How Long Should Your Self-Published Book Be - Best Word Count and Book Size for Kindle Publishing

About this video

Sean discusses the ideal book length, word count and trim size for KDP publishing. He traces the evolution from 5,000-word pamphlets around 2013, to 10,000 to 12,000-word books, to 30,000-word books becoming the normal standard in the past year covered. He says 30,000 words produces about 120 to 180 pages depending on 5 by 8 or 6 by 9 size and formatting, and clears over 3 hours on ACX, moving audio pricing from $6.95 to $14.95 for higher royalties. The case for 10,000 words is that they are cheap to create, allow many more books and bundle combinations, let publishers test new keywords efficiently, and suit volume publishers who publish wide on platforms like Draft2Digital and IngramSpark. The case for 30,000 words is a more professional book with fewer negative reviews about shortness, stronger brand building and ACX benefits. His recommendation is to test uncertain keywords or work on a low budget with 10,000-word or 15,000-word books — three 10,000-word books or two 15,000-word books can be bundled to 30,000 words — then invest in a high-quality 30,000-word book once a keyword is proven profitable and rankable. He suggests cheaper ghostwriting for test books and higher-tier services for the flagship book, and personally uses 12-point font, 1.25 spacing and aims for 150 to 180 pages, choosing between 5 by 8 and 6 by 9 to reach that page count.

Key takeaways

• Use 10,000-word or 15,000-word books to cheaply test whether a keyword is profitable before investing heavily
• Bundle three 10,000-word books or two 15,000-word books to reach 30,000 words and clear the 3-hour ACX tier
• Once a keyword is proven, publish a high-quality 30,000-word book to solidify page-one ranking and reduce short-book complaints
• Sean says 30,000 words typically yields 120 to 180 pages and moves ACX pricing from $6.95 to $14.95
• For formatting, Sean uses 12-point font with 1.25 spacing, aims for 150 to 180 pages, and picks 5 by 8 versus 6 by 9 to hit that target

Episode details: published November 6, 2019 · 9:34 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Sean Dollwet’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

← Previous: Is Translating Books Profitable in Kindle Publishing? · Next: Record Breaking Month in October! All of My Income Sources Revealed →

All Sean Dollwet videos · Sean Dollwet profile · Sean Dollwet on YouTube