Softcover Publishing

Xlibris softcover books are formatted as trade paperbacks. Trade paperback is a publishing industry term describing a book that is of better production quality. These published books are produced in a larger size and offered at a higher price than a mass-market paperback format. Mass-market paperbacks are generally cheaply made and printed on newsprint or other low-quality paper, which will discolor and disintegrate over time. Trade paperbacks, on the other hand, meet a higher standard and are printed on high-quality paper, which is why more self publishing authors choose this format for their published books.

Xlibris offers trade paperbacks in the following trim sizes:

• 5" x 8"
• 5.5" x 8.5"
• 6" x 9"
• 7.5" x 9.25"
• 8.25" x 11"

We also offer full-color trade paperbacks in the following trim sizes:

• 8.5” x 8.5”
• 8.5” x 11”