No, this is optional. The ISBN is attached digitally to your ebook’s metadata and is not required to appear in your ebook.
The number of ISBN numbers that you may need depends on the format of your book. You will need one for an EPUB file, another one for a MOBI file, and another for a print book.
No, you do not require an ISBN to publish an ebook on Amazon KDP.
For more information, click here.
No, we do not require you to have an ISBN in order to format your ebook.
If you obtain an ISBN later on, you will be able to add this to the metadata (the information which identifies your ebook) when you upload it to the publisher’s website.
You can obtain an ISBN through the following sources:
- Smashwords (Note that ISBNs from Smashwords are for publishing on Smashwords only and should not be used anywhere else.)
- United States: Bowker
- Canada: The Library and Archives of Canada
- United Kingdom: Nielson UK ISBN Agency
- Australia: The Australian ISBN Agency
- New Zealand: The National Library of New Zealand
For formatting, Kdpcover requires a Word document (doc/docx) or equivalent (ie. Open Office document (.odt), Pages document (.pages), etc).
Important note: We cannot use a PDF or a file created by converting a PDF.
Simply put, a file created with a converter is not the same as the original file that was used to create the PDF. For example, we’ve found that non-printing characters are inserted to maintain the text’s appearance across platforms (and therefore appear in the converted file). Clean-up of converted files can be a inconsistent and time consuming process.
If you would like to get a quote for book formatting, please submit your file through our form here: http://kdpcover.com/book-formatting-form/
Blank pages in your print book PDF file may be due to a couple of reasons. However, it is first important to understand what one is seeing when viewing this PDF file. Each page is either a right/odd/front or a left/even/back page. The ‘right’ page is the ‘front’, and the following ‘left’ page is the ‘back’ side of the previous ‘right’ page.
Keeping this in mind, the following are some reasons your book may have blank pages:
- Your front matter ends on a right/odd/front page. The first ‘chapter’ of the book will start on a right/odd/front page, therefore the previous left page will be blank.
- Your book has a Part I, Part II, etc. (or something similar). These are divider pages, which start on the right/odd/front pages. The chapter immediately following this page starts on a right/odd/front page, so the previous left/even/back page is blank.
- The text of your book ends on a right/odd/front page. This means that the last page of your book will be blank since each page has two sides and a book will always have an even number of pages.
Please refer to the following outline to determine if you need to send us your cover file:
Smashwords
- We do not need your cover file if you ordered a Word doc file. When you publish with a Word doc file, you will upload your cover file separately and the Smashwords meatgrinder/converter will automatically insert your cover image into EPUB and MOBI files.
- If you are publishing on Smashwords with an EPUB file, then please send us your cover and we will insert it as per the requirements.
Amazon KDP
We do not require your cover if you are publishing on Amazon KDP. You will upload your cover file along with your book file, and it will be inserted into your ebook when you publish.
IngramSpark EPUB
Yes, IngramSpark requires that you cover is inserted into the EPUB file. Please email us your cover file if you ordered an EPUB file for Google Books.
IngramSpark Print
No, we do not require your cover if you are publishing with IngramSpark print. You will upload your cover file along with your book file.
Amazon KDP Print
No, we do not require your cover if you are publishing with Amazon KDP Print. You will upload your cover file along with your book file.
Yes, if you prefer a different font to be used for print or ebook formatting services, please let us know.
Please choose a font that is free for commercial use from Font Squirrel.
Ebook launch will send you a print-ready PDF file that you can upload to Amazon KDP Print and/or IngramSpark.
The terms conversion, book design, and formatting are sometimes used interchangeably, which can lead to confusion… Here’s how Kdpcover sees it (also see diagram below):
Conversion implies using a converter to change your file from one format to another. For example, converting a PDF file to a .doc file. This is strictly technical and takes a matter of seconds. A lot of conversions are not perfect and can be frustrating to deal with. The Smashwords Meatgrinder is a good example of a converter, which is why they have very specific formatting requirements.
Book design refers to the layout and aesthetic appearance of a book. This includes the artistic element like flourishes, insets, etc. A book designer generally would also format the file appropriately (eg. get it print-ready) – so in that sense, they are the full package (and usually the most expensive).
Formatting is a combination of both, leaning towards the technical side of things. Kdpcover considers both the aesthetic and technical requirements during formatting (including best practices). We take a manuscript and ensure it meets the requirements of a retailer or distributor while ensuring it looks great on all devices.
Here is an explanation of Kdpcover’s terminology with regard to books, print books, and ebooks:
Most print books and ebooks use similar conventions, such as a cover page, title page, copyright page, table of contents, chapters, and paragraphs. However, there are some notable differences between print books and ebooks – especially when considering ebook formatting and print book formatting:
- Layout: Print books have a fixed layout that you can control, and does not change after printing. Ebooks have a reflowable layout that appears different depending on the device, application, or user settings used to view the ebook. Reflowable formatting refers to the text’s ability to “flow” or automatically wrap words in a document to the next line as the settings change. This flexibility of ebooks allows each reader to enjoy the ebook according to their own preferences, on their own device or application. Because there are not pages per se in an ebook, one cannot ‘center’ the text vertically.
