Did you know a great book cover draws readers in?
A Kobo Writing Life study revealed that books with attractive covers are 60% more likely to get noticed and bought. An eye-catching cover can be the difference between a hidden gem and a bestselling sensation in the publishing universe.
Amazon KDP Cover Creator is here to help. It’s a free tool for authors to design eBook, paperback, and hardcover covers. These covers not only look good but also reflect the book’s content accurately.
If you want to create professional book covers using Amazon KDP Cover Creator, keep reading. We’ll share everything you need to know to use this tool effectively.
Key Takeaways:
- An attractive book cover significantly boosts your chances of drawing readers and potential buyers.
- Amazon KDP Cover Creator is a no-cost tool for creating and customizing eBook, paperback, and hardcover covers.
- The tool offers various layouts, fonts, and images. You can also upload your own images.
- It supports file types like JPG, PNG, and TIF/TIFF.
- However, it can’t create covers in Japanese, Hebrew, and Yiddish.
Supported Languages and Formats
Cover Creator is a tool made for authors to design covers easily. It supports many languages and formats. But, it’s good to know it does not support all languages and formats yet. Knowing what works helps authors use this tool better.
For eBooks, Cover Creator can’t be used with Japanese, Polish, and Ukrainian languages. For paperback covers, Japanese, Hebrew, and Yiddish are not supported. Hardcover books also don’t support Hebrew and Yiddish.
Authors need to check the languages supported for their book format. This ensures their covers look right and truly represent their work.
Comparison of Supported Languages
| Book Format | Supported Languages |
|---|---|
| eBooks | All languages excluding Japanese, Polish, and Ukrainian |
| Paperbacks | All languages excluding Japanese, Hebrew, and Yiddish |
| Hardcovers | All languages excluding Hebrew and Yiddish |
Note: Languages not listed above are supported for all three book formats.
Before You Use Cover Creator
Before you start designing book covers with Amazon’s KDP Cover Creator, remember a few important things. Make sure your browser works well with it. You also need to check on a few requirements and follow the rules about metadata. Doing these will help make creating covers easier and more successful.
Browser Compatibility
To get the best experience with Cover Creator, make sure you’re using a supported browser. Here are the browsers that work best:
- Chrome 70+
- Edge 79+
- Firefox 63+
- Safari 14+
Cover Creator Requirements
Before you use Cover Creator, you’ll need to provide some details. These include your book’s title, subtitle, your name, series info, and the content of your book. Make sure your book’s content is fully prepared before starting on the cover. This helps prevent any issues with things not matching up.
Metadata Guidelines
The information you give about your book is very important. It helps readers find your book. Be sure to fill in the title, subtitle, your name, series details, and book content accurately.
- Title
- Subtitle (if applicable)
- Author name
- Series information (if applicable)
- Interior manuscript
By keeping these points in mind and ensuring your browser works well with the tool, you’re ready for a great cover creation experience. Amazon’s KDP Cover Creator is a useful tool for authors planning their book launches.
How to Use Cover Creator for Paperback Covers
Using Amazon KDP’s Cover Creator tool makes it easy to design professional-looking paperback covers. Follow this guide:
- Launch Cover Creator: Go to your Bookshelf and click on the ellipsis button under the Paperback Actions menu. Select “Edit Paperback Content” to access the Cover Creator tool.
- Choose a Template: Browse through the available templates and choose one that fits your book’s genre and style. Your chosen template will be the basis for your cover design.
- Customize Your Cover: Replace the cover template’s placeholder text with your own book title, description, and author bio. This makes your cover stand out as uniquely yours.
- Format Text and Images: Adjust the size, font, color, and alignment of your text on the spine and front cover with the formatting options. Adding an author photo can personalize your cover further.
- Preview Your Cover: Before finalizing, use the preview feature to see your cover on different devices. This ensures your cover looks good and catches the eye.
- Save and Submit: Once happy with your design, save it and submit for review. Amazon KDP checks your cover meets all requirements before publishing your book.
These easy steps outline how to start with Cover Creator, pick a design template, customize it, format your design, and see the final look. This tool is simple to use. It does away with the need for complicated design software. It lets authors make covers that draw in readers.
