For authors, designers & indie publishers
Everything you need to turn a manuscript into a real book.
Trim sizes, paper sizes, spine widths, cover templates, ISBN tools, fonts and a directory of publishers, awards and literary magazines — 10,000+ reference pages built from open data and careful book math.
Today · November 4
What's new →On this day
- Anton Buslovborn 1983
- M. T. Andersonborn 1968
- Yılmaz Erdoğanborn 1967
- Daron Hagenborn 1961
Trending on Open Library
- Atomic Habits James Clear
- The 48 Laws of Power Robert Greene
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad Robert T. Kiyosaki
- How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone J. K. Rowling
New public-domain books
- Geographical studies
- The journey of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and his companions
- Gateway to Yamara
- Summer storms
- Collected papers, Volume III
Poem of the day
This, then, is she,
My mother as she looked at seventeen,
When she first met my father. Young incredibly,
Younger than spring, without the faintest trace
…
Term of the day · Printing & prepress
The red-green-blue colour model of screens and cameras. Fine for ebooks; print files should usually be converted to CMYK or a printer-specified profile.
Latest update: 40 poems; 19 cover art; 9 audiobooks; 6 popular books.
Free calculators
All tools →Explore the reference
Popular trim sizes
All trim sizes →Guides
All guides →- How to Choose a Book Trim SizeA practical decision guide to picking the right trim size for your paperback or hardcover — by genre, page cou
- Book Spine Width Explained (with Formulas)How spine width is calculated for paperbacks and hardcovers, why paper choice changes it, and how to design a
- Bleed, Trim and Safe Zones: Print Files Done RightWhat bleed, trim and safe zones are, how much bleed printers need, and how to set up interior and cover files
- Paper Weight Explained: GSM vs PoundsWhy 20 lb bond and 50 lb text are nearly the same paper, how to convert GSM to pounds, and which paper weights
- ISBN Guide for Self-PublishersWhat an ISBN is, when you need one, how many to buy, free vs purchased ISBNs, barcodes and how ISBNs connect t
- Front Matter and Back Matter: The Complete OrderThe standard order of a book's front matter and back matter — what each page is for, which side it goes on, ho
- Book Interior Typography: Fonts, Size, Leading and MarginsPractical typesetting rules for book interiors — choosing a body font, type size and leading, line length, mar
Directory highlights
Publishers
Browse all →Literary awards
- Nobel Prize in Literature
- Pulitzer Prize
- Booker Prize
- Hugo Award
- Prix Goncourt
- Nebula Award
- Miguel de Cervantes Prize
- Hans Christian Andersen Award
Fonts for book interiors
Browse all →About this site
Leaf & Spine is an independent, free reference for people who make books. The numbers come from published printer specifications and transparent formulas — see how we calculate — and the directories are compiled from open data sources credited on every page.