- Page numbers: Since ebook text “flows” to adjust to the size of the screen and user settings, an ebook does not have set pages or page numbers, as in a print book. Therefore, the reader cannot use page numbers as a means of navigating and referencing locations within the ebook through the table of contents or index. Instead, ebooks have a table of contents that is hyperlinked to the individual chapters and/or sections of the book. And instead of the index, users use the device or application’s search function to locate specific words or phrases within the text.
- Headers and footers: As there are no set pages or page numbers in ebooks, they do not have headers or footers. Any headers and/or footers you see in an ebook are put there by the ereader app or device using the ebook’s metadata.
- Endnotes: Again, as there are no set pages in ebooks, footnotes found in a print book, become endnotes within the ebook.
- Images: To ensure predictability of placement, images are in line with the text and centered. As most ereader apps and devices do not accept charts, tables, and columns at this time, these are converted into images and formatted accordingly. If there are captions associated with the image, because of reflowable text, there is no guarantee the caption will be on the same screen/page as the image.
In an ebook, depending on the ereader app or device, the reader can set the following preferences:
- font type
- font size
- page width
- hyphenation
- text alignment
- color mode
The following are some examples of preference setting for the Kindle for Mac/PC (these also demonstrate reflowable text and the dynamic nature of ebooks):
The Preference selection can be accessed by click on the “Aa” button:
Font Type
Font Size Set Small in the eReader Preferences
Font Size Set Medium in the eReader Preferences
Font Size Set Large in the eReader Preferences
Page Width Set Narrow in the eReader Preferences
Page Width Set Medium in the eReader Preferences
Page Width Set Wide in the eReader Preferences
Readers also have the use of the ereader’s Search function to navigate the book:
The following is a quote from the Smashwords Style Guide:
How Ebook Formatting is Different from Print Formatting
Ebooks are different from print books, so do not attempt to make your ebook look like an exact facsimile of a print book, otherwise, you’ll only frustrate yourself by creating a poorly formatted, unreadable ebook.
With print, you control the layout. The words appear on the printed page exactly where you want them to appear.
With ebooks, there is no “page.” By giving up the control of the printed page, you and your readers gain much more in return.
Page numbers are irrelevant. Your book will look different on every e-reading device. Your text will shapeshift and reflow. Most e-reading devices and e-reading applications allow your reader to customize the fonts, font sizes, and line spacing. Your customers will modify how your book looks on-screen to suit their personal reading preference and environment. By transforming your books into digital form, you open up exciting possibilities for how readers can enjoy them.
At Smashwords, our motto is “your book, your way,” and this means a reader should be able to consume your book, however, works best for them, even if that means they like to read 18 points Helvetica with blue fonts, lime background color, and triple spaced lines. Many e-reading devices and e-reading apps support some or all of these strange, different tastes.
For us to prepare your words to be stirred up and reconstituted in this digital soup, it’s important your Smashwords source file is formatted to liberate the words in digital form.
The book’s formatting will be and must be different from its paper-based formatting and layout (for some works like poetry, the formatting is integral to the reading experience, and we can work with that too).
Most readers want your words, not your fancy page layout or exotic typestyles. This is especially important for your ebook customers because you want your work to display well on as many digital reading devices as possible so the reader can have their book their way. Some of your buyers may want to read on the Amazon Kindle; others may prefer to read on the iPhone or Sony Reader, or even read on multiple devices. Others may want to just read it on screen using one of the several e-reading applications, such as Adobe Digital Editions or FBReader.
Kdpcover guarantees ebook formatting for the following publishers and distibutors:
No, this is not a problem. You can have different back matter for the print book and for the ebook version of your book.
If your file exceeds the file size limits of our form, you can use a file transfer service to send it to us.
Here are a few options:
Some of our forms do require a file to be attached, in this case, please attach a blank file as a placeholder.
Ebooks do not have set pages, therefore they do not have page numbers. Any page numbers that you see when reading an ebook are placed there by the device or software used by the reader, not during formatting.
We provide EPUB files so that authors may publish directly with publishing sites such as Kobo, Apple (Apple Books), Barnes & Noble (Nook), IngramSpark, etc. Authors who plan on publishing on Smashwords do not require an EPUB, since Smashwords will distribute to most of these publishers.
No, we do not accept PDF files (or files converted from a PDF) for formatting.
The PDF, by its very nature, is not meant to be edited. It was created as a way of viewing a document on different platforms without losing the layout. It is as close to a print document as you can get and about as difficult to edit.
While converting a PDF to a Word document is straightforward with Adobe’s PDF to Word conversion service, many issues arise during this process. During conversion, the layout of the PDF is preserved as much as possible in the Word document, which results in the addition of many extraneous, hidden non-print characters. These need to be removed and cleaned up during the formatting process, which we have found to be a very inconsistent and time consuming process.
Every book is unique and the time spent formatting it is affected by a variety of factors.
We want you to have a clear understanding of costs going into a project so we use a quote based system (vs charging hourly). With this in mind, we require the manuscript to review in order to issue an accurate quote.
The prices may vary for books that include images, tables, etc.
Generally, Kdpcover only formats books written in English. During the formatting process, we occasionally need to be able to read parts of your book to ensure that everything is in the correct place, and thus require it to be written in English.
Having said that, we may format books not written in English on a case-by-case basis. Feel free to submit your book through our quote form here, so that we can determine whether your book is appropriate for us to format.
Cover design and formatting can be done simultaneously.
