Book Cover Design That Sells (Without a Designer)
Readers judge covers in under a second, especially as thumbnails. A few principles separate covers that sell from covers that sink.
Design for the thumbnail
Most browsing happens at thumbnail size. If the title isn't legible small, the cover fails. Big type, high contrast, one focal point.
Signal the genre
Covers are a promise. Romance, thriller, and business each have visual conventions readers expect. Match them, then add one distinctive twist.
Type hierarchy
Title first, subtitle supporting, author smallest (unless you're a brand). Use one or two fonts with clear size contrast.
FAQ
What size should a Kindle cover be?
1600×2560 px (a 1.6:1 ratio) is Amazon's recommended ebook cover size.
Can AI design a good cover?
Yes — Bookery's cover designer produces clean, typographic, genre-aware covers you can fine-tune.
Related tools
AI Book Cover GeneratorDescribe your book and get clean, Kindle-ready covers in seconds — no designer, no Photoshop.Book Description GeneratorTurn one prompt into a click-worthy book description — written by AI, ready to edit and publish.AI Book Writer for KindleTurn one prompt into a KDP-ready Kindle book — written by AI, ready to edit and publish.