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By Nick Caya, Word-2-Kindle founder — content last reviewed May 2026.

What ebook cover design covers (and what it doesn’t)

A finished cover is three different files, not one. The Kindle ebook cover is a single front-only image at retailer-spec resolution. The KDP Print paperback cover is a wraparound: front, spine, and back assembled as one print-ready PDF with bleed and trim marks. A hardcover adds wrap-around flap real estate and a different spine-width calculation. We deliver whichever subset the title actually needs at launch — most ebook-only authors don’t need the print wraparound until they’re ready to add a paperback edition.

What is in scope: art direction, typography, layout, mockups, and final files in every format the manuscript will publish in. What is not in scope: licensed stock photography (Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or photographer commissions are sourced by the author), trademarked imagery clearance, or rewriting back-cover copy. Cover concepts are presented in 2–3 directions; the chosen direction goes through unlimited revisions until the file is sized to retailer spec and approved by the author.

KDP cover file specifications

Amazon and IngramSpark do not accept the same file. The Kindle ebook cover must be a JPEG or TIFF, RGB, sRGB color space, with the longest side at least 2,560 pixels and a 1.6:1 aspect ratio (1,600 × 2,560 is the working canvas we build to). Files at lower resolution will display fuzzy on Fire and high-DPI phone displays, which is the most common reason a cover that “looks fine on the laptop” fails the live preview.

The KDP Print paperback cover is a single PDF containing front, spine, and back, sized to the trim of the interior plus 0.125 inch of bleed on every outer edge plus the spine width. Spine width depends on page count and paper weight: standard cream paper at 300 pages is 0.6750 inches; the same page count on white is 0.6300. We calculate spine width from the final formatted interior file, not from the manuscript word count, because trim and font choices change the page count between formatting passes. Title and author text on the spine needs at least 0.0625 inch of clearance from the spine edge to survive Amazon’s print tolerance.

For IngramSpark, the same wraparound is exported as PDF/X-1a:2001 with CMYK color, embedded fonts, 300 DPI minimum, and an additional barcode area on the back. IngramSpark rejects RGB files silently — the file uploads, then prints with shifted color. We export both KDP and IngramSpark files from one master when both editions are planned.

Designing for thumbnails, not for the printer

Most ebook covers are seen first at thumbnail size on Amazon’s results page — roughly 90 pixels wide on mobile, 160 pixels on desktop. A cover that reads beautifully at full size and turns into mush at 90 pixels is a cover that loses to the cover next to it. We design with a thumbnail check on every revision: title legibility, single dominant focal point, and color contrast that holds on Amazon’s white background. Subgenres dictate convention — a cosy mystery cover that breaks the genre code rarely sells, regardless of how striking it is in isolation. Browsing the top 50 in the target category before brief-writing is part of every project.

How a cover project moves from brief to delivered file

Step one is a written brief: title, subtitle, author name, genre, target comparison titles (3–5 covers the author wants to sit beside on the digital shelf), tone notes, and any imagery the author is committed to. Most briefs take 30–45 minutes to fill in.

Step two is concept development — 2–3 cover directions delivered as front-only mockups for review. This is the round where authors give direction; revisions of the chosen concept are unlimited from this point.

Step three is the chosen-direction refinement: typography polish, color tuning, hierarchy adjustments. Most projects converge in 2–3 revision rounds.

Step four is final file production. For ebook-only, this is the retailer-spec JPEG plus a high-resolution master kept on file in case a paperback follows later. For print, this is the wraparound PDF built from the final formatted interior page count.

Total turnaround for an ebook cover from approved brief to final files is 5–7 business days. Wrap-around print covers add 1–2 days because the spine width math depends on the formatted interior. Rush delivery is available at a 25% surcharge.

Pricing and what’s included

Cover design starts at $149 for a Kindle-only ebook cover — front image only, retailer-spec JPEG. The $199 tier adds the print paperback wraparound (front, spine, back, with spine width calculated from the formatted interior). $249 adds the hardcover dust-jacket flap layout. Stock photography licensing fees, when needed, are passed through at cost.

Authors who order formatting plus cover together at the same time get the covers built around the formatted interior’s actual page count, which avoids a second spine-width recalculation if the interior re-flows during formatting.