Writing is fun when you have the right tools. These could be a pen (if you’re writing directly on paper), an iPad or laptop. Microsoft has also blessed writers with a powerful tool that comes packed with diverse features. It’s called the “Microsoft Word.”
Other word processing and document processing platforms are now available. But it’s so obvious that many of us, including myself, may have to stick with Microsoft Word for a long time.
But now here’s a tricky question for every Microsoft Word user and those interested. Here it is.
How many Microsoft Word pages equal a book page?
Now let’s rephrase the question. How can you tell how many Microsoft word pages you have to write to make a book page? The answer isn’t direct. Many factors play a crucial role when it comes to determining the number of Microsoft Word pages that can make a book page.
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Factors That Determines Microsoft Word Pages That Equals A Book Page
Several factors determine the number of MSWord pages that forms a book page. The answer is not set in stone. It can be one, two, three or more. Let’s find out factors that plays a crucial role.
The Size of the Paper:
There are several paper sizes on Microsoft Word, ranging from letter-sized papers — the default paper size—measured at 21.59cm x 27.94cm to JIS B5 measured at 18.2cm x 25.7cm. The most commonly used paper size is the A4, measured at 21cm x 29.7cm, and a page contains roughly five hundred to two hundred words.
The Font/ Font Size:
Most fonts on Microsoft Word, like the Aharoni fonts, are bigger and bolder than fonts like Calibri, which is lighter. Therefore, an Aharoni font at size 12 consumes more space than a Calibri font of the same size.
Margin Size:
Microsoft Word has a default margin size of 1 inch from the top, bottom, and sides of the paper, but Word users have the freedom to adjust and customize the margin sizes according to their writing tastes.
Line Spacing:
Line spacing plays a considerable role. Single line spacing allows for more words to be included on a page but makes the word appear clustered; meanwhile, double line spacing gives room for the words to breathe but take up more pages.
Therefore, considering the factors stated above, if you make use of an A4 paper size using Times New Roman in Size 12, the default margin setting, and single line spacing, you should have roughly between 350-500 words on a single Microsoft Word page.
Other factors that contribute to the number of words in a single Microsoft Word page are the kerning, leading, word formatting, paragraphing, alignment, etc
Therefore, there is no hard and fast rule for his many words that it can contain on one Word page as it varies all the time. Once the number of words on a Word page has been deduced, it should be easier to determine how many of these words would make up a book page.
To do that, one thing that has to be considered is what a book page is. Books come in different forms, volumes, sizes, shapes, and designs depending on economic and aesthetic elements. One of the things that are considered is the number of pages that will make up a book.
A Handy Tip: A book page refers to the front and back of a leaf of one paper in the book. A book page is a bit smaller in size than a Microsoft Word page.
Microsoft Word Pages And Book Pages
Book pages are entirely different from Microsoft Word pages. Consequently, the layouts and arrangements are reasonably distinct. Depending on the book’s context and what you intend to portray, there are different types of formats to depict that feeling.
The book format used for an academic paper to educate readers would vary in size and style from a fictional novel set in the middle ages or the biography, painting a picture of the life and times of a famous person.
The paper size used for a fictional novel or a novella falls within the range of 4.25 x 6.87, or 5 x 8 inches. The paper size of a non-fictional book ranges from somewhere between 5.5 x 8.5 and 7x 10 in inches.
To know how many pages a book would contain, however, an author must first have an idea of the range of the number of words they intend to write. For every genre of writing, there is a stipulated word count range that is presupposed.
Since the information in non-fictional and academic works is supposed to be sharp, precise, and straight to the point, the word count range is somewhere between fifty thousand to seventy thousand words. It can contain approximately two hundred pages. Still, because a work of fiction involves creating an imaginary world out of nothing, the content is usually more voluminous.
Hence, the word count range is approximately one hundred thousand words which can account for about three hundred and twenty to three hundred and fifty pages of a book.
Also, while there is a sizeable difference between a Microsoft Word page and a book page, the same rule that applies in Microsoft Word applies to a book page regarding the factors that determine how many words can be contained in a book page. Hence, things like margins, spacing, fonts, and font size also have to be considered when writing a book.
Generally, it has been deduced that the approximate amount of word you can get from a Word document using a font like Times New Roman in a 12 point font size, single line spacing, and justify alignment is five hundred words.
One Microsoft page is closely determined to be about 1.5 to 1.75 book pages, but this is solely an assumption. It is important to reiterate that certain factors play an essential role in determining the word count and book pages.
Many components are examined to determine how many Microsoft Word pages make up a book page. Still, because there is no universal style for writing and no fixed rule for formatting a book, we might never really be able to reach a resolute conclusion to this debate.
However, it is possible to have an idea of how many word pages equal a book page. The first thing you need to do is determine the number of words on the Microsoft Word page. Then, choose the trim size that you favour for your book.
For example, you can choose to use a trim size of 5.5 x8.5 inches for a fiction book. If you decide to use a 12 point font size for your book, divide your word count by three hundred—this is the approximate amount of pages your book is deduced to have based on the trim size— and you should have a rough analysis of how many pages your book would contain.
Please note that this formula is only meant to give you an idea of the number of pages your book will comprise. Nonetheless, the general perception is that smaller trim sizes produce more book pages than bigger trim sizes.
For example, if you employ a trim size format of 6×9 inches for your book using twelve-point font size, you are expected to divide your word count by four hundred and twenty-five to get your approximate amount of pages.
Does The Number Of Microsoft Word Pages Or Book Pages Matter?
Most times, publishers turn down a book solely because the word count does not meet the quota of readers’ expectations. Also, if a book is too voluminous, it might incur extra costs in terms of printing, shipping, and sales, and this might contribute to the loss of your customer base because most readers would only spend a certain amount on the books they want to read.
However, if your book is below the appropriate word count, it might be straightforward to overlook it as uninteresting and devoid of information. Therefore, one of an author’s objectives is to make sure their book is the right length.
Conclusion
By considering the various factors mentioned here, you can understand how many Microsoft Word page would make up a book page. You can also use information stated on this post to figure out the number of pages too.
Asides from Microsoft Word, these tips are useful even if you are using other word processors like Google Doc and the likes. This is because they are not so different from using Microsoft Word.
