Covers for every format
We design the front cover, and for print the spine and back too, to the sizes your printer or platform asks for. Each cover is checked small, the way most people first see it in a store or an app.
Three things at thumbnail size
Book cover design is judged at thumbnail size. Shrunk to a store listing, a cover has room for three things: a title in large, simple letters, one strong image and the author’s name. Fine detail, small subtitles and busy backgrounds fade first, so they move to the full-size front and the back.
Lettering that signals the genre
Readers recognise a genre before they read a word: a thriller, a memoir, a cookbook and a business book each follow their own conventions of type, colour and image. Title and author lettering are set for the cover alone, then checked for contrast over the artwork.
Sizes each platform asks for
Ebook cover design, podcast cover design and album artwork each follow their platform’s size.
| Format | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kindle ebook | 2,560 × 1,600 px | Height 1.6 times the width, JPG in RGB |
| Paperback | Trim size plus 3.2 mm bleed | Back, spine and front in one PDF |
| Audiobook | 2,400 × 2,400 px or more | Square, showing the title and author’s name |
| Album | 3,000 × 3,000 px | Square JPG or PNG |
| Podcast | 3,000 × 3,000 px | Square PNG or JPG on a solid background |
Specifications from Kindle Direct Publishing, ACX, Apple Music and Apple Podcasts.
Front, spine and back
A print cover is one wide file: back, spine and front, with bleed on the outer edges. The back carries the blurb, a short author bio or review quotes, the publisher’s mark and space for the barcode.
Mockups for the launch
Each cover comes with mockups for announcements and store pages: the book in hand, on a shelf, on a phone screen.
The pages inside are set through Book layout.
Included
- Front cover artwork
- Spine and back cover for print
- Ebook and audiobook versions
- Album and podcast cover sizes
- Title and author name lettering
- Mockups