It’s important to note that to finalize a cover for print, the page count of the interior would be needed to calculate the spine width.
To open and view an epub file, one can use Adobe Digital Editions.
The following are the expected turnaround times for our ebook and print formatting services:
- Standard option: within 5-6 calendar days of payment
- Rush job option*: within 2-3 calendar days of payment
All of the files for the order will be sent out at the same time.
If you do not receive your files within the expected time frame, please check your junk/spam folder as they can sometimes get sorted there. If they are not found there, please don’t hesitate to contact us here.
These dates are for the first set of formatted files. If changes to the formatting are requested after this, then the times will increase depending on the changes required.
The following is the formatting process:
- Submit your book file to request a formatting quote through our Request for Formatting Quote form.
- The file does not need to be the final file but it should be as close to finished a possible. If there are any major changes, please advise us.
- We will review your file and email you a quote.
- If you accept the quote, we will email you an invoice payable via credit card (or PayPal upon request)
- You can request changes to the quote if required.
- Once you pay the invoice, you are giving us permission to begin formatting immediately, so no further updates can be accepted.
- If you need to send an updated file, please do so before paying the invoice. You can email us the update file or send it through our contact form.
Your edited final manuscript file (doc, .docx, .rtf, .odt). And Paper size for the print book version.
Yes, We do. Please contact us for pricing and more details.
What is a web banner?
A web banner is an image that spans across the top of a website. The “Still” in the name of the product means that the banners are not animated with moving elements. They are a still, or static, image. This product would be for any banner image needed that isn’t a Facebook cover photo (e.g. website, Twitter, Wattpad etc).
Note: We only offer this service for book covers that we have designed.
What’s included when I order a web banner?
One file, designed to the specified dimensions, which is adapted from the book cover design.
See an example of a book cover to web banner conversion below:
web banner design
How much does a web banner cost?
The price for our title page is listed on our cover design extras form (once you select it).
What are the specifications for the file that you will be receiving?
- File Type: JPG or PNG
- Dimensions: These are specified by the client at the time of ordering
- File Size: They will vary depending on dimensions, however, we will keep the file as small as possible to keep web loading time low.
Resolution: 72 DPI
What is the process?
Order Process
You can order your web banner in one of three ways:
- You can order it when you first order your book cover design
- It may be included in your book cover design package
- You can order it on our cover design extras form at a later date after we have already designed your book cover.
Design Process
- The process for designing your web banner only begins after we have an approved book cover design to work when we have received the specific dimensions.
- After receiving the file, you can review it for any errors. We’ll fix any changes you have at this point, free of charge. Once you approve, let us know.
- Once the file is approved any final files and instructions will be sent, if necessary, and the project is considered complete.
What is the turnaround time for this project?
- If the web banner was ordered after the book cover design was completed, it will be sent within 3 business days of payment.
- If the web banner was ordered at the same time as the book cover or is part of a cover design package, it will be sent within 3 business days of your approval of the book cover.
Revision Process
All revisions and/or changes while the project is active will be made free of charge. If you decide at a later date after approval of the project that you’d like to make further changes please email us to let us know. At that point, a quote will be sent to you based on the complexity of the request.
If there’s anything missing or that is unclear about the process or what’s included when you order this item from us. Please contact us to let us know.
What is a title page?
Many authors want the title page of their interior to match the fonts and layout of their book cover design.
What’s included when I order a title page?
One file that matches the font layout of your book cover design that can be used as the title page in the interior of your book.
See an example of a book cover and title page conversion below:
How much does a title page cost?
The price for our title page is listed on our cover design extras form (once you select it).
What are the specifications for the file that you will be receiving?
- File Type: PNG with a transparent background.
- File Size: ~1 MB
- Dimensions: 1558 pixels width x 2509 pixels height (2% smaller than our ebook cover. Why? Apple requires images to be less than 4,000,000 pixels when inserting them into a book)
- The fonts and layout will appear as they do on the book cover.
What is the process?
Order Process
You can order your title page in one of three ways:
- You can order it when you first order your book cover design
- It may be included in your book cover design package
- You can order it on our cover design extras form at a later date after we have already designed your book cover.
Design Process
- The process for preparing your title page begins after we have an approved book cover design to work with.
- The title page will be the same fonts and layout as the ebook cover.
- After receiving the file, you can review it for any errors. We’ll fix any changes you have at this point, free of charge.
- Once you approve, let us know. Once the file is approved any final files and instructions will be sent, if necessary, and the project is considered complete.
What is the turnaround time for this project?
- If the Title Page was ordered after the book cover design was completed, it will be sent within 3 business days of payment.
- If the Title page was ordered at the same time as the book cover or is part of a cover design package, it will be sent within 3 business days of your approval of the book cover.
Revision Process
All revisions and/or changes while the project is active will be made free of charge. If you decide at a later date after approval of the project that you’d like to make further changes please email us to let us know. At that point, a quote will be sent to you based on the complexity of the request.
If there’s anything missing or that is unclear about the process or what’s included when you order this item from us. Please contact us to let us know.
What is a promotional mockup pack?
A promotional mockup pack is 11 premium mockups with your book’s design on them. Authors like to have these mockups to assist with the promotion of their book (social media, website, ads etc).
What’s included when I order a promotional mockup pack?
11 premium mockups. Here is an example of the mockups using a different book cover. The mockups will be the same but will feature your book instead:
How much does a promotional mockup pack cost?