Here is an example showing how the process unfolds:
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How to Use Cover Creator for Fully Formatted JPEG Covers
Amazon KDP’s Cover Creator makes designing JPEG book covers easy. Authors can follow simple steps to create covers that grab attention.
Selecting the Right Template
Authors start by launching Cover Creator via their Bookshelf. They click “Edit Paperback Content.” Then, they choose the second design from the left on the top row. This design lets them use a full wrap image.
Uploading the Cover File
Next, authors upload their JPEG cover file. It must meet Amazon KDP’s specs and guidelines.
Removing Filler Text
After the upload, they need to remove any filler text. Doing this creates a tailored, clean design for their book.
Previewing and Saving the Cover
It’s important to preview the cover before the final submission. This step allows authors to check the layout and text. If everything looks good, they save and submit their JPEG cover.
With Amazon KDP’s Cover Creator, authors easily make eye-catching book covers. By following these steps, they effectively showcase their book’s theme. This engages readers from the start.
Troubleshooting in Cover Creator
When using Cover Creator, authors might face some usual problems. These can be with text and image placement, among others. Knowing how to fix them is key. Here are important tips:
Text and Image Placement
Authors often struggle to position text and images right. It’s vital to keep them within safe areas on the back, front cover, and spine. This prevents unwanted cropping or overlapping.
Remember, the back cover, front cover, and spine sections have specific areas where text and images should be placed. Proper placement ensures that your cover looks professional and visually appealing.
Warning Triangles
Watch out for warning triangles in Cover Creator. They show errors that need fixing. This could be about text being too much, or images outside safe zones.
Checking your cover design for warning triangles and fixing them is crucial. This step makes sure your cover creation is smooth and without errors.
It’s also key to remember that downloading from Amazon’s Cover Creator is not possible. This tool is to be used on the platform. It makes designing covers on Amazon KDP easy.
Understanding these usual problems helps in making professional and good-looking covers. Now, we’ll get into the details of formatting covers for paperbacks.
Formatting Requirements for Paperback Covers
Creating the perfect paperback cover means authors can use design software as they like. They can bring their ideas to life. But, to make sure the cover looks good and prints well, there are key things to remember:
Cover Format: Paperback covers must be in a single PDF file. This file blends the back cover, spine, and front cover into one. It makes the design look unified and attractive.
Spine Text: The book’s spine will carry the title, author’s name, and other key details if it’s over 79 pages. For shorter books, the spine stays blank. This means authors need to think about their book’s length when designing the cover.
Cover Finish Options: Amazon KDP lets authors choose between glossy and matte finishes for their covers. A glossy finish makes the cover shine and stand out. On the other hand, a matte finish gives a softer, more textured look. Authors pick what suits their book’s vibe the best.
Setting Cover Size and Calculating Spine Measurements
When making a book cover, authors must think about size and spine measurements. These details help the book look its best. Let’s dive into how to choose the right cover size and figure out your spine’s size.
Setting the Cover Size
The right cover size makes your book stand out. Authors should add 0.125″ (3.2 mm) extra to the top, bottom, and outside edges for bleed. This extra space prevents the cover from being cut off or having white edges. With bleed, your cover will look top-notch.
Calculating the Spine Measurements
The spine’s width is tied to how thick your book is. It depends on page count, paper type, and book size. There are formulas to get this measurement right. Correct spine sizes mean the text sits right and is easy to read on the shelf.
Below is a table with examples of how page count affects spine size:
| Page Count | Trim Size | Spine Measurements |
|---|---|---|
| 100 – 299 pages | 5″ x 8″ (12.7 cm x 20.32 cm) | 0.375″ (0.95 cm) |
| 300 – 499 pages | 5″ x 8″ (12.7 cm x 20.32 cm) | 0.5″ (1.27 cm) |
| 100 – 499 pages | 6″ x 9″ (15.24 cm x 22.86 cm) | 0.625″ (1.59 cm) |
Authors need to calculate the spine size carefully. The right spine size makes sure the cover fits well and looks great.
