# Book Cover Design Services That Sell Your Book at a Glance > Book cover design services: custom covers for print, eBook and audio, built to KDP and IngramSpark specs. You approve concepts and keep the files. Free quote. Source: https://theauthorpublishing.com/book-design/book-cover-design/ Publisher: The Author Publishing Last updated: 2026-10-25 --- Our book cover design services give your book the cover it needs to be noticed, understood and chosen, often from a thumbnail no bigger than a postage stamp. Each design is made for your genre and your format, then supplied as print, eBook and audiobook files ready for upload. Share your ideas and the books you want yours to sit beside, and a designer returns with concepts to react to. You approve the final design before we deliver it. This service is part of our [book design services](https://theauthorpublishing.com/book-design/). ## Custom book cover design for your genre A custom cover starts with the market, not a template. Readers of thrillers, romance, fantasy, memoir and business books each expect different cues: type style, colour, imagery and layout. Your designer reviews comparable books in your genre, then builds concepts that look at home on the same shelf while still standing out. Your title, subtitle and author name must stay legible at small sizes, because most readers first meet your cover as a thumbnail in a store. ## KDP book cover design and print specifications Print covers are technical as well as creative. A paperback or hardcover cover is a single wrap made of back cover, spine and front, with bleed beyond the trim edge. Its overall width depends on trim size, page count and paper type, so the spine cannot be finalised until the interior is. We build to the current requirements of Amazon KDP and IngramSpark, supply the wrap for print and a flat front cover for eBook stores, and check the files before you upload. See our [Amazon KDP publishing services](https://theauthorpublishing.com/amazon-publishing/kdp-publishing-services/) and [IngramSpark publishing services](https://theauthorpublishing.com/book-distribution/ingramspark/) for the upload stage. ## Working with book cover design artists You work with a designer who handles your project from brief to final files. Tell us about your book, share covers you admire and describe what you want readers to feel. Concepts are presented for your feedback, and you request changes within the revision rounds listed in your quote. If you have an illustration or photo in mind, tell us early so the design can be planned around it. ## What you receive - A print-ready cover wrap sized to your trim size and page count - A front cover for eBook stores - A square audiobook cover, if audio is part of your plan The exact files and the usage rights for each are listed in your quote. ## Briefing a designer well The best covers start with a clear brief. Tell us your genre, who the book is for and three to five covers you admire, with a line on what you like about each. Add words for the mood you want, and anything you know you do not want. Send the final title and subtitle, because changing words late affects the whole layout. A good brief saves revision rounds, because the first concepts start closer to what you have in mind. ## The thumbnail test and genre signals Readers use covers to guess a book’s genre before reading a word. Romance, thrillers, fantasy and business books each have visual habits, such as type style, colour and image style. Following them tells the right readers that your book is for them, and breaking them without a reason can confuse. We study the top books in your category, then design a cover that fits the genre and still stands out. Every concept is checked at the small size it will have on a phone. ## Concepts, revisions and sign-off We begin with concepts, you give feedback and we refine one direction until it is right. Your quote lists the number of concepts and revision rounds, so there are no surprises. Specific feedback works best: point to the element, say what is wrong and say what you would like instead. When you approve the final design, we deliver print-ready and eBook files and check them against the printer or store specifications. ## Questions about book cover design ### How much does book cover design cost? It depends on the formats you need, whether the cover includes custom illustration, and how many covers are in the project. Tell us about your book and we send a free, itemised quote with a fixed price before any work starts. ### How long does a book cover take? Your quote lists the dates for concepts, revisions and final files, so you know the schedule before you start. Print covers are finished last, once the page count is final. ### Can the cover be designed before the interior is finished? Yes. Concepts and the front cover can start early. For print, the spine and back cover are finalised once the page count is fixed. ### Who owns the cover? You receive the final files and the usage rights set out in your quote, so you can publish and promote the book as agreed. ### Can you redesign a cover I already have? Yes. A redesign can refresh a book that is not selling or match an older title to a new series. ### Do you design the spine and back cover too? Yes. For print books we design the full wrap, with front, spine and back. We calculate the spine from your page count and paper type. ### Can you use stock images? Yes, when they are properly licensed and fit the concept. We tell you which images are licensed and what the licence allows. ### What if I do not like the first concept? Tell us what is not working. We use your notes to change direction or refine the idea, within the revision rounds in your quote. ### How do I know whether a cover will work for my genre? Compare it with the best-selling covers in your category at thumbnail size. If it feels clearly different in style, colour or lettering, it may signal the wrong genre. We run this comparison for every concept, so you can see how the design sits beside the books your readers already buy. ## Related services - [Book design services](https://theauthorpublishing.com/book-design/) - [Amazon KDP publishing services](https://theauthorpublishing.com/amazon-publishing/kdp-publishing-services/) - [IngramSpark publishing services](https://theauthorpublishing.com/book-distribution/ingramspark/) ## 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