The price for our promotional mockup pack is listed on our cover design extras form (once you select it).
What are the specifications for the file that you will be receiving?
- 11 mockups
- File Type: JPGs
- File Size: <2 MB each for a total of ~42MB for 21.
- Dimensions: 2000 width × 2000 height
- Colour scale: RGB
- Resolution: 72 DPI
What is the process?
Order Process
You can order your promotional mockup pack in one of three ways:
- You can order it when you first order your book cover design
- It may be included in your book cover design package
- You can order it on our cover design extras form at a later date after we have already designed your book cover.
Design Process
- The process for designing your promotional mockup pack begins after we have an approved book cover design to work with.
- We will design the mockups and send you a download link to download a ZIP file that contains the 11 images.
- Once the zip file is sent, the project is considered complete.
What is the turnaround time for this project?
- If the mockup pack was ordered after the book cover design was completed, it will be sent within 4 business days of payment.
- If the mockup pack was ordered at the same time as the book cover or is part of a cover design package, it will be sent within 3 business days of your approval of the book cover.
Revision Process
There are currently no revisions available for this product as, to keep costs low, the mockups can not be edited individually. They will be exactly the same as the examples above but will feature your book cover so you can get a good idea if you would like them.
If there’s anything missing or that is unclear about the process or what’s included when you order this item from us. Please contact us to let us know.
Kdpcover is not a publishing company in that we do not publish your books for you.
Our services are to assist the self-publisher in their publishing journey.
If you have written a book and want to upload it to a publishing company but need assistance with cover design or formatting your book to the publisher’s requirements, then Kdpcover can help.
Click on the links below to check out our services:
Kdpcover does not print books. We format books for printing by Amazon KDP Print, and IngramSpark.
Print covers include a front cover, back cover, and spine. The spine width is determined by the type of paper and number of pages in the book.
Ebook covers include only a front cover, since they are digital.
Book Cover Design Services include the following:
When do I get my cover?
Within 4 business days of receiving payment for Custom Ebook package packages. If you have ordered a print package/upgrade, please allow 4 days from the date that receive all of the information necessary to get started (e.g. page count, trim size etc).
How many concepts do I get?
We like to put most of our energy/effort into one central concept, at first. We’ll offer a couple of slight variations of the concept (with fonts, tones etc). For designers that offer multiple concepts, we find that the attention to detail is lacking because they are more focused on creating quantity over quality. That said, if we are completely off the mark with our original design – then we are okay with designing another concept as we offer unlimited revisions until the author is 100% satisfied. We just don’t like starting with the assumption that we don’t know what our clients would like because, after they give us all of the info that we request, we usually have a pretty good idea of what will work.
What if I want to make revisions?
Custom Ebook and Ebook + Print packages include unlimited revisions until the author approves of the completed work. After the work is approved and the author requests further revisions (e.g. weeks/months later), then a small fee may apply depending on the complexity of the request.
What kind of file do I get?
For Custom Ebook Covers, a final JPG file 1600 x 2560 pixels will be the file that is provided. The cover file can be used for all major ebook distributors, including Smashwords, Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, IngramSpark, etc. If you order a print cover, then you will receive one print-ready PDF based on your book’s specifications. (This PDF is for a paperback cover only. If a Hard Cover, Dust Jacket, and/or multiple paperback files are needed, an additional charge will apply). All packages will get a free 3D mockup of their book to help with promotion.
Can I order other marketing material?
Yes! The Photoshop PSD file, Facebook Cover Photos, Audiobook covers, and other marketing material, can be purchased for an additional charge here: http://kdpcover.com/cover-design-extras/ If your item is not listed, please email us with your request and we’ll try to accommodate it.
Where do you get the stock images that you use to manipulate your concepts?
All stock images used are royalty-free and sourced from Shutterstock.com. The cost of your cover design includes the rights to use these images. For more information on the licensing of images, please visit http://www.shutterstock.com/license-comparison.
What is the expectation of communication?
We do our best to respond as quickly to your questions/emails as possible. We aim to respond within 1 business day or earlier. If you do not hear back within that time, please contact us here as something funky might be happening with our email: http://kdpcover.com/contact-us/
You can also chat with us through the website’s chat bubble option or on social media like WhatsApp and Facebook Messanger.
I have a series of books that I’d like to order in bulk from you, can I get a discount?
We are open to discussing discounts for bulk orders of covers and will treat on a case-by-case basis. Please chat with us or email us.
I’d like to order formatting along with my cover design. Is there a package deal?
Our formatting services are already extremely affordable and have a 10% discount available so we do not currently offer additional discounting by ordering it together with cover design.
What do you do with the cover design after it is finished?
We will store your source file free of charge in case you lose the file, want to make changes or want a print upgrade at a later date. If you do not want us to store your cover design, please let us know.We also may use your cover design in our portfolio, social media, forums etc. to help promote our services. If you do not want us to post your cover, or want us to wait until a specific date to post your cover, please let us know.
How does payment work?
After you fill out the order form, an invoice will be emailed to you. This invoice is payable by Paypal or Credit Card. Please pay the invoice to get started on your project. Payment indicates a commitment to get started on the project rather than just people inquiring. We offer a 100% refund policy if you’re not happy with the process so there is no risk.
