How to Format a Novella (2026)

Novellas sit in the sweet spot of self-publishing: long enough to tell a complete story, short enough to format in a fraction of the time a full novel demands. When you format a novella, every choice carries more weight, because fewer pages must absorb each decision. A trim size that looks fine on a 90,000-word novel can make a 25,000-word story feel like a pamphlet. Getting the details right separates a novella that reads like a real book from one that feels like an overgrown short story. If you have also worked with shorter fiction, our guide to formatting short story collections for KDP covers the anthology side of the same craft.

This guide walks you through the complete process: what officially counts as a novella, which trim size flatters a short work, front matter and chapter pacing, typography settings, page-count math and KDP print costs, eBook adjustments, and cover rules for thin books.

What Actually Counts as a Novella in 2026

The most widely used definition comes from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association: a novella is 17,500 to 40,000 words. Below that sits the novelette (7,500 to 17,500 words); above it, the novel. Most self-published novellas land between 20,000 and 35,000 words: long enough for a complete arc, short enough to be a fast, satisfying read.

Why does the number matter? Word count converts directly into page count, and page count drives every physical decision. At a 5 by 8 inch trim with typical margins and 11 point type, roughly 250 to 300 words fit per page. A 20,000-word novella lands around 80 printed pages including front matter; a 35,000-word one reaches about 140. That difference determines spine text eligibility, print cost, and whether the paperback feels like a real book.

It also shapes pricing. Most self-published novellas sell as eBooks in the $2.99 to $4.99 range and as paperbacks between $7.99 and $12.99. Past 40,000 words you are formatting a short novel, not a novella. Know your word count before touching a margin setting.

Choosing the Right Trim Size for a Novella

Trim size is the first major formatting decision, and for novellas it matters more than most authors expect. A short manuscript in a large 6 by 9 inch trim produces a very thin book. A compact trim makes the same word count fill more pages, giving the paperback satisfying heft. The two best choices are 5 by 8 inches and 5.25 by 8 inches: classic fiction sizes that keep the book looking like a real book even at 80 to 120 pages. For every size KDP supports, see our explainer on KDP trim sizes.

The 5 by 8 inch trim is the traditional choice for shorter fiction and the safest pick for shelf presence. The slightly wider 5.25 by 8 inches gives more breathing room per line, suiting novellas with heavy dialogue or short punchy chapters. Avoid 6 by 9 inches unless your novella runs long (over 32,000 words): at that size a 20,000-word story can render under 90 pages, feeling more like a booklet than a book.

Pick your trim size before you format, not after. Changing trim mid-project forces you to redo margins, running heads, page numbers, and sometimes chapter layouts. Lock the trim size on day one and build your template around it.

Front Matter: What a Novella Needs (and Doesn’t)

Front matter is the material before chapter one, and novellas need less of it than novels. A novel might carry a half-title page, title page, copyright page, dedication, epigraph, table of contents, foreword, and acknowledgments. A novella should carry the essentials: title page, copyright page, dedication (optional), and a short table of contents. Anything beyond that eats into a page count you cannot spare and delays the moment the story starts.

The copyright page deserves special attention: it must carry the copyright notice with your name and year, the publisher or imprint name, an “all rights reserved” statement, the edition, and the ISBN assigned to this format (paperback ISBN on the paperback, eBook ISBN or ASIN on the eBook, never mixed). Keep the layout simple on its own page, and never let front matter pages carry running heads.

A table of contents is optional for short works but recommended, especially for the eBook edition, where it powers Kindle navigation. For named chapters, a one-page TOC looks professional; for numbered-only chapters, keep it minimal in print while retaining the navigational TOC in the eBook file. If the novella is part of a series, add a one-page “also in this series” listing after the story ends rather than up front where it slows the opening.

Chapter Pacing and Scene Breaks

The first rule when you format a novella for print is to let the story’s rhythm set the page rhythm. Novellas typically run 8 to 15 chapters, and many use shorter chapters than novels: 1,500 to 3,000 words per chapter keeps the pace brisk and gives readers frequent stopping points. Each chapter should start on a new page, with the heading in a larger size or small caps, dropped about a third of the way down.

Scene breaks inside chapters need a consistent, visible treatment: a centered ornament on its own line, such as three asterisks (* * *), with clear space above and below. Use it identically every time, and never rely on a blank line alone: blank lines can vanish at page breaks and leave readers lost. If your novella uses part divisions, give each part its own title page with generous white space.

One choice unique to shorter works: resist the urge to pad. Some authors stretch novellas with oversized chapter headings or double spacing, hoping the book will feel longer. Readers notice, and it cheapens the product. Young adult novellas in particular benefit from tight pacing with clear chapter breaks, a technique covered in our guide to formatting YA novels.

