How to determine the spine width with KDP paperbacks

[TimothyEllis]

Asking for a friend:

please could you confirm when using KDP if they mean pages or sides when they say pages? I ask because the spine measurement has to be 00.572mm x  number of pages and we want to check which it is!

When doing a paperback for the first time with KDP, what do you use for the number of pages? Where do you get that from for the spine calculation?

Or is there a procedure to follow to do this properly?

[LilyBLily]

When KDP says pages they mean sides of the piece of paper. You enter the exact number of pages in your pdf of the text, not including the cover.

Then you enter the paperback trim size (for instance, 5.25 x 8), choose white or cream paper and matte or glossy cover stock, and kdp will give you a cover template that will have the spine width determined.

[TimothyEllis]

What if they don't have a pdf?

I'm presuming the docx is uploaded the same as digital, formatted for print.

How do you tell the number of pages then?

[Pemry Janes]

There is the option to save a word document as a pdf file in both Word and LibreOffice so not having a pdf file should not be an issue.

[Simon Haynes]

Asking for a friend:

please could you confirm when using KDP if they mean pages or sides when they say pages? I ask because the spine measurement has to be 00.572mm x  number of pages and we want to check which it is!

When doing a paperback for the first time with KDP, what do you use for the number of pages? Where do you get that from for the spine calculation?

Or is there a procedure to follow to do this properly?

If you upload the book content before the cover, does it show the page count?

Otherwise upload the content, upload any 1-page PDF as the cover (temporarily), then preview your 'finished' book. Note the page count, then make and upload the real cover to suit.

[TimothyEllis]

Thanks everyone.