Cancellation 99.9% of the time, everything works as it should, but sometimes the process doesn’t work well for the author or us. At that point, either party has the discretion to end the agreement. Our default policy is to offer 100% money back at that point, although authors in the past have acknowledged the work done and only request a portion of the money back.
Who holds the rights to the cover design?
The author retains the rights to the cover design, however; kdpcover reserves the right to use the cover design in their portfolio and online to promote their services.
If you cannot see our form, it may be due to your web browser. We have noticed some issues with the following combinations:
- Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP
- Internet Explorer 8 on Windows 7
- Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 7
Firefox 3.6 on all operating systems (upgrade your Firefox browser here)
First, try viewing our form through a different web browser (such as Google Chrome). If that doesn’t work, please contact us.
Cover design and formatting can be done simultaneously.
It’s important to note that to finalize a cover for print, the page count of the interior would be needed to calculate the spine width.
What is a paperback print cover design?
Many authors love the feeling of holding their books physically in their hands. A paperback print cover is a designed file that you can upload to print-on-demand platforms like Amazon’s KDP Print or IngramSpark. Paperback refers to the type of printing. A paperback does not have a hardcover or dustjacket.
What is included when I order a paperback print cover design?
One final file that is adapted from your ebook cover design that can be uploaded to your preferred print-on-demand (POD) platform. If you’re distributing with more than one printing platform and require more than one paperback print file, we offer them for an additional charge. IngramSpark and KDP Print require two different print-ready files, for example.
The design includes the book’s spine and back cover. Additionally, the back cover may include the book’s blurb, ISBN, reviews, author’s bio, and image, etc.
The design will pull an existing element from the front cover design to include on the back cover for continuity. See the example below.
You’ll also receive a mockup of your print cover (example pictured below) to review and approve the paperback print cover.
ebook cover
Paperback cover design
3D MOCKUP
What are the specifications of the print-ready paperback file?
- File Type: PDF
- File Size: <50MB
- Dimensions: Trim size (e.g. 6×9) will be specified by author/publisher. The final page count will determine how thick the spine is. Please note that we can not accommodate text on the spine for any book with less than 100 pages.
- Colour Profile: CMYK
- Resolution: 300 DPI
What is the process for ordering and designing the paperback print file?
Ordering:
You can order your paperback print cover in one of three ways:
- You can order it as an add-on when you first order your ebook cover design.
- It may be included in your book cover design package.
- You can order it on our cover design extras form at a later date after we have already designed your book cover.
Designing:
- The process for designing your paperback print cover begins after we have an approved ebook cover design to work with. There is no time limit between the completion of the ebook cover design and the start of the paperback print cover design.
- We will send you a form to fill out that provides us with all of the information necessary to complete your print cover. The purpose of this form is so that we have all of the information in one spot when we are preparing your print file. Please do not fill out this form until you have all of the information that we are requesting.
- We’ll prepare a mock-up of your print cover for your review for any errors. We’ll fix any changes you have at this point, free of charge. Once you approve, let us know.
- Once the file is approved, your print-ready files and any final instructions will be sent and the project is considered complete.
What is the turnaround time for designing a paperback print cover?
- If the paperback cover was ordered after the book cover design was completed, it will be sent within 3 business days of two things happening: payment of the invoice and completion of our print cover form.
- If the paperback cover was ordered at the same time as the book cover or is part of a cover design package, it will be sent within 3 business days of receiving the information that we request on our print cover form.
What is the revision process?
All revisions and/or changes while the project is active will be made free of charge. If you decide at a later date after approval of the project that you’d like to make further changes please email us to let us know. At that point, a quote will be sent to you based on the complexity of the request.
If there’s anything missing or that is unclear about the process or what’s included when you order this item from us. Please contact us to let us know.
If your file exceeds the file size limits of our form, you can use a file transfer service to send it to us.
Here are a few options:
Some of our forms do require a file to be attached, in this case, please attach a blank file as a placeholder.
In order to prepare a cover for print, we require the page count of your finalized PDF interior file. This number is used to calculate the width of the spine.
Do not use the page numbers in the footer to determine this, as they do not count the front matter etc.
Instead, look for the total number of pages in the document. Each application displays this a little differently. In the example below (macOS Preview and Adobe Acrobat Reader), the total page count of the document is 152 pages:
What is a Facebook cover photo?
Many authors have Facebook pages for their pen names and/or books. The Facebook cover photo is the image that spans across the top of a Facebook page.
What’s included when I order a Facebook cover photo?
One final file that is adapted from your book cover design that is optimized to use as a Facebook Cover image.
See an example of a Facebook cover photo conversion from a book cover below:
ebook cover design
fb cover photo design
How much does a Facebook cover photo cost?
The price for our Facebook cover photo is listed on our cover design extras form (once you select it).
What are the specifications for the file that you will be receiving?
- File Type: JPG
- File Size: less than 100 kilobytes
- Dimensions: 851 pixels wide, 315 pixels tall
- Resolution: 72 DPI
- Colour Scale: RGB
- Will not be more than 20% text (as per Facebook’s policy)
- Will account for the placement of the author’s Facebook profile picture so as to not overlap.
Facebook’s policy for cover photos:
All covers are public. This means that anyone who visits your Page will be able to see your cover. Covers can’t be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else’s copyright. You may not encourage people to upload your cover to their personal timelines. Covers may not include images with more than 20% text.
