Ratios are The Devil

I’ve always wondered just how many “words” makes an average printed page, so I looked it up. Apparently that number is roughly 250, with about thirty lines per page. Assuming the average six-by-nine inch book format and a one inch margin, that seems about right. Unfortunately it also means my page count estimates have been the product of pure fantasy.

I took chapter one and formatted it according to what’s normally expected by publishers. It turns out my seven and a half pages (17k) was actually eleven and a half pages after margins and line-spacing were taken into account. Holy Hell.

So, I’ll assume a ratio of anywhere between 1.25 and 1.4 as a multiplier. That means my book is actually between 305 and 345 pages already. Shit!

So… assuming I have another hundred of my pages to go, the final product could tip the scales at 430 to 490 pages. Nutty, I say!

Until Tomorrow