publishing.co.uk

Thriller & crime formatting


Format your thriller for KDP.

5.25x8 in – Acceptable alternatives: 5x8 in or 5.5x8.5 in. All are KDP-approved trim sizes.

What we get right for thriller

Short-chapter rhythm

Chapter-per-page logic that keeps every chapter (even two-pagers) opening on a recto. The visual pace of a James Patterson, without the page-count blowing out.

Time-stamp headers

Day, time, location at the top of cut scenes — formatted as a typographic block, not Word default text. Renders cleanly in print, and as consistently as reflowable Kindle allows — exact appearance still varies with device, app and font settings.

Document inserts

Forensic reports, witness statements, autopsy summaries, redacted memos — set in a monospaced display face that signals “this is a document” without making it unreadable.

Text-message scenes

Bubble-style layout on print, semantic blockquote pairs on Kindle. Each character’s voice gets its own alignment so dialogue is followable without prefixes.

Cliffhanger end-pages

In the print PDF, the last sentence of each chapter is kept from orphaning onto a fresh page. Hook lines land where readers turn the page, not three lines into the next chapter.

Series branding

Book-in-series number on the spine, “a [Detective Name] novel” line under the title, consistent author logo. Helps with trad-style series shelving.

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.

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Robert Prime — Founder of publishing.co.uk

About the Author

Robert Prime

Robert Prime is a best-selling self-published author, veteran eCommerce strategist, and the founder of publishing.co.uk. With over 25 years of experience in digital business he brings a battle-tested perspective to the publishing industry. After experiencing firsthand the archaic, headache-inducing process of formatting a KDP-compliant book for his own best-seller, Google. Panic. Repeat., Robert built publishing.co.uk to solve the problem for other authors. He is also a co-owner of the LoveReading.co.uk network (the UK’s leading book discovery platforms), founder of the Amazon growth agency MrPrime.com, and a member of the Forbes Business Council.