What is the process?
Order Process
You can order your Facebook cover in one of three ways:
- You can order it when you first order your book cover design
- It may be included in your book cover design package
- You can order it on our cover design extras form at a later date after we have already designed your book cover.
Design Process
- The process for designing your Facebook cover begins after we have an approved book cover design to work with.
- After receiving the file, you can review it for any errors. We’ll fix any changes you have at this point, free of charge. Once you approve, let us know.
- Once the file is approved any final files and instructions will be sent, if necessary, and the project is considered complete.
What is the turnaround time for this project?
- If the Facebook cover photo was ordered after the book cover design was completed, it will be sent within 2-3 business days of payment of the invoice.
- If the Facebook cover photo was ordered at the same time as the book cover or is part of a cover design package, it will be sent within 2-3 business days of your approval of the book cover
Revision Process
All revisions and/or changes while the project is active will be made free of charge. If you decide at a later date after approval of the project that you’d like to make further changes please email us to let us know. At that point, a quote will be sent to you based on the complexity of the request.
If there’s anything missing or that is unclear about the process or what’s included when you order this item from us. Please contact us to let us know.
What is an ebook cover design?
An ebook cover is an image that is used to represent the book in retailer catalogs and software libraries like Amazon KDP, Apple Books etc.
What is included when I order an ebook cover design?
A professionally designed ebook cover that is optimized to upload to all the major book distributors including Smashwords, Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, IngramSpark, etc. It’s a single, ready-to-upload image of the “front” cover and does not include a spine or back cover. We also offer a print cover upgrade which includes the spine and back cover design.
You get unlimited reasonable changes during the design process (more info below).
Your approved ebook cover also will come with a bonus 3d mockup!
You can see examples of our ebook cover designs in our website’s book cover portfolio.
How much does an ebook cover design cost?
Each one of our cover design packages includes an ebook cover design. Prices and information for these packages are outlined on our book cover design service page. The prices listed are in USD.
What are the file specifications of the ebook cover design?
- File Type: JPG
- File size: <5mb
- Dimensions: 1600 pixels width x 2560 pixels height (the optimal dimensions recommended by Amazon KDP and Smashwords.
- Colour Profile: RGB (not sRGB or CMYK)
- Resolution: 72 DPI
What is the process for your ebook cover design service?
Step 1 – Order:
A. Fill out our book cover order form. This form provides us with all of the details we need to design your cover if it is filled out thoroughly.
B. Once we receive the order we’ll email an invoice within 2 business days.
C. When payment is received, we’ll send a welcome email and clarify any questions about your cover order if needed.
Step 2 – Design (within 7 days):
We’ll send you the design and let you review. You can review it and ask us for the changes/revisions unlimited times, until it looks perfect.
If you don’t get satisfied with the initial concept, we’ll work on the another concept for you. Your feedback and design idea/instructions is always welcomed.
If by multiple concepts we still do not have a book cover concept to revise (which is very rare), we may choose to end the project (and issue refund) or we may keep going with additional drafts depending on how close we are.
Revision Process post-approval
All revisions and/or changes while the project is active will be made free of charge. If you decide at a later date after approval of the project that you’d like to make further changes please email us to let us know. At that point, a quote will be sent to you based on the complexity of the request.
If there’s anything missing or that is unclear about the process or what’s included when you order this item from us. Please contact us to let us know.
Yes! Kdpcover offers a custom ebook cover design package, as well as a combined ebook and print cover design package. Click here to check out the different packages.
No, an ebook cover can not be used for a print book. This is because print covers include a front cover, back cover, and spine, whereas an ebook cover includes only the front. Click below for more information on publisher’s print cover requirements:
Yes! If you would like to order your ebook cover first (included in a basic package) and then upgrade later, that is no problem.
Just contact us through our online form when you are ready to proceed with your print cover.
Yes!
We only require your cover if you have ordered EPUB files, since we insert the your cover into one of the two EPUB files you receive. This is because some publishers require that the cover is inserted into the EPUB in order to publish with them. If your cover is not ready yet, we can always insert it into the EPUB file once it is finished.
For all the other publishers, you will upload your cover file separately when you publish and the publisher will insert the cover into your ebook at this time.
Yes, Kdpcover can create a print cover for you. To order a print cover of your ebook cover, click here.
What is a boxset cover?
A boxset cover is for authors who have written a series of books and want to be able to sell that series as one package. A boxset cover is an image to represent that series of books.
What’s included when I order a boxset cover design?
Two files:
- The first file will be a 2d (i.e. ‘flat’) version of your boxset cover design. This design will be the same design as book one in the series but with an updated title to reflect the series name.
- The second file will be a 3d version of your boxset cover design with the spines of the rest of the books in the series showing on the side.
Here’s an example of a 3d boxset cover:
cover 1
cover 2
cover 3
cover 4
cover 5
cover 6
3D Boxset Cover Design
How much does a boxset cover cost?
The price for our boxset covers is listed on our cover design extras form (once you select it).
What are the specifications for the 2d boxset cover file that you will be receiving?
They will be the same as our ebook cover file.
What are the specifications for the 3d boxset cover file that you will be receiving?
- File types: JPG with a white background and PNG with a transparent background.
- Dimensions: Depends on how many books are in the box set.
- Resolution: 72 DPI
- Colour Scale: RGB
What is the process?