Formatting Cover Background and Adding Images
When designing a book cover, it’s key to focus on the cover background for a nice look. Make sure the background extends 0.125″ (3.2 mm) past the trim line. This avoids white borders that could ruin the design. Extending the background helps achieve a smooth and professional appearance.
Adding clear, sharp images is also vital in cover design. The images must be at least 300 DPI to look sharp and clear. Think about how big and where to place these images to catch the eye. Images should be at 100% size to keep their true look.
Don’t forget about the text contrast with the background. The text needs to stand out for easy reading. Using contrasting colors or changing the background’s opacity can make the cover pop. This keeps the text clear and the cover visually striking.
Adding Text and Barcode
With Amazon KDP’s Cover Creator, you can design an eye-catching, professional book cover. You get to choose the fonts, sizes, styles, colors, and text alignment. This helps your cover pop and match your book’s genre.
Formatting Text
With Cover Creator, play around with text formatting until it looks great. Remember these tips:
- Pick fonts that match your genre and are easy to read. Stay away from fonts that are too fancy.
- Make sure the text size is just right, so it’s easy to read.
- Use styles like bold, italic, or underline to make things stand out.
- Choose colors that look good with your cover and are easy to see.
- Align your text so your cover looks neat and attractive.
Don’t rush. Try out different text mixes and preview your cover. See how everything looks together.
Spine Text Size and Placement
The spine’s text size and placement are crucial for paperback or hardcover books. The text must fit the spine and stay within a 0.0625″ (1.6 mm) margin.
Here’s a guide for spine text sizing and placement:
Page Count Spine Width Recommended Font Size Less than 100 pages 0.125″ (3.2 mm) 12 pt – 14 pt Between 100 and 300 pages Calculated based on page count 23 pt – 28 pt More than 300 pages Calculated based on page count 30 pt – 38 pt
Think about how the cover design and other details might impact the text on the spine.
Barcode Size and Placement
Every printed book needs a barcode for sales and tracking. Make sure to place it where it won’t be obscured. This ensures it can be scanned easily.
By paying attention to text formatting, spine text size, and barcode placement, you’ll create a cover that looks great and sells your book well.
Pre-Publication Checklist and Updating Covers
Before your book goes public, you must check your cover against a pre-publishing list. This confirms your cover ticks all the right boxes. It ensures your cover looks both professional and appealing to those you want to read your book.
Consider these vital cover file requirements:
- Make sure your cover file fits the dimensions and file type that Amazon KDP requires.
- Use high-resolution images and graphics that look good and catch the eye.
- Check that all text, like the title and author name, is easy to read and well-placed.
- Your cover design should match your book’s genre and theme, telling potential readers what to expect.
If you think your cover needs a refresh, updating it is easy. Just follow these steps:
- Go to your Amazon KDP Bookshelf and pick the book you want to update.
- Click the “…” in the “Actions” menu for the Paperback version.
- Choose “Edit Paperback Content” to start the Cover Creator tool.
- Change what you need on your cover, like photos, text, or colors.
- Check your new cover to make sure it looks just right.
- When you’re happy, save and send in your updated cover.
Your book’s cover is key in drawing readers and sparking interest. With the pre-publication checklist and the option to update, you can make sure your cover stands out. This will help captivate your audience effectively.
Conclusion
Amazon KDP’s Cover Creator is great for authors who want to make professional-looking eBook, paperback, and hardcover covers. It’s a friendly tool that helps you make covers that pull in readers and show what your book is about.
We’ve talked about many things related to Cover Creator. This includes the languages and formats it supports, system needs, and help for any issues. We’ve also gone through how to make covers step by step, whether for paperbacks or JPEGs.
Here are a few design tips for using Cover Creator. First, pick a template that matches your book’s genre and theme. Next, use high-quality pictures that connect with your story and audience. Make sure your text is easy to read and well placed. Also, use the preview option to check your cover before you finish it.
Following these tips, authors can make covers that capture attention and leave a lasting impression. So, start using Amazon KDP’s Cover Creator. Let your creativity flow and help your book stand out on both virtual and physical shelves!
