Book cover design for your ebook or paperback, in your genre's style
Readers judge a book by its cover in a thumbnail on a store page. This prompt has your todo.is agent study what covers in your genre look like, make three concepts that fit it, set your title and author name as exact type, and size the winner for ebook stores and a full paperback wrap.
The prompt
- Design a book cover for [BOOK TITLE] by [AUTHOR NAME]. Genre: [GENRE]. The story or topic in brief: [SHORT BLURB]. Mood and imagery: [COVER IDEAS]. First look at bestselling covers in this genre and tell me the common conventions (fonts, colours, imagery). Then make 3 concepts at 1600 x 2560 px (ebook, 1:1.6). Generate the artwork with AI, then add the title and author name as real type so they are exact and readable at thumbnail size. When I pick one, make a paperback full wrap for [TRIM SIZE AND PAGE COUNT] with spine text and space for the back blurb and barcode, as a PDF.
What to change
- [BOOK TITLE]: Exactly as printed, plus subtitle if any, e.g. "The Salt House: A Novel".
- [AUTHOR NAME]: As you want it on the cover, e.g. "Elena Marsh".
- [GENRE]: Be specific, e.g. "cosy mystery", "epic fantasy", "self-help for new managers", "literary fiction".
- [SHORT BLURB]: Two or three sentences about the book, or attach the blurb.
- [COVER IDEAS]: E.g. "a lonely house on a cliff, stormy sea, muted blues", or "no ideas, suggest some".
- [TRIM SIZE AND PAGE COUNT]: E.g. "6 x 9 in, 312 pages, cream paper". Spine width depends on page count and paper.
Example result
- Cover concepts for The Salt House by Elena Marsh
- Genre: atmospheric literary suspense · 6 x 9 in paperback, 312 pages
- What covers in this genre usually do
- • Moody, desaturated photography or painterly art: a lone house, a figure from behind, water
- • Large serif or elegant sans titles, often in all caps, with the author name nearly as large
- • Muted blues, greys and one warm accent (a lit window, a red coat)
- Concept 1: The lit window
- A grey stone house on a cliff edge at dusk, one window glowing amber, sea spray below. Title in tall white serif caps across the sky. Author name at the bottom in spaced capitals.
- Concept 2: The figure
- A woman in a dark coat seen from behind on a rocky beach, the house small in the distance. Title in a clean sans serif, slightly transparent over the fog.
- Concept 3: Salt and paper
- Textured illustration of a house drawn in salt crystals on deep navy. Minimal and literary, title in gold.
- Thumbnail check
- All three viewed at 160 px wide, roughly how they appear in search results on online bookstores. Concept 1 had the clearest title; concept 3 lost the author name, so its type was enlarged.
- Print wrap (after choosing concept 1)
- • 6 x 9 in front and back, spine about 0.7 in for 312 cream pages (confirm with your printer's spine calculator)
- • 0.125 in bleed on all sides
- • Spine: THE SALT HOUSE · MARSH, reading top to bottom
- • Back: blurb area, author photo spot, white box 2 x 1.2 in for the barcode
- Files delivered
- • the_salt_house_ebook_cover.jpg: 1600 x 2560 px
- • the_salt_house_paperback_wrap.pdf: full wrap with bleed
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your title, author name, genre, blurb, cover ideas and trim size.
- Paste it on the Today screen in todo.is or send it to your agent; attach covers you love as references.
- Compare the three concepts and the genre notes, and choose one.
- Ask for changes, then the paperback wrap. Check the spine width with your printer's template before uploading.
Tips for a better result
- Fit the genre first, stand out second. A thriller cover that looks like romance confuses the exact readers you want.
- Test your cover at thumbnail size next to bestsellers in your category. If the title disappears, make it bigger.
- Get the final page count before ordering the print wrap; spine width changes with every page.
- Most self-publishing platforms provide their own cover templates and specs. Give your agent the template and it designs to it.
book cover design: FAQ
- What size should an ebook cover be? A ratio of 1:1.6 is common, such as 1600 x 2560 px. Check your publishing platform's current guidelines for exact minimums.
- How do I work out the spine width? It depends on page count and paper type. Use your printer's or platform's spine calculator, or give your agent the page count and paper type to estimate it.
- Can I use an AI-generated cover commercially? Usually, but check the image model's terms and your publishing platform's rules. Some platforms ask you to disclose AI-generated content, and AI images may not be protected by copyright everywhere.
- Can I get the cover as a layered file? You get high-resolution JPG, PNG and PDF files. For layered or vector files, ask your agent for the artwork without text so a designer can rebuild the type.
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