- You can order your boxset on our cover design extras form.
- The process for designing your boxset cover only begins after we have an approved book cover design for each cover that is included in the boxset.
- After receiving the file, you can review it for any errors. We’ll fix any changes you have at this point, free of charge. Once you approve, let us know.
- Once the file is approved any final files and instructions will be sent, if necessary, and the project is considered complete.
What is the turnaround time for this project?
The turnaround time for a boxset cover is within 3 business days of payment for the 2d boxset cover. The turnaround time for the 3d boxset cover is within 4 business days of approval of the 2d boxset cover.
Revision Process
All revisions and/or changes while the project is active will be made free of charge. If you decide at a later date after approval of the project that you’d like to make further changes please email us to let us know. At that point, a quote will be sent to you based on the complexity of the request.
If there’s anything missing or that is unclear about the process or what’s included when you order this item from us. Please contact us to let us know.
What is a bookmark?
A bookmark is a strip of card stock, or other material used to mark one’s place in a book.
Many authors want something to give to their fans or people at writing conventions, book signings, or extras with their book order. A bookmark is a great way to accomplish this.
What’s included when I order a bookmark?
A two-sided print-ready file that is adapted from your book cover design that can be used to upload to an online printer like Uprinting.
On the front will be a design that is adapted from your book cover. On the back will be a tagline and any other specified information (e.g. website URL).
Here’s an example of a book cover to bookmark conversion below.
ebook cover design
Bookmark front
Bookmark back
How much does a bookmark cost?
The price for our title page is listed on our cover design extras form (once you select it).
What are the specifications for the file that you will be receiving?
- File Type: two-sided PDF
- Dimensions: 2 inches wide and 6 inches height with a 0.125 bleed.
- Colour Scale: CMYK
- Resolution: 300 DPI
What is the process?
Order Process
You can order your bookmark in one of three ways:
- You can order it when you first order your book cover design
- It may be included in your book cover design package
- You can order it on our cover design extras form.
Design Process
- The process for designing your bookmark only begins after we have an approved book cover design and we have the tagline that you would like to include.
- After receiving the file, you can review it for any errors. We’ll fix any changes you have at this point, free of charge. Once you approve, let us know.
- Once the file is approved any final files and instructions will be sent, if necessary, and the project is considered complete.
What is the turnaround time for this project?
- If the bookmark was ordered after the book cover design was completed, it will be sent within 4 business days of payment.
- If the bookmark page was ordered at the same time as the book cover or is part of a cover design package, it will be sent within 5 business days of your approval of the book cover.
Revision Process
All revisions and/or changes while the project is active will be made free of charge. If you decide at a later date after approval of the project that you’d like to make further changes please email us to let us know. At that point, a quote will be sent to you based on the complexity of the request.
If there’s anything missing or that is unclear about the process or what’s included when you order this item from us. Please contact us to let us know.
What is an audiobook cover design?
Many authors offer their books as audiobooks. An audiobook cover is an image that represents your book on audiobook platforms like Audible, ACX, Tantor Media, etc.
What’s included when I order an Audiobook cover design?
One final file that is adapted from your book cover design that can be used as the image for your book on audiobook platforms. See an example of an audiobook conversion from a book cover below:
Ebook Cover
Audiobook Cover
How much does an audiobook cover cost?
The price for our audiobook design is listed on our cover design extras form (once you select it).
What are the specifications for the file that you will be receiving?
- File Type: JPG
- File Size: <5MB
- Dimensions: 3000 x 3000 pixels. Images will be a true square, not a rectangular image with borders.
- Colour Profile: RGB
- 24-bit (True Color) minimum.
- Resolution: 72 DPI
What is the process?
Order Process
You can order your Audiobook cover in one of three ways:
- You can order it when you first order your book cover design
- It may be included in your book cover design package
- You can order it on our cover design extras form at a later date after we have already designed your book cover.
Design Process
- The process for designing your Audiobook begins after we have an approved book cover design to work with.
- The audiobook cover will be adapted from the approved book cover design. It can also include a narrator’s credit if requested.
- After receiving the file, you can review it for any errors. We’ll fix any changes you have at this point, free of charge. Once you approve, let us know.
- Once the file is approved any final files and instructions will be sent, if necessary, and the project is considered complete.
What is the turnaround time for this project?
- If the Audiobook Cover was ordered after the book cover design was completed, it will be sent within 4 business days of payment of the invoice.
- If the Audiobook Cover was ordered at the same time as the book cover or is part of a cover design package, it will be sent within 5 business days of your approval of the book cover.
Revision Process
All revisions and/or changes while the project is active will be made free of charge. If you decide at a later date after approval of the project that you’d like to make further changes please email us to let us know. At that point, a quote will be sent to you based on the complexity of the request.
If there’s anything missing or that is unclear about the process or what’s included when you order this item from us. Please contact us to let us know.
If you have paid by PayPal, it may have been labelled as an eCheque/eCheck (which comes with a delay to clear payment).
As PayPal is the payment processor, Kdpcover does not have control over this.
If this occurs, we will wait until the payment has cleared before starting unless otherwise discussed.
Please see this PayPal support article for more details: https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/article/why-is-my-echeque-pending-(buyer)-faq3270
Yes. All of our prices are in US dollars (USD).
If your credit card was declined, you might try contacting your bank or credit card company as they sometimes block online transactions.
