Our audiobook cover design services create the square cover that audiobook stores require, matched to your print and eBook covers. A good audiobook cover reads clearly at small sizes, signals your genre and looks professional beside every other title in the store.
An audiobook cover is not simply a cropped print cover, because the square shape changes the layout. This service is part of our book design services.
Why audiobook covers are different
Print and eBook covers are tall. Audiobook covers are square, so the title, the author name and the artwork have to be rearranged to fit. In audio stores the cover is often shown very small, so the title must stay legible, and listeners usually browse by cover and narrator, so a strong design matters.
What we deliver
- A square audiobook cover at the size and format the store requires
- A design that matches your print and eBook covers
- Space for narrator credit where the store shows it
- Files named and prepared for upload
Matching your print and eBook covers
Listeners often move between formats, so recognising the same book matters. We keep your artwork, typeface and colours consistent, and we can extend the look across a whole series. See our series cover design services and book cover design services.
Store requirements
Each audiobook store sets its own size, format and content rules, and covers that break them are rejected. We build to the current requirements and check the files before you upload. For production and publishing, see our audiobook publishing services and our ACX audiobook publishing services.
Square, small and readable
Audiobook stores use a square cover, and most listings show it at a small size in a long scrolling list. That makes the title the most important element. Fine detail, thin type and busy backgrounds disappear at that size, so the design needs bold lettering, strong contrast and a single clear image. We design the audiobook cover from your existing artwork where possible, adapt the composition to the square format and check how it looks at thumbnail size on a phone before sending files.
Adding narrator and series details
Many audiobook shops show the narrator as well as the author, and some listings display series information too. We plan space for the narrator credit and the series number without crowding the title. Keeping those details small and well placed helps buyers tell your book apart from other editions of the same story, and it makes a series look organised from the first book to the last.
Keeping print, eBook and audio covers one family
A reader who sees the paperback in one place and the audiobook in another should recognise them as the same book. We keep the same typography, colour palette and main image across all editions, and we never simply stretch a portrait cover into a square, because that distorts the artwork. The result is a set of covers that look related without being identical, which is useful for series branding too.
Check the store rules before you upload
Audiobook stores have their own rules about what a cover may show. Many do not allow web addresses, prices, calls to action or review quotes, and some restrict badges and awards. Image size, file type and resolution are also set by each store. We check the requirements for the stores you plan to use and prepare files that meet them, so your listing is not delayed by a cover that has to be redone.
When to commission the audiobook cover
The best time is while the print and eBook covers are being finished, because the same image and fonts can be adapted at little extra effort. Waiting until the audio is recorded often means hunting for source files and rebuilding the look from a flat image. If your book is already published, send us the final cover files and we will adapt them for audio, matching colours and type exactly.
Questions about audiobook cover design
What size is an audiobook cover?
Each store sets its own size and format, and we build to the current specification for the stores you use.
Can you design it from my existing cover?
Yes. We adapt your existing artwork to the square format, or redesign it if the layout does not translate.
Do I need a separate cover for each store?
Often one square design works across stores. We prepare the versions each store needs.
Can the cover show the narrator's name?
Where the store allows it, yes. We leave space for the credit.
How much does it cost?
The price depends on whether we adapt an existing cover or design a new one. Tell us about your book and we send a free quote with a fixed price.
Can I use my eBook cover for the audiobook?
Not directly. An eBook cover is usually a portrait image, while an audiobook cover is square. We adapt the design so it keeps the same look without distortion.
Do I need a separate cover for each audiobook store?
Usually one well-made square master works across stores, though each store sets its own size and file rules. We check these for you.
Can the narrator appear on the cover?
Most covers show the narrator as a text credit, not a photograph. If you want something different, we can discuss it, but we follow the rules of the store you use.
What files will I receive?
You receive the square cover in the formats and sizes your stores need, and the source files your agreement provides for.
What size should an audiobook cover be?
Stores set their own sizes, and they are usually large squares. We prepare the file at a high resolution, so it can be reduced for each listing, and we check the current requirements for the stores you choose before we send the final files to you.
Related services
- Book design services
- Book cover design services
- Audiobook publishing services
- ACX audiobook publishing services
Why authors work with us
- You keep your rights, your royalties and your accounts
- You receive a written scope and a fixed price before any work starts
- You approve every file before it moves to the next step
- One project manager keeps you informed at every stage