Spine Width Calculator

Have you ever had a brilliant idea that resulted in 17 and a half new pages to your finished novel? It seemed like an awesome thing but now your designer wants to know what the spine width of your book has changed to. We have the easy and instant solution. Our spine width calculator is simple to use, and calculating the spine width of your book just takes seconds. Simply enter the number of pages, select the type of paper, and calculate the spine width for an instant, accurate result.  Use our spine width calculator to save time and to ensure that your spine dimensions are accurate.

There are a lot of wonderful outlets for writers who want to print their self-published books. With KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu or others, authors are required to upload their content to the site – including artwork for the cover and spine design. When uploading book cover designs there are certain criteria that must be followed regarding the sizes of the images uploaded. It is important that you or your cover designer know the correct dimensions in order to make sure that your printed  spine is ready to standout.

Our spine width calculator is helpful for publishers who need quick calculations for the appropriate size their spine image or artwork must be. The spine width of a book is dependent upon how many pages are in the book. There is a preset value that a book’s page count must be multiplied by in order to determine the spine width.

When looking at specifications for cover dimensions it is all on one page and difficult to sort through to find exactly what you are looking for.  Our width calculator eliminates the need to fuss with having to sort through all the requirements and then manually calculate the spine width of your book, and the possibility of errors.

 

Why Book Spine Thickness is Important

A spine is an often overlooked book element that can actually play a crucial role in how many books you are able to sell. The spine is what a reader sees first when books are stacked up or lined up on a shelf. Your book spine includes basic information about the title and author. Sometimes, the spine also has a trademark or small icon associated with the publisher.

The thickness of the spine varies from one book to another and depends on the number of pages the book has. Of course, if a book has more pages, the thicker the spine will be. Spine design is one of the determining factors whether a book will be a success or not since most books spend a good portion of their time spine-out in a store’s bookshelf. Basically, a book that has a spine thick enough to place text will stand out more on the shelf than a thinner, spineless book.


Since the text on the spine typically starts from top to bottom, it is important that the text is bold and readable. This can easily be done on a book with a wider spine, as there is enough room to increase the text size.  With thinner spines,  this is more difficult, and in extreme cases, some books are so thin that there is no space to put a title at all. It is recommended that a book be at least half an inch wide to be able to add all the appropriate information to the spine. Other information can be added as well, but do not forget to make it short, simple and uncluttered. Usually, images on spines are reserved for books with a considerable thickness, however, images on spines have been proven to grab a passerby’s attention easier than a non-graphical spine. Providing enough room for a book’s information and graphical elements will greatly encourage potential readers to pull the book from the shelf and read the front and back cover.

Ways to Increase the Size of the Spine

Since you already know that thicker spines are important for books in the bookstore, the next step is to increase the size of your spine. Fortunately, there are some ways to increase thickness and maximize the full potential of the spine.

Size of the text – The easiest and simplest way to increase the size of the spine is to increase the size of the text inside your book.  By doing this, the text will need more pages and eventually increase the thickness of the spine.  Aside from that, it will also make the text more readable.
• Paper thickness – Increasing the paper thickness can also help in increasing the thickness of the spine. The thicker the paper, the thicker the spine will be. This also helps the pages to withstand the abuse of being turned multiple times.
• Extra pages – Adding extra pages (such as an introduction, forward, prologue, blank pages, etc.) can also help in increasing the spine thickness.

The spine is important, just like the front and back cover, so make sure that it has a professional look and entices your readers.  Do not give readers any reason to pass up your book by having a thin spine!

Watch this video on Designing Your Book Cover & Book Spine with InDesign

Spend a fast-moving, fun hour designing your first or hundredth book cover, including a spine perfectly sized for the number of pages in your book by Pariah Burke. Watch it.