New trends on Instagram

The appeal of these cute, small-format books appearing on Instagram and other social media platforms is helping them become increasingly popular, according to the LA Times.

Photo: Penguin Books

In Book Soup bookstore in West Hollywood, USA, which frequently welcomes celebrity customers, the display area for bestselling hardcover novels is featuring many smaller 5x8 inch (approximately 13.97x20.96 cm) editions.

Small-format books are popular.

While the New York Times bestsellers of 2025 are leaning towards the 6x9 format, the 5x8 format seems to be gaining popularity. Some works currently using this smaller format include Belle Burden's Strangers , George Saunders' humorous and dark Vigil , Lena Dunham's Famesick , which resonates with Millennials, and Ben Lerner's famous tablet-sized Transcription .

Gretchen Achilles is the director of book design at Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) publishing house. Recently, Achilles adopted the 5x8 book size for one of this year's bestsellers, Madeline Cash's Lost Lambs . She says, “Smaller books offer intimacy… You want to present the content of the text in a way that is close to the reader.”

Small-format books are becoming popular in the US. Photo: writerontheside .

According to Achilles, FSG frequently uses the 5x8 book size. She states that book length is the most important factor in deciding whether to use this size, followed by genre. She lists literary novels, memoirs, biographies, and essay collections as typical genres that often use this smaller book size.

Caroline Mason is a New York-based writer. Her debut novel, *An Endless Cycle of Evenings *, is scheduled to be published by Hyperion Avenue in 2027. As the owner of the Instagram account @literarycrushes, who often talks about books, Mason says she prefers the 5x8 format.

Small-format books that are photogenic.

This book size signals a novel that focuses neatly on the character. "That's my favorite kind of book," Mason says. Additionally, this size is Instagram-friendly, making it easy to create appealing images and angles for viewers.

"It's easier to take photos with this book in my hand. Although I still drop it sometimes," Mason shared.

Dahlia de la Vega is a Bookstagram user living in Los Angeles who runs the @ofpagesandprint page. De la Vega also finds smaller books more accessible. “When I sit down to read a small hardcover book, it almost feels like I’m reading a diary. Whereas when I read a large hardcover book, it almost feels like I need a diary to record what’s going on.”

Ethan Mann at Book Soup bookstore also shared his feelings about buying a 5x8 inch hardcover book titled "The Parade" by Dave Eggers. "I easily connected with the book because its design made it feel unique," he said.

However, at the current bookstore, Mann argues that hardcover books are sometimes difficult to sell. They are often criticized for their high price, and customers say they will wait until the paperback version comes out. Even so, smaller hardcover books have the advantage of fitting into most bags, and their sturdy design reduces damage when used in tight book-holding spaces.

Esther Margolis is a publishing veteran and the founder of the independent Newmarket Press in New York. She says that 5x8 inch hardcover books are nothing new. According to Margolis, smaller cover sizes have been popular with American publishers for a long time. Any subsequent changes in size are due to advancements in printing technology.

"Unlike mass-produced paperback books, hardcover books are displayed on shelves for sale, so the size of the books can vary," Margolis said.

However, in the current context, the rise of 5x8 inch hardcover books is closely linked to the popularity of social media. Reading messages sent on social media will attract more attention if the book has a striking and impressive cover design and presentation.

Mann said, "A small hardcover book is like a little Labubu. The feeling of holding it in your hands is not just that of a book, but something cute… We like small things that we can control."

The success of the publishing industry isn't solely based on the small size of hardcover books. They may not even represent any significant changes in the production process. But on the shelves of bookstores, these small books with their scent of paper represent the joy of holding knowledge in your hands. And then there are the Instagram likes.

Source: https://znews.vn/xu-huong-moi-tren-instagram-post1654847.html