Format your memoir for KDP.
Recommended KDP trim
5.5x8.5 in – Acceptable alternatives: 6x9 in or 5.25x8 in. All are KDP-approved trim sizes.
What we get right for memoir
Photo plates (insert sections)
Trad memoirs often use 8- or 16-page photo plate inserts on coated paper. KDP doesn’t do coated inserts, so we integrate plates into the text block at 300 DPI with framing that respects the photo.
Letters, journal entries, transcripts
Set in a distinct face (often a slab or a typewriter) so the reader knows it’s a document, not your narrator’s voice. Indented block, dated header, source attribution.
Family trees + maps
Set as 300 DPI image plates. Foldout family trees flattened to a verso/recto spread. Place-name maps redrawn vector-first for crispness at print.
Chapter quotes / epigraphs
Italic, indented, attributed below the quote in small caps — Picador-style. Permissions log kept for anything still in copyright.
Author photo + jacket bio
Author photo placed at the standard back-matter slot, B&W treatment for print interior, full-colour for the dust-jacket if you go hardback.
Sensitivity-read flagging
If your manuscript names living people, we’ll flag any layout choice (pull-quote, dedicated chapter heading, photo caption) that could be read as a public claim — for you to confirm before press.
Pricing
Standard formatting packages apply:
- Print PDF only – £69
- Print PDF + Kindle EPUB – £119
- Complete Package (Print PDF + Kindle EPUB + ePub) – £179
All packages include 2 free revision rounds. Rush turnaround (+£29) available.
