We use one standard page format for the bulk of our books: three-column/box format. We also use a variety of formats for tables of contents and indices, title pages, and back covers, etc., but these things are rarely the responsibility of the author, so we will not present guidelines for them here.

Three-column/box format consists of three equal-sized columns on one page, all set in the same type. Boxed text may interrupt one, two, or all three columns, and is self-contained; an especially long box may break across pages, but most boxes won't. A-heads and most B-heads (see our Coding Guide) break across all three columns. A standard page in three-column format contains 850-900 words. The Fourth Edition of the GURPS Basic Set and GURPS Fantasy are examples of the three column/box format. The GURPS 3rd edition books are not an example of the proper format.

Example of three column format.

Taking into account the art, title page, table of contents and index, and a typical mix of standard text and boxes, the typical 240-page GURPS book will contain around 200,000 words. We can accommodate a variation of about 2,000 words up or down by adjusting the page design and the quantity of art used. Anything above or below those numbers will present problems; so when writing a standard 240-page book, please keep your word count in this range. Unless we specify otherwise, your book will be 240 pages long.

We do occasionally publish odd-sized books (such as the Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game); if you are working on one of these, specific word counts will be provided for you.