5 by 8 inches, or 127 by 203.2 mm, is the smallest of the common novel trim sizes. It suits short novels, literary fiction, novellas and poetry, because a smaller page produces more pages from the same manuscript and a more substantial looking book.
It has two availability gaps worth knowing before you commit: KDP does not offer it in hardcover, and premium colour at this size loses Expanded Distribution.
The Specification
| Inches | 5 x 8 |
| Millimetres | 127 x 203.2 |
| KDP printed value | 12.7 x 20.32 cm |
| KDP trim class | Regular |
| IngramSpark | 203 x 127 |
| Lulu name | Novella |
Lulu's name for it is the clearest signal of what the size is for.
Availability, Including the Gaps
- KDP paperback: yes, all paper types.
- KDP hardcover: no. KDP hardcover starts at 5.5 by 8.5.
- IngramSpark paperback: yes.
- IngramSpark hardcover: yes, all three, case laminate, Digital Cloth and jacketed.
- IngramSpark premium colour: yes.
- KDP Expanded Distribution: yes, except on premium colour paper.
Two practical consequences. If you want a hardcover at 5 by 8, IngramSpark is the only route, and it offers more hardcover variants at this size than KDP offers at any size. And if you are printing a colour interior on premium paper, choosing 5 by 8 costs you bookshop and library distribution through KDP.
For a black ink novel, which is what most fiction is, neither gap applies.
Page Counts
At KDP, the published page count table gives 5 by 8 a range of 24 to 828 pages on black ink and white paper, 24 to 776 on cream, 24 to 812 on groundwood, 72 to 600 on standard colour and 24 to 828 on premium colour.
At IngramSpark the range is set by paper rather than size, running as high as 18 to 1200 pages on 50lb white. IngramSpark's minimum of 18 pages is lower than KDP's 24 at every size, which matters for a chapbook or a very short novella.
When to Choose It
Right for: novels under roughly 80,000 words, literary fiction, novellas, poetry, and any book where you want the finished object to feel dense rather than thin.
The arithmetic is the whole argument. A smaller page holds fewer words, so the same manuscript produces more pages, a thicker spine and a book that reads as substantial on a shelf. A 60,000 word novel that looks slight at 6 by 9 looks right at 5 by 8. Because spine width is page count multiplied by paper thickness, more pages also means enough spine to carry legible text, and KDP prints no spine text at all below 80 pages.
Wrong for: long novels, where the page count can run past the platform ceiling or produce a brick, and for anything with images, tables or wide quoted material, since a 5 inch page leaves a narrow text block once margins are taken out.
What Deckle Does
5 by 8 is one of Deckle's six trim sizes, alongside 5.5 by 8.5, 6 by 9, 6.14 by 9.21, BoD 135 by 215 mm and A5.
Selecting it sets the page dimensions for the print PDF, and everything downstream follows: the text block narrows, the estimated page count rises, and Deckle's gutter enforcement uses the new page count band. Because the gutter requirement grows with page count, a book that moves from 6 by 9 to 5 by 8 can cross into a wider gutter band, which narrows the text block again. That is expected rather than a fault.
The exported PDF carries bleed on three edges, so a 5 by 8 book comes out at 5.125 by 8.25.
If your book is short enough that 5 by 8 is tempting, check the resulting spine before committing, since a thin spine cannot carry a title. See how to calculate spine width and, for the full picture, book trim sizes explained and 6x9 book size.
Common Mistakes
- Planning a KDP hardcover at this size. It does not exist. Use IngramSpark or move up to 5.5 by 8.5.
- Using premium colour and expecting Expanded Distribution. That combination is not eligible at 5 by 8.
- Choosing it for a 150,000 word novel. The page count becomes unwieldy and can exceed platform limits.
- Forgetting the gutter grows with page count. More pages means a wider inside margin is required.
- Putting wide tables or images in a 5 inch page. The usable text block is narrow once margins are set.
FAQ
Q: Can I get a 5 by 8 hardcover? A: Not from KDP. IngramSpark offers case laminate, Digital Cloth and jacketed at this size.
Q: Is 5 by 8 too small for a novel? A: No. It is a standard fiction size and common in literary publishing. It is only wrong for very long books.
Q: Will it cost more to print than 6 by 9? A: Both are regular trim sizes, but 5 by 8 produces more pages from the same text, and page count drives printing cost.
Q: What is the UK equivalent? A: Nothing exactly. B format is 198 by 129 mm, which is close to 5.08 by 7.8 inches, and reachable only through IngramSpark's custom trim.
Q: Does it work for poetry? A: Yes, and it is a common poetry size, because a narrow page suits the line lengths.