has an artist on commission that works (at least for now) exclusively for him.

[EricKei]

Book sizes can also be used for straight-up marketing purposes. Back in the 70's/80's, the first Garfield books came out, and, back then, short-but-wide books were fairly scarce ...So, as the story goes, bookstores had to place them on a special rack right next to the cash register because they just didn't fit on the normal shelves. Well, darn. The format, to the best of my knowledge, is now known as "Garfield Format" (though I'm fairly certain Kliban's "Cat" books did it first).

[MoonCat]

BTW, re: when you're writing - if you are submitting to a traditional publisher, check their submission guidelines first, and follow those exactly.

There's no faster way to get your manuscript tossed than to ignore the submission guideliness. Check the publisher's website to be sure (a) they are actually accepting submissions, (b) in your genre, and (c) exactly how they want it done: type size/font, spacing, page size, etc.

[Mental_Mouse]

Oh, and a PSA: If you are self-publishing, or haven't begun shopping the manuscript around... Google is not your friend today, because the scammers have owned the search algorithms. Go look at Writer Beware and the Author Resources section on the Science Fiction Writers of America site. From the WB site:

Writer Beware is sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, with additional support from the Mystery Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

[Kittish]

Oh, and a PSA: If you are self-publishing, or haven't begun shopping the manuscript around... Google is not your friend today, because the scammers have owned the search algorithms. Go look at Writer Beware and the Author Resources section on the Science Fiction Writers of America site. From the WB site:

Ooooh, some great info there! I'm gonna snag those links and add them to my working database