Your ebook cover does a lot of work before anyone reads a single page. It’s the thumbnail in a marketplace search, the image on your sales page and the first thing a buyer sees after checkout. A clear, readable cover won’t fix a weak book, but a muddy one can keep a good book from getting a fair look.
The good news: you don’t need to be a designer to make a solid cover. You need the right size, a simple layout and a few checks before you publish. This guide walks through the whole process for ebooks, workbooks and other PDF products, whether you’re starting from scratch or rebranding a PLR title.
Start with where the cover will appear
Before you open a design tool, list every place the cover will show up. Common ones:
- Amazon KDP, if you’re publishing a Kindle edition
- Your store platform (Payhip, Gumroad, Shopify and similar)
- Etsy listing photos
- Your sales page, emails and social posts
- The first page of the PDF itself
Each place displays images a little differently. Designing for the strictest requirement first, then making variations, saves you from redoing the cover later.
Get the size and format right
Amazon KDP ebook covers
If you plan to publish on Kindle, KDP’s cover guidelines are a good baseline even for products you sell elsewhere. According to KDP’s help page:
- The ideal size is 2,560 pixels tall by 1,600 pixels wide.
- The ideal height-to-width ratio is at least 1.6:1.
- The minimum is 1,000 pixels tall by 625 pixels wide, and the maximum is 10,000 pixels on each side.
- Files should be JPEG or TIFF, under 50 MB, in RGB color.
- KDP suggests avoiding heavy compression, since Amazon compresses covers itself when it displays them.
KDP also requires that you hold the rights to everything on the cover. That matters for PLR: if the original cover uses a photo or font you can’t verify, replace it before you publish.
Store and marketplace images
Your cover usually appears inside a larger product image on store platforms. Etsy, for example, recommends listing photos at least 2,000 pixels in both width and height, wants the first photo to be horizontal or square, and says to convert images to sRGB before uploading. A tall 1.6:1 cover won’t fill that space on its own, so plan to place it on a background or in a simple mockup for your listing images.
Check your own platform’s help center for its current image recommendations, since they change from time to time.
Choose a simple layout
Most effective nonfiction covers use one of a few basic layouts. Pick one and stick with it.
Title-dominant
A large title fills most of the cover on a solid or subtly textured background. This works well for practical guides and checklists, where the title explains the benefit. It also reads clearly at thumbnail size.
Image plus title
A single strong photo or illustration takes up most of the cover, with the title in a clean band at the top or bottom. Use this when the image instantly says what the book is about, such as a kitchen for a meal-planning guide or a desk for a productivity workbook.
Series layout
If you sell several related products, use the same layout, fonts and title position on each one and change only the color and image. Buyers recognize the series at a glance, and you can create new covers much faster.
Make the title readable at thumbnail size
This is the most common problem with DIY covers. A title that looks great at full size can turn into a smudge in a search result.
- Keep the title short. Put the main promise in the title and move the rest to a subtitle.
- Use one or two fonts. A bold font for the title and a simple one for the subtitle and author name is plenty.
- Go big. The title should take up a large share of the cover’s width.
- Use strong contrast. Dark text on a light background or light text on a dark one. Avoid putting text over busy parts of a photo.
- Test small. Shrink your cover to the size of a phone thumbnail and look at it. If you can’t read the title, neither can a shopper.
If your cover has a white or very light background, KDP suggests adding a thin medium-gray border of about 3 to 4 pixels so the edges don’t disappear against a white page.
Pick images and fonts you’re allowed to use
Every image and font on your cover needs a license that covers commercial use on a product you sell. A few practical points:
- Free photo sites have conditions. Read the license for each site you use. Some restrict certain uses, such as selling prints or products where the photo is the main thing being sold.
- Design-tool elements have their own terms. If you design in a tool like Canva, its content license applies to the photos and graphics you use from its library.
- Fonts are licensed, too. Open-source fonts under the SIL Open Font License can be used in print and digital designs. Other fonts may be free for personal use only. Check before you use one on a paid product.
- Keep a record. Note where each image and font came from and which license applies. It takes a minute and saves a headache later.
For rebranded PLR, consider building a new cover from scratch rather than editing the supplied one. You’ll know exactly what’s on it, and your version will look different from other buyers’ copies.
A step-by-step cover workflow
Here’s a simple process you can repeat for every product.
- Write the cover text first. Title, subtitle and author or brand name. Cut anything that isn’t essential.
- Set up your canvas. Use 1,600 by 2,560 pixels for a standard ebook cover. If your product is a printable or workbook, you can match the page shape instead, such as US Letter.
- Choose your layout and colors. Pick two or three colors that fit your brand and the topic.
- Place the title. Make it big, then add the subtitle and name in smaller, simpler type.
- Add one image or graphic, if needed. Keep text off the busiest areas.
- Run the thumbnail test. Shrink it down and check readability.
- Export versions. A full-size JPEG for KDP, a version for the first page of your PDF and a mockup or background version for listing images.
- Name files clearly. Something like “meal-plan-guide-cover-kdp.jpg” is easier to find later than “final2.jpg.”
Adding the cover to your PDF
For PDF products, the cover usually becomes page one of the file. Place the cover image on the first page at full size so it doesn’t get cropped or squeezed. If your PDF uses US Letter pages and your cover is a taller ebook shape, either design a separate letter-sized version or center the cover on a plain background that matches.
Check the exported PDF on a phone, a tablet and a computer. Make sure the cover isn’t blurry and that the file size is still reasonable for a download.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Too much text. Bullet points and long blurbs belong on the sales page, not the cover.
- Tiny fonts. Anything you have to zoom to read is too small.
- Low-resolution images. Stretching a small image makes it pixelated. Start with an image at least as large as your canvas.
- Unclear rights. If you can’t say where an image or font came from, replace it.
- Misleading claims. Keep the cover honest. Don’t promise results the book can’t deliver, and don’t use badges or labels you haven’t earned.
Final checklist
- Size and format match your main platform’s requirements
- Title is readable at thumbnail size
- No more than two fonts
- Every image and font is licensed for commercial use and recorded
- Light covers have a thin border
- Separate versions exported for KDP, the PDF and listings
- Files are clearly named and saved with your product files
A good cover is mostly about clarity. Get the size right, keep the text short and bold, use assets you know you can use, and test it small. Once you have a template that works, every new product gets easier.
Sources
- Amazon KDP Help: Cover image guidelines
- Etsy Help Center: How to add photos and videos to your listing
- SIL Open Font License: Official license text
- Canva: Content License Agreement
Featured image: Photo: Rawpixel (CC0)