Picture Book Pagination Explained Without the Headache: Separate-Ended vs Self-Ended Books
Children’s books are printed, folded and assembled in sections, which is why 32 pages have become a standard. Pagination is closely tied to the physical construction of the book. However, 32 pages of a book do not mean 32 pages of story. How much space the story gets depends on whether the book is separate-ended or self-ended (self-contained).
Endpapers are the sheets of paper connecting the book to the cover. If the book is self-contained or self-ended, the endpapers are included in the 32 pages. In a separate-ended 32-page book, the endpapers are not included in the 32 pages.
Pagination is the process of deciding what happens on every page of a book. This means figuring out where the text goes, where the illustrations go, where the title and copyright information go, etc. Pagination allows you to create dramatic visual reveals, build suspense, or hide a character.
Separate-Ended Picture Books
A separate-ended picture book has endpapers that are physically separate from the main printed book. You can recognise them by their solid colour or simple design. These endpapers are not included in the main 32-page count, as they help connect the book to the cover. That means pages 1 and 32 remain available for the story.
Separate-ended or Colour-ends picture book layout
Coloured pages (which often feature prints) serve as the endpapers
Self-Ended Picture Books
A self-ended picture book uses part of the printed book itself as the endpapers. Instead of adding separate endpaper sheets, the first and last pages of the printed book are pasted directly to the inside of the cover boards. This produces less story space than a separate-ended version because pages 1 and 32 are unavailable for story content. That leaves pages 2 to 3 and 30 to 31 to function as endpapers, with the remaining pages (4 to 29) available for the story. Within those remaining pages, you still need to fit the title page, copyright information, dedication and the actual story.
Self-ended Picture book layout
Pages 1 and 32 aren't visible because they are glued to the cover.
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