Creating a book cover for Amazon

The cover is the first thing a reader sees in the Amazon store. It decides whether the book gets any attention at all. This matters even more if you have chosen to self publish your book through Amazon KDP. Competition on the platform is high, and the visual presentation decides a great deal. For anyone who wants to know how to publish a book on Amazon, one thing is important to understand: a cover is not just a picture. It is a sales tool and a part of your brand. That is why creating a book cover for Amazon takes time and preparation.

Why the cover matters so much

The cover shapes the first impression. The click through rate of the book depends on it. Even with an interesting title a book can stay unnoticed without quality design. Against a background of thousands of editions it is the cover that draws the eye. This is especially true when selling books on Amazon, where a reader scrolls through dozens of options in seconds.

If you are self publishing your book, it is important to follow the technical requirements. A cover that does not meet the standards can be rejected. The main requirements are:

• a resolution of at least 300 dpi;
• the file format – PDF or JPEG;
• the correct dimensions for Paperback, Hardcover or eBook;
• the colour model – RGB for the electronic version, CMYK for the printed one;
• text that stays readable even at thumbnail size.

What kinds of covers there are on Amazon

When you publish a book through Amazon KDP it is very important to understand which type of cover you need. Depending on the format of the book the platform offers several options, each with its own particularities and technical requirements. First of all, covers fall into two main types: covers for electronic books and covers for printed books.

A cover for an electronic book (eBook)

This type of cover is the simplest. It includes only the front, with no spine and no back. It is used for Kindle versions and is displayed in the store as the main image of the book. The design therefore has to be as informative and as noticeable as possible in a thumbnail, because this is the main way to attract the attention of a reader.

A cover for a printed book (Paperback / Hardcover)

Here we are dealing with a full layout of the whole cover, which consists of:

• the front panel;
• the spine;
• the back panel.

For this type of cover the width of the spine has to be calculated precisely, because it depends on the number of pages and on the type of paper. On top of that, the bleed and the technical margins have to be respected so that no important element is trimmed off during printing. Decide which format you are choosing before the design work begins. It directly affects the structure of the cover, its dimensions and its technical parameters.

How to create a cover: the main options

If you have chosen to self publish your book, you will have to decide for yourself what its cover will look like. A great deal depends on that decision: how the book is perceived, its click through rate in the store, the trust of the reader. You have three main routes, and each of them suits a particular situation.

• Creating the cover yourself. Tools such as Canva, Photoshop, Figma or Affinity Designer will do the job. This is an excellent option if you have at least basic graphic skills. On the one hand this approach saves money, on the other it takes time and attention. You will need to study the Amazon KDP requirements for size, resolution and cover structure. Any mistake can lead to publication being refused or to the book being displayed poorly on the site.
• Using the Amazon builder. If you want to create a cover quickly and simply, try Cover Creator, the built in tool from Amazon. It offers ready made templates that are easy to adapt to your book. Keep in mind, however, that the possibilities of the builder are very limited. You will not be able to make deep changes to the style, the fonts or the placement of elements. The design therefore comes out standard and does not always reflect the individuality of the book.
• Ordering from professionals. If you want a quality result straight away, it is better to turn to professionals. A designer will create a cover that meets the Amazon KDP standards and stands out visually among the competition. That way you get not just a picture but a tool for selling.

What we offer

Our publishing house is part of a full cycle of book publishing on Amazon. We know every technical nuance and every requirement of the platform. Your cover will be unique, stylish and adapted to the rules of Amazon KDP. We do not simply create a nice picture – we make a tool that helps to sell books on Amazon.

Who the service suits:

• authors who have chosen to self publish their book;
• entrepreneurs who publish books as a product;
• experts who promote themselves through books;
• everyone looking for a reliable partner for book publishing on Amazon.

A book with a professional cover inspires more trust. The reader perceives it as a quality product. This matters especially for new authors. Self publishing a book does not mean low quality. On the contrary, with the right cover a book looks worthy of its price and competes on equal terms with the editions of large publishing houses.