Typography: Fonts, Margins, and Line Spacing

Typography is where a novella earns its professional feel. For body text, use a readable serif font at 11 to 12 points: Garamond, Caslon, Minion Pro, and Palatino are all proven choices, with Garamond the most popular for its elegant, compact letterforms. Avoid sans-serif body text and novelty fonts. Chapter headings can use the same serif in a larger size or small caps, but keep it to one display font for the whole book.

Margins need a proper gutter, the extra inside-edge space that disappears into the binding. For a 5 by 8 inch novella, set outside, top, and bottom margins to 0.75 inches and the inside margin to 0.875 inches, using mirror margins so the wider gutter alternates sides correctly. Line spacing should be 1.15 to 1.3: tighter than a manuscript, looser than a wall of text.

Paragraph treatment follows standard fiction convention: first-line indent of about 0.25 inches, no extra space between paragraphs, no indent after a chapter heading or scene break. Justified text is the norm for print; eBooks should use left-aligned text. Keep these settings consistent from chapter one to the last page.

Page Count, Spine Width, and KDP Print Cost

Page count is the number that connects your formatting to your money. KDP requires a minimum of 24 pages for a paperback, and virtually every novella clears that floor: a 20,000-word manuscript at 5 by 8 inches typically renders 80 to 100 finished pages with front matter included. But a second threshold matters more: KDP generally permits printed spine text only on books of about 79 pages or more. Fall below that line and your spine stays blank. For the full breakdown of page counts and printing fees, see our guide to KDP page count and print cost.

Your print cost is calculated from page count, trim size, ink type, and marketplace, and it is deducted from your royalty on every sale. A typical 100-page black-and-white 5 by 8 inch paperback costs roughly two to three dollars to print, leaving a healthy margin at a $9.99 list price. Because novellas are short, print costs stay low: you can price competitively while keeping a strong per-copy royalty. Just remember the minimum list price KDP allows is tied to your print cost.

The table below shows how the same 25,000-word novella renders at different trim sizes.

eBook Formatting for Novellas

The eBook edition follows the same rules as any fiction eBook, with a few short-work twists. Use a clean reflowable ePub: semantic HTML with proper heading hierarchy, a logical table of contents for navigation, and no fixed page dimensions. Body text should be left-aligned with a modest first-line indent, and font sizes should be relative so readers can resize text. Use proper section breaks, never hard-coded page breaks, so the eBook flows on every screen size.

One novella-specific consideration is the back-matter strategy. The end of the book arrives quickly, and that final screen is valuable real estate: place a brief author note, a polite request for a review, and a preview of the next book in the series directly after “The End.” Many novella authors use the format as a series entry point, so the back matter should funnel readers toward the next installment rather than ending abruptly.

Validate the eBook before you publish: run it through Kindle Previewer on e-ink, tablet, and phone profiles, and fix chapter-heading sizes, scene-break ornaments, or TOC links before uploading.

Cover and Spine: Formatting a Thin Book

The cover is a formatting task as much as a design task, because KDP builds your print cover from exact measurements: trim size, page count, paper type, and bleed. Design to KDP’s cover template, not to a guess. For a thin novella the spine is narrow: at 100 pages on white paper it is roughly a quarter of an inch wide (page count times 0.002252 inches per page), leaving room for title and author name in small type.

That narrow spine is why the 79-page threshold matters. Below it, KDP prints no spine text, so the front cover must carry the full title and author name clearly. Even above the threshold, keep spine text minimal: title and author name only, set vertically, in a type size legible at a quarter inch wide. Save taglines and blurbs for the back cover.

For the eBook cover, KDP recommends 2,560 pixels on the long edge with a 1.6 to 1 height-to-width ratio, and the design must read clearly as a thumbnail. Test it at 300 pixels wide: if the title is unreadable, simplify. A novella cover that looks like a full novel’s cover signals a complete professional product, not a side project.

The Novella Formatting Checklist

Work through this list after your final proofread and before you export your files. Every item below catches a real mistake that shows up in self-published novellas every week.

• Lock your trim size (5 by 8 or 5.25 by 8 inches) before building the template.
• Set 0.75 inch outer, top, and bottom margins with a 0.875 inch inside gutter; mirror margins on.
• Body text in 11 to 12 point serif; one display font for chapter headings, used consistently.
• First-line paragraph indents, no blank lines between paragraphs, no indent after headings or scene breaks.
• One consistent scene-break ornament throughout; every chapter starts on a new page.
• Confirm the final page count clears KDP’s minimums: 24 pages for paperback, about 79 for spine text.
• Keep front matter to title page, copyright page, dedication, and table of contents.
• Validate the eBook in Kindle Previewer and test every TOC link before uploading.

Conclusion: A Novella Is a Book, So Format It Like One

A novella earns the same care as a full-length novel, compressed into fewer pages. Choose a compact trim size before you start, keep front matter to the essentials, pace chapters for a brisk read, set clean serif typography with a real gutter, respect the page-count thresholds behind your spine and print cost, and build the cover on exact measurements. Readers finish novellas in a sitting or two, so your formatting gets judged fast: make those hundred pages flawless.