Help Topics
- Help
- Account & Taxes
-
Book Formatting
-
Format Your Paperback
- Set Trim Size, Bleed, and Margins
- Format Front Matter, Body Matter, and Back Matter
- Save Your Manuscript File
- Paperback and Hardcover Manuscript Templates
- Cover Creator
- Create a Paperback Cover
- Format Images in Your Book
- Paperback Fonts
- Fix Paperback and Hardcover Formatting Issues
- Paperback Submission Guidelines
- Format Your Hardcover
- Format Your eBook
- Tools and Resources
-
Format Your Paperback
- KDP Publishing
-
Orders & Book Copies
-
Proof and Author Copies
- How do I order a proof or author copy?
- How much do proof or author copies cost?
- What is the cost to ship my proof or author copy?
- When will my proof or author copy arrive?
- I’m getting an error ordering my author copy
- I’m getting an error ordering my proof copy
- My proof or author copy came damaged
- My proof or author copy didn’t arrive on time
- My proof or author copy has printing errors
-
Proof and Author Copies
- Amazon Store & Detail Page
- Marketing & Distribution
- Book Updates
- Payments & Reports
- Legal & Content Guidelines
-
User Guides
-
Kindle Publishing Guidelines
- Getting Started
- General Best Practices
- Guidelines for Specific Types of eBooks
- Appendices
- KDP Jumpstart
- KDP University
-
Kindle Publishing Guidelines
Contact Us
Have feedback? Can't find your answer in our Help pages?
Contact UsTopic 9 - Design Your Cover
WHAT THIS TOPIC COVERS
After reading this topic, you'll be able to use our Cover Creator tool to:- Choose a design, layout, colors, and font
- Preview your cover to make sure it meets your expectations
YOUR PROGRESS
You've completed Milestones 1 and 2. Now you're workking on Milestone 3, which covers book formatting. Later, you'll set rights and pricing (Milestone 4).
HOW TO DESIGN YOUR COVER
We recommend using our Cover Creator tool to design a cover for your eBook or paperback. You can use your own image or choose one from our gallery of stock images. The tool allows you to customize your cover with a variety of layouts and fonts.If you have specific formatting needs and want to format your cover yourself, see these eBook and paperback Help pages.
Video: Cover Creator
 | Open the toolTo use the tool, you'll log in to your account, go to your Bookshelf, and continue setting up your title. On the Content page, scroll down to the cover section and click Launch Cover Creator. |
 | Choose a designYou’ll be able to upload your own cover photo or use KDP's stock images. If you want to use your own photo, make sure it meets our guidelines and that it's high resolution. When choosing from the stock images, test several until you've found the right fit for your book. |
 | Customize the styleNext you'll choose a layout, color scheme, and font. When choosing colors and fonts, make sure that your text is legible. Text can be illegible if the font and background color is too similar. Your cover text should also be large and clear enough. |
 | Preview your coverYou'll be able to preview your cover to see what it will look when printed. If you're not satisfied with your cover, you can start over. When you’re done, click Save & Submit.TIP: Make sure the information on your cover (e.g., title, author name) exactly matches the book details you entered. |
ACTIVITY
Cover Creator gives you lots of choices for designing your cover. You can use your own image or choose from our gallery. You can also customize the layout and change the position of elements, colors, and fonts.
When designing your cover, think about how your choices will resonate with readers in your genre. For design ideas, see the three examples below.
Cover Creator gives you lots of choices for designing your cover. You can use your own image or choose from our gallery. You can also customize the layout and change the position of elements, colors, and fonts.
When designing your cover, think about how your choices will resonate with readers in your genre. For design ideas, see the three examples below.
Science fiction
Image: The author used his own high-resolution image.
Font: "Obitron" for the front, back cover, and spine text.
Layout: The chosen template places the author name, title, and back cover text so that they don’t obscure the key parts of the cover image.
Image: The author used his own high-resolution image.
Font: "Obitron" for the front, back cover, and spine text.
Layout: The chosen template places the author name, title, and back cover text so that they don’t obscure the key parts of the cover image.
Romance
Image: Chosen from the "Relationship" section of the Cover Creator image gallery.
Font: "Great Vibes" for title and author name; "Poiret One" for spine and back cover text.
Layout: The chosen template adjusts the image size so that the reader can see the man and the woman. The image position conveys the mood of a romantic relationship.
Image: Chosen from the "Relationship" section of the Cover Creator image gallery.
Font: "Great Vibes" for title and author name; "Poiret One" for spine and back cover text.
Layout: The chosen template adjusts the image size so that the reader can see the man and the woman. The image position conveys the mood of a romantic relationship.
Health and fitness
Image: The author used his own high-resolution image.
Font: "Philosopher" for the front, back cover, and spine text.
Layout: The image-only template was used with the text placement template to best accommodate the image.
Image: The author used his own high-resolution image.
Font: "Philosopher" for the front, back cover, and spine text.
Layout: The image-only template was used with the text placement template to best accommodate the image.
 | Readers often judge books by their covers. If they don't notice and connect with your cover, they're unlikely to read your book description or preview the first pages. For tips on designing a cover that can help you attract more customers, read this article. |
WHAT TO DO NEXT
- Download or print the KDP Jumpstart companion guide. It provides detailed, step-by-step instructions on using Cover Creator to design your cover.
- Go to your Bookshelf and follow the instructions in the companion guide.
- When you're satisfied with your cover, save and submit it.
- Go to Topic 10, which will show you how to upload your book to KDP.
