To keep our self-publishing services affordable, consistent, and efficient, we work from a standard formatting system that follows Amazon KDP best practices and professional poetry publishing norms.

Our standard formatting covers the vast majority of poetry books and produces a clean, readable, bookstore-ready result.

Requests outside of this standard formatting are considered custom formatting and may require an additional fee.

What’s Included in Our Standard Formatting

Our standard formatting includes:

• 5.5" x 8.5" paperback trim size

• Cream paper, black-and-white interior

• Professionally sized, readable font

• Standard margins, spacing, and line breaks

• Consistent poem layout throughout the book

• Page numbers

• Optional running headers (author name / book title) or no headers

• Standard front matter:

  • Copyright page

  • Table of Contents

  • Optional dedication, acknowledgements, or author’s note

• Standard section breaks (if the book is divided into sections)

• Author bio page at the back of the book

This format is designed to:

• Print cleanly on Amazon KDP

• Avoid common formatting errors

• Prioritize readability and longevity

What’s Considered “Out of Standard” Formatting?

Some requests fall outside of standard book formatting and require additional design time, testing, and revisions. These are billed separately.

Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Highly Customized Layouts

  • Different font styles or sizes for individual poems

  • Poems with intentionally inconsistent spacing throughout the book

  • Experimental layouts that change from page to page

  • Poems requiring precise visual alignment (concrete poetry, shaped poems)

• Complex Typography Requests

  • Multiple fonts used throughout the interior

  • Decorative or handwritten fonts that require manual spacing adjustments

  • Custom kerning or tracking requests

  • Non-standard capitalization rules applied selectively

• Advanced Page Design

  • Poems starting at specific vertical positions on the page

  • Full-page poems with custom spacing that must remain exact

  • Poems intentionally split across pages in nonstandard ways

  • Multiple poems on a single page with unique spacing rules

• Special Section and Structure Requests

  • Custom section title pages with unique formatting per section

  • Alternating layouts between sections

  • Interludes, visual breaks, or recurring design elements throughout the book

• Image and Art Complexity

  • Images that must align precisely with specific poems or lines

  • Full-bleed artwork or edge-to-edge designs (not standard for paperbacks)

  • Image placement that varies intentionally across the book

  • Image-heavy layouts that require repeated test prints

• Footnotes, Endnotes, or Annotations

  • Poems with footnotes or commentary

  • Endnotes tied to specific lines or pages

  • Marginal notes or side text

Why Custom Formatting Costs More

Custom formatting:

• Requires manual adjustments rather than templates

• Often needs multiple test exports and proof checks

• Takes significantly more time than standard formatting

• Can introduce printing risks that must be carefully managed

To keep base package prices accessible for all authors, custom formatting is priced separately based on scope and complexity.

How Custom Requests Are Handled

• Custom formatting requests must be discussed before work begins

• We’ll let you know what is considered standard vs. custom

• Any additional cost will be quoted and approved in advance

• Not all custom requests are compatible with Amazon KDP printing

Our Goal

Our goal is not to limit creativity - it’s to ensure your book:

• Prints correctly

• Looks professional

• Is readable and consistent

• Fits within an affordable, transparent pricing structure

With too “outside-of-the-box” formatting, you run into Amazon KDP potentially not approving your book.

Most authors discover that our standard formatting provides the perfect balance between creativity and professionalism. While your voice and work remain entirely your own, your book also needs to meet industry and printing standards so it functions as an actual published book - not a draft or experimental document.

Requests for non-standard formatting are rare, but when they do occur, they must be reviewed in advance so we can determine feasibility, timeline, and any additional design considerations.

Not Sure if Your Book Meets our Standard Formatting?

Most books do - and if yours doesn’t, we’ll let you know before we begin. We’ll walk you through what’s considered standard, what may need customization, and any next steps so there are no surprises.