Genre guide · Nonfiction
Memoir: word count & book length
How long a memoir book should be, which trim sizes suit it and what that means in printed pages. Typical length: 70,000–90,000 words.
About memoir
A true story from the author's life, focused on a theme or period rather than a whole life. Memoir reads like a novel: scene, voice and an arc of change.
Printed length in recommended trim sizes
| Trim | Pages at 11 pt | Spine (white) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 x 9 in US Trade | 218–278 pages | 0.49–0.63 in |
| 5.5 x 8.5 in Digest | 248–324 pages | 0.56–0.73 in |
Page counts for these lengths
Tips for this category
- Change names and identifying details where needed, and note it on the copyright page.
- A photo insert can be printed in colour on its own signature in offset editions.
About Memoir
A memoir (; from French mémoire [me.mwaʁ], from Latin memoria 'memory, remembrance') is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiography since the late 20th century, the genre is differentiated in form, presenting a narrowed focus, usually a particular time phase in someone's life or career. A biography or autobiography tells the story "of a life", while a memoir often tells the story of a particular career, event, or time, such as touchstone moments and turning points in the author's life. The author of a memoir may be referred to as a memoirist or a memorialist.
From the Wikipedia article “Memoir”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Most-published memoir works in Open Library
| Title | Author | First published | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass | Frederick Douglass | 1845 | 1,032 |
| The life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African | Olaudah Equiano | 1789 | 298 |
| Les confessions | Jean-Jacques Rousseau | 1782 | 244 |
| Mein Kampf | Adolf Hitler | 1922 | 185 |
| Autobiography of a Yogi | Yogananda Paramahansa | 1946 | 183 |
| Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas | Machado de Assis | 1881 | 149 |
| Elizabeth and Her German Garden | Elizabeth von Arnim, Ulrich Baer | 1898 | 145 |
| An autobiography | Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi | 1927 | 140 |
| The works of Hubert Howe Bancroft | Hubert Howe Bancroft | 1882 | 133 |
| A Mind That Found Itself | Clifford Whittingham Beers | 1908 | 133 |
Open Library lists 4,691 works under this subject.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a memoir book be?
What trim size is best for memoir?
Sources & data
- Subject statistics from Open Library.
- Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).