Ebook cover design services: what you get
Your ebook cover has one job on Amazon: to make the right reader stop scrolling at thumbnail size. Our ebook cover design services start with research into the best-selling covers in your category, so the design signals your genre at a glance, then add the details that make it yours. You receive a front cover sized for KDP and other ebook stores, plus versions you can use in ads and social posts.
- Genre and competitor-category research, with a written creative brief
- 2–3 initial concept directions in most projects
- Title and author-name typography tested at small sizes
- Final ebook cover, paperback wrap and audiobook square, depending on your package
- 3D mockups for marketing, and source files with font documentation
Ebook cover specifications for Amazon KDP
We design to KDP's published ebook cover requirements:
| Specification | KDP ebook cover requirement |
|---|---|
| File type | JPEG (.jpg) or TIFF (.tif) |
| Ideal size | 2,560 px tall x 1,600 px wide (height-to-width ratio of 1.6:1) |
| Minimum size | 1,000 px tall x 625 px wide; no more than 10,000 px on either side |
| Colour | RGB |
| File size | Under 50 MB, with minimal compression |
| Light backgrounds | KDP suggests a thin (3–4 px) medium-grey border so the cover does not disappear on white pages |
Paperback and hardcover cover design
A print cover is one PDF containing the back cover, spine and front cover. KDP's paperback cover guide sets the rules, and the most important ones are below.
| Specification | KDP paperback cover requirement |
|---|---|
| File | A single PDF (back, spine and front as one image); 40 MB or less recommended |
| Bleed | 0.125" (3.2 mm) on the top, bottom and outside edges |
| Cover width | Bleed + back cover + spine + front cover + bleed |
| Spine width (black ink) | Page count x 0.002252" on white paper, or x 0.0025" on cream paper |
| Spine text | Only if the book has at least 79 pages, with 0.0625" clear on each side |
| Images | CMYK, flattened, at least 300 DPI; fonts embedded |
| Text | At least 0.125" inside the trim lines and at least 7-point |
Because the spine depends on the final page count, we finish the wrap once your book formatting is complete. Hardcover cases use different dimensions, so we build those from KDP's cover calculator for your exact trim size and page count.
How we work with you
- Brief. You share your book summary, audience, any brand assets and covers you like. We study your category.
- Concepts. You see multiple design directions and pick one to develop.
- Refinement. We polish typography, imagery and colour, with revision rounds within scope.
- Delivery. Final ebook, print and promotional files, checked against the platform specifications.
Covers for audiobooks and marketing
Audio retailers need a square version of your cover, so we adapt the design for audiobook production without losing what makes it recognisable. Your cover is also the main creative in your book marketing campaigns, and it is uploaded during Amazon KDP publishing. If you are publishing yourself, read how to self-publish a book on Amazon KDP before you upload.