Declines can happen for a variety of reasons. When a charge is submitted to your bank, they have automated systems that determine whether or not to accept the charge. These systems take various signals into account, such as your spending habits, account balance, and card information including the expiration date and CVC.
Since these signals are constantly changing, a previously successful card might be declined in the future. Even if all of the card information is correct, and you previously had a successful payment, a future charge can still be declined by your bank’s fraud systems.
If you are using a pre-paid credit card, be sure that it has been activated.
We also accept payments via PayPal, if you would prefer to use this service.
Kdpcover currently accepts payment by credit card (VISA, MC, or AMEX) or PayPal.
We will email you an invoice that is payable via one of the above methods.
We manage to work 24×7.Due to the nature of our business, we work or answer emails anytime.
If you have an updated manuscript that you would like to send to us, please email it to: [email protected] .
If the file is too large to email, you can use a service such as Dropbox, WeTransfer or Google Drive to send it to us.
Please do this before paying your invoice. Once your invoice is paid, you have approved us to begin formatting your file and we will no longer accept updates.
If your file exceeds the file size limits of our form, you can use a file transfer service to send it to us.
Here are a few options:
Some of our forms do require a file to be attached, in this case, please attach a blank file as a placeholder.
The easiest way to get in touch with us is through the contact form on our website. One of us will always respond within 12-24 hrs.
We don’t have an office telephone number, but don’t worry! Our team is accessible via our contact form and one of us will always respond within 12-24 hrs.
If you are not receiving emails from Kdpcover or they are ending up in your junk mail folder, please add [email protected] to your email’s contact list to ensure they don’t end up there in the future. Find your email service below for further assistance on how to do this.
1. Hotmail Live, Windows Live or MSN
Try one of the following two options:
- Check the junk folder – if email from Kdpcover is in this folder, click ‘Show content’ to view the body of the email. Click ‘Mark as safe’. Our email address will now be added to your list of safe senders.
- Manually add to safe list – click ‘Options’ in the upper right corner of your Hotmail screen. In the body of the page under Junk e-mail click the link ‘Safe and blocked senders’. Click the link ‘Safe senders’. Enter the our email address. Click ‘Add to list’.
2. AOL
- Log into your account and click the ‘Settings’ link.
- On the ‘Settings’ page, select ‘Spam Settings’.
- Choose ‘Allow mail only from addresses I specify’ on the drop-down menu.
- Enter our email address.
- Click the ‘Add’ button to add us to your sender list.
- Click ‘Save’ to save your changes.
3. Gmail
- Open the email in your inbox.
- Hover over our name.
- Click ‘More’ in the pop-up box.
- Select ‘Add to contacts’ to save the us to your contacts list.
You can also add us to your Gmail contact list before opening the email:
- Hover over our name next to the subject line in the inbox.
- Click ‘More’ in the pop-up box.
- Select ‘Add to senders’ to save us to your contacts list.
4. Yahoo
- Log in to your account and click the ‘Options’ link.
- Select ‘Mail Options’ from the drop-down menu.
- In the ‘Options’ tab, select ‘Filters’ from the left menu.
- Click the ‘Add Filter’ button in the top bar.
- Type a name for your filter in the ‘Filter name’ field.
- Select ‘Contains’ in the ‘Sender’ drop-down menu.
- Type our email address in the ‘Sender’ text field.
- In the ‘Move to Folder’ drop-down menu, select ‘Inbox’.
- Click the ‘Save Changes’ button in the top bar to save the filter.
5. Mac Mail
- Select ‘Mail’ and ‘Preferences’ from the top menu.
- In the ‘Preferences’ window, click the ‘Rules’ icon.
- Click the ‘Add Rule’ button.
- In the ‘Rules’ window, type a name for your rule in the ‘Description’ field.
- Use the following settings: ‘If any of the following conditions are met: From Contains’.
- Type our email address in the text field beside ‘Contains’.
- Select ‘Move Message’ and ‘Inbox’ from the drop-down menus.
- Click ‘Ok’ to save the rule.
6. Outlook 2003 (and higher)
- Right-click on our message in your inbox.
- Select ‘Junk E-mail’ from the menu.
- Click ‘Add Sender to Safe Senders List’.
7. Thunderbird
- Open our email message.
- Click the blue star next to the our name and address to add us to your address book.
8. Android
- Open our email in your Gmail app.
- Tap the contact icon to the left of the our name and email address.
- Tap ‘Ok’ on the ‘Add contact’ pop-up box.
- Tap on ‘Create new contact’ at the top of your Contacts list.
- Enter our name in the ‘First name’ field.
- Enter our email address in the ‘Email’ field.
- Tap ‘Save’ to save the address.
9. iPhone
- Tap the our name in the ‘From’ line.
- On the next screen, tap ‘Create New Contact’.
- On the third screen, tap ‘Done’ to save our address.
Kdpcover is not a publishing company in that we do not publish your books for you.
Our services are to assist the self-publisher in their publishing journey.
If you have written a book and want to upload it to a publishing company but need assistance with cover design, or formatting your book to the publisher’s requirements, then Kdpcover can help.
Click on the links below to check out our services:
Kdpcover does not print books. We format books and design covers for printing by Amazon KDP Print, and IngramSpark.
Yes, All of our prices are in US dollars (USD).
