Page Allocation and Word Count Targets
Target word counts for each file type and chapter.
File Type Targets
1 file = 1 section
| File Type | Target (chars) | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Chapter intro (ch*-00) |
300-500 | 200-700 | Chapter overview |
Section (ch*-01~) |
3,000-5,000 | 2,000-6,000 | Core section content |
| Column/sidebar | 2,000-3,000 | 1,500-3,500 | Supplementary material |
Chapter Targets
Customize this table for your book:
| Chapter | Target (chars) | Files | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0. Introduction | 3,000 | 1 | Book overview |
| 1. Chapter 1 | 20,000 | 5-7 | Customize |
| 2. Chapter 2 | 20,000 | 5-7 | Customize |
| 3. Chapter 3 | 20,000 | 5-7 | Customize |
| 4. Chapter 4 | 20,000 | 5-7 | Customize |
| 5. Chapter 5 | 20,000 | 5-7 | Customize |
| 6. Chapter 6 | 20,000 | 5-7 | Customize |
| 7. Conclusion | 5,000 | 2-3 | Wrap up |
| Total | ~130,000 |
Tolerance Rules
| Level | Tolerance | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Within range | ±20% | OK |
| Slightly off | ±30% | Review |
| Out of range | >30% | P1 issue, must fix |
Estimated vs Actual Pages
Character-count estimates run high. Do not decide chapter splits or large cuts from an estimate alone.
- A rough conversion such as 1,000 chars = 1 page overstated a real B5 build by roughly 11 percent in one project: 223 estimated pages against 198 actual.
- That gap moved one chapter from "P1, over budget by 61 percent" to "within tolerance at 25 percent", and dropped the whole-book overrun from 25 percent to 8 percent. The structural rework it implied was never needed.
- Build the PDF and measure before escalating a page-budget overrun. Treat the estimate as an early-draft signal only, and note in the review record which number is which.
Word Count Check
python scripts